ipl-logo

Jack Gantos Use Of Humor In Dead End In Norvelt

517 Words3 Pages

“Brilliant… Full of history, mystery, and laughs.” is how coauthor of the Peter and the Starcatchers series, Dave Barry describes the book Dead End in Norvelt. In this historical fiction novel, the author, Jack Gantos uses many different forms of humor to enhance his writing. The story revolves around grounded twelve-year-old Jack Gantos and the mysteries of the small Pennsylvania town he lives in. Gantos uses a variety of humor to make his book more interesting, including schadenfreude, incongruity theory and farce. One way that Gantos makes his writing amusing is through the use of schadenfreude. Schadenfreude is when a person takes pleasure from another's pain or misfortune. In the book, the main character, Jack suffers from tremendous nosebleeds, usually caused by stress and anxiety. For instance, after Jack thinks he sees Mrs.Volker peeling off her melted skin his nose starts “spewing like an elephant bathing” (Gantos 26). The use of schadenfreude in this story makes Jack’s suffering seem funny. …show more content…

For example, when Mr. Spizz, the town police officer, chases after the Hells Angels on their motorcycles with a tricycle. This is laughable because it is completely ludicrous that an old man on a tricycle could catch up to tough guys on motorcycles. If police officers in real life used tricycles instead of cars and motorcycles to chase criminals they wouldn’t ever catch them and then there would be criminals on the loose all throughout the country. It would be extremely hilarious if a person saw a police officer chasing a car robber with a tricycle. The incongruity theory makes Mr.Spizz riding on a tricycle funny because it’s not a normal thing to

Show More
Related
163 Words | 1 Pages

Dramatic irony is used in book 14 to intensify the element of Nostos, by showing how dire Eumaeus’ want for Odysseus to be home is, when Odysseus is present, but not fully returned. His love for his master is so intense that he can not stop thinking about him and his well being. From the emotion, it is evident how much Eumaeus cares about Odysseus. When he says “so deeply he loved me, cared for me” (171), it shows how he felt when he served Odysseus. He refers to Odysseus as an “old friend” (169) displaying his longing and remembrance of companionship with Odysseus.

Read More
130 Words | 1 Pages

Authors utilise a range of emotive scenarios allowing the reader, to immerse themselves in situations that aren’t common to what they normally experience. Through various means, author Tim Pegler, delves into the concepts of grief and sadness in his novel “Five Parts Dead.” Pegler effectively explores and addresses the results of traumatic scenarios upon the individuals, both directly and indirectly. Additionally, Pegler uses emotive language to portray the life of protagonist to be consumed by tremendous guilt and grief, another contributing factor is the fact that the protagonist emotions are portrayed through the first person point of view, thus strengthening connections made with the protagonist and the reader. As well as the protagonist,

Read More
457 Words | 2 Pages

Stuck like Glue ¨Brothers are the guys you stick with and stick up for.” On this road trip the five brothers learned a very valuably in a hysterical way. In the humorous anecdote,Brothers, Jon Scieszka uses comic slang, comic situations, comic wordplay to create humor and to convey the universal truth of sticking with your brothers.

Read More
689 Words | 3 Pages

Andre Dubus’s “Killings” travels through the emotions of a couple after their son, Frank, is murdered. It explores the dark side of the people. Matt is a warmhearted and dedicating father. He is the main character of the story.

Read More
209 Words | 1 Pages

Great book , sharp, insightful story. All the time keeps in suspense and does not know what will happen next. And I want to turn a few pages forward to get to know what will happen next. Otlisno , and a big thanks to the author for this work. Enthusiastic and fascinated by the style of writing of the author.

Read More
732 Words | 3 Pages

Dave Barry In society today, people are becoming more and more easily offended. A simple joke is often times blown way out of proportion instead of being laughed off and taken as just that. Dave Barry, a comedic essayist, understands that idea, which is why he uses self-deprecating humor to distract the readers from the fact that he is making fun of them. Along with the use of sarcasm and hyperboles, this form of humor is, at times, relatable and allows him to get certain points across without offending his readers.

Read More
495 Words | 2 Pages

Annotated Bibliography McCarthy, Cormac. The Road. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2006. Print. The Road is set in a grim atmosphere.

Read More
1236 Words | 5 Pages

In the novel laughter play a major role by representing a type of freedom and an escape from nurse Ratched’s restrictions. Laughter proves a vital role in helping the patients deal with their problems. Not only does

Read More
1157 Words | 5 Pages

In the novel “Pride and Prejudice,” by Jane Austen emphasizes the idea of “thoughtful laugher,” through the relationship of Elizabeth and Darcy. “Thoughtful laughter” is notable in Austen 's use of the misunderstandings between characters. It is something that immediately provokes laughter and or amusement for the reader but also gives an understanding of a larger concept when analyzed further. “Thoughtful Laughter” is seen between Elizabeth and Darcy in which the two further apart from themselves until the two realize their mistakes were based on their pride and prejudice. Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice,” visualizes and captures the conflicted and tormented relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy in where it all begins at the Netherfield ball.

Read More
571 Words | 3 Pages

Author David Sedaris, writes “21 Down”, a short essay about The New York Times crossword puzzles and the role it plays in his life as well as the lives of others. Sedaris describes in detail the bitter truth about the search for recognition, getting older, and the fear of loneliness that comes with it. Sedaris uses contradictory tone against himself between his need for superiority and self criticism which exposes his personal struggles with his identity. He also appeals to the pathos of the audience by using self-deprecating comments throughout his essay to emphasize his feelings of self doubt and insecurity that the reader can easily relate too. Lastly he uses his renowned tone of sarcasm and humor to bring to light serious topics that aren't commonly talked about while promoting a lighthearted way to deal with your issues.

Read More
917 Words | 4 Pages

The assumption can be made that this time interval had a great impact on the way O’Brien told and created these stories. Within twenty years the author

Read More
807 Words | 4 Pages

Some people find violence amusing, others do not. Amusement through violent action between characters is called slapstick comedy. Happy Gilmore uses an iota amount of slapstick comedy through beating up others, unintentionally hurting others, others hurting him, and hurting himself. Happy Gilmore uses slapstick comedy through beating up characters. He beats up his young caddie. "

Read More
411 Words | 2 Pages

According to Mark Twain, humorous stories are very different from comic and witty stories. Humor adds amusement and interest in the message that is being delivered. “Cannibalism in the Cars” delivers the humorous message by using irony, satire, and syntax. The irony in the short story is in the way that the senators speak so sophisticated.

Read More
1202 Words | 5 Pages

Regardless how unique and unparalleled individuals throughout society may seem, there is one inevitable commonality that all of humanity must encounter: death. Don DeLillo presents the inevitability of death through the Gladney family in his post-modern novel White Noise. Through the journey and characterization of protagonist Jack Gladney, readers are capable of recognizing how uncomfortable the subject of death truly is, as well as how individuals repress their fear of dying. However, DeLillo’s also focuses intensely on other aspects of American society, such as consumerism and humanity’s impact on nature, through his unique implementation of literary elements. Analyzing DeLillo’s White Noise through the Marxist, psychoanalytic, environmentalist,

Read More
561 Words | 3 Pages

A revision of Shakespeare’s tragedies Othello and Romeo and Juliet, Ann-Marie MacDonald’s comedy Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) follows Constance Ledbelly, an assistant professor at Queen’s University, as she delves into the plots of the two plays, attempting to discern the possible influence of a Wise Fool on the texts, as well as embarking on her own path of self-discovery. Throughout the novel, moments of laughter arise, many of which provoke broader discussion of the topics broach. MacDonald wields comedy to develop the theme that to achieve personal success, one must not simply imbibe the words of others, but understand and analyze the deeper meanings behind them. Comedic situations arise when characters in the two texts explored by

Read More

More about Jack Gantos Use Of Humor In Dead End In Norvelt

Related Topics

Open Document