Theories of humor Essays

  • Freud's Theory Of Humor In Doctor Moorhead And A Patient

    1434 Words  | 6 Pages

    Humor The common characteristic of Kim’s works was to make detectives notice that the mysterious phenomenon had been just an appearance, that is, to overturn the plot. What deserves attention here is Freud’s theory of humor, which has a remarkable analogy with Kim’s strange plot. He gives an example of humor as follows: “A rogue who was being led out to execution on a Monday remarked: ‘Well, this week’s beginning nicely’.” We feel a kind of humoristic pleasure here because of, according to Freud

  • Incongruity Theory Of Humor In The Movie Grown Up

    753 Words  | 4 Pages

    • Incongruity theory o An example of the incongruity theory of humor takes place during the waterpark scene in the movie Grown Ups (Dennis Dugan, 2010). • https://youtu.be/4K8EH0GAA9Q (0:0 – 1:34) • The clip begins with a group of women staring at an attractive, muscular man across the waterpark. These women then try to get his attention, to which he appears to be responding by flexing his well-toned muscles in response. Next, the man walks through the water – in slow motion, while the song Goodnight

  • Incongruity Theory Of Humor In Seinfeld

    874 Words  | 4 Pages

    consider “observational humor” which focuses on everyday situations. The show also has many elements of the superiority, incongruity, and relief theory of humor. I analyzed the first and second episode of season one of Seinfeld in order to describe the ways in which these theories manifest themselves in the show. Seinfeld uses the superiority theory of humor the most out of the three theories as it plays on the characters awkward life moments. The superiority theory of humor suggests that we laugh

  • The Ransom Of Red Chief Short Story

    827 Words  | 4 Pages

    Annoying Children and Bad Kidnappers, a love story Are you ever just in the mood to kidnap a kid for lots of money? That’s exactly what “The Ransom of Red Chief” by O. Henry is about. Two grown men decide to kidnap a little boy, but by the end of the story they end up paying to get rid of him. When you read this story you might find the characters confusing and slightly annoying, therefore you probably should save yourself some time and just not read this story. Along with the dilactate that makes

  • Summary Of The Play Kim's Convenience By Ins Choi

    495 Words  | 2 Pages

    The play Kim’s Convenience by Ins Choi is a heartwarming production about family, culture, acceptance, and forgiveness. It is evident this play is meant to bring laughter from the audience, which is what I admire most from this play. The play is able to bring humorous light to the stereotypes of the parents and the customers without being offensive. During one scene, Mike walks into Appa’s store and asks for Vaseline with his thick Jamaican accent. After a small dispute of miscommunication, Mike

  • Satire In Naguib Mahfouz's Midaq Alley

    716 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Satire is a sort of glass wherein beholders do generally discover everybody’s face but their own” (Jonathan Swift). From literary works to social media; irony and sarcasm are particularly common but rarely recognized, mentioned devices don’t only criticize others but expose their stupidities as well. In Midaq Alley, Naguib Mahfouz uses satire to express his own disdain and judgment for social groups he encounters. Moreover, he shows and criticizes the use of satire by other characters revealing

  • Laughter In The Film 'Office Space'

    2025 Words  | 9 Pages

    method of escape. It separates us from reality which at times, can become quite overwhelming, especially in a work environment. After a long day of hard work we seek out a method of relaxation. Theories of laughter have proved to be very effective. Superiority theory, incongruity theory and the relief theory. All of those terms come to one conclusion; laughter is a safety net and is it the best way to relieve stress. Aristotle, 384-322BC – laughter is a form of derision (Nicomachean Ethics) [2]. Work

  • Funniness And Plato Disjointedness

    1157 Words  | 5 Pages

    On why diversion is about force, control and the parity of mind and feelings In old times, cleverness or comic was entirely controlled. In spots like Greece and Egypt, jokes were even taboo in social circumstances. Considering the verging on forbidden nature of cleverness, it's not really astonishing that silliness never gotten specific consideration from antiquated researchers. Plato was loath to silliness as jokes and mockery were not energized and men and ladies were relied upon to be not kidding

  • On Ethnographic Sincerity Summary

    1644 Words  | 7 Pages

    Humor: A Stepping Stone to Social Change At the core of merely every financial, social, and political system exists the picture of the ways in which human lives develop. Inevitably humans as flawed beings create defective systems which lead to a myriad of consequences. Through multiple perspectives anthropologists attempt to identify and record such occurrences in ethnographic writings. In the article “On Ethnographic Sincerity” by John L. Jackson Jr the author communicates some of the different

  • The Heat, By Ashburn And Mullins

    1412 Words  | 6 Pages

    The Heat contains a prevalence of humor, happy ending, magnified disorder, and an uplifting existential worldview that fits the nature and composition of comedy as a genre. This film presents us with a multitude of kinds and intensities of humor which grab the audiences’ attention. There are moments within the film that cover all ends of the spectrum from droll to dry or even uproarious humor. An example of droll can be the tracheotomy scene, whereas Mullins continuously mocking the albino illustrates

  • Relief Theory, Incongruity And Superiority Theory

    275 Words  | 2 Pages

    relief theory, incongruity theory, and superiority theory. It is a combination of all three concepts that attempts to fully encapsulate the complex subject of racial comedy. Firstly, relief theory argues that the act of laughing helps individuals to “subconsciously overcome inhibitions”. It states that jokes and laughter can help to increase ease of interaction between different social groups, making previously uncomfortable situations abundantly more manageable. Next, incongruity theory places an

  • The Ethics Of Humor: Course Analysis

    1747 Words  | 7 Pages

    and processed the core objectives of The Ethics of Humor. The use of mirth to that results in laughter, different types theories of humor and physiological and emotional reaction. Ethics and humor in the workplace and how it can create a positive atmosphere for social interactions as well as serve as an emotional function. Although not all forms of humor are morally acceptable but there a positive notion that humor empowers people. However humor is the release of tension and can help with balancing

  • Common Stereotypes Funny To Specific People

    1818 Words  | 8 Pages

    The Research Question: Why are specific jokes funny to specific people? Why are there significant variations in humor appreciated for different people/ Why do people appreciate humor in subject they consider inflammatory? What is the influence of culture on people’s senses of humor? Can humor be used to make inferences about the biases of a community? Is a sense of humor a function of culture or can one developing new tastes? Specific Aims: This paper will explore the concert about the presence

  • Nick Dipaolo Essay

    531 Words  | 3 Pages

    comic relief. The stresses of everyday life have made the comedy genre more and more popular over the years as seen in the explosion of stand-up comedy and comedy films. As comedy has gained more popularity it has intertwined politics, philosophy, and humor. Stand-up comedy has become and art on its own evolving comics into modern day philosophers. Nick DiPaolo's famous stand-up routine titled “Raw Nerve” is a critical look at modern day America in strong defiance against the growing rules of political

  • Essay On Workplace Humor Style

    1974 Words  | 8 Pages

    Work Place Humor Styles “It is often said that nothing ruins a joke so much as the attempt to explain it“, below are the conceptual explanation of utilized variables of the study: To understand Humor ineptly, it is necessary to know its multi-dimension, Researchers have proposed four major humor styles, three of which were utilized in this study, namely Affiliative Humor Self-Enhancing Humor Aggressive Humor 2.3 Dimensions of Work Place Humor Styles 2.3.1 Affiliative Humor People who use affiliative

  • Analysis Of Status Anxiety By Alain De Botton

    885 Words  | 4 Pages

    the point is argued that the main role of humorists is to convey controversial messages and opinions through humor and irony that otherwise would be impossible to state. This principle of discussing such topics through an articulately written ironic satire is exhibited beautifully in Slaughterhouse Five. The author, Kurt Vonnegut, displays satirical irony juxtaposed with a level of humor to elegantly let the audience know of his viewpoint without seeming tendentious and desiring to shove it down

  • Comparison Of High Comedy And High Satire

    1457 Words  | 6 Pages

    Comedy is a means of communicating that can convey thoughts and ideas in an unarming way or can be a tool to connect to others through laughter. Comedy has many subcategories, such as high, low, and satire. Low comedy takes minimal complex thinking to understand and is straightforward. On the other hand, high comedy takes more thought to understand and can use techniques like clever wordplay. Satire (considered high comedy) is a form of comedy that often uses sarcasm to poke at/bring attention to

  • It Isn T That Deep Analysis

    1577 Words  | 7 Pages

    It Isn’t That Deep: How Sensitivity is Ruining Humor “People are having fun on the Internet and being silly with a fake word. Not sorry that offends you”(@BathtubZen). This is the opinion given by a Twitter user, commenting on an article posted by Cosmopolitan entitled “Kindly Shut the Hell Up About ‘Adulting,’” written by Danielle Tullo. The article is written about how the word ‘adulting’ has become commonly used by millenials as an excuse to not grow up, and as a way to demean those that have

  • Rob Delaney's Essay 'Rhetoric Of Humor'

    1510 Words  | 7 Pages

    Julia Cummings Prof. Jacob Eckrich ENGL 1003 Nov. 5. 2017 Comedy Therapy Comedians can make a joke out of just about anything. But, sometimes there’s lines where comedians can’t cross, like making a joke about a rape victim. In the Rhetoric of Humor, Katherine Leyton’s essay, Laughing It Off, states that, “Women comprise 90 percent of rape victims in America—we are, as a group, oppressed by rape. But when the oppressed joke about their oppression, different rules apply”(96). She explains that

  • Chicken In The Henhouse Sedaris

    1037 Words  | 5 Pages

    Humor in the Henhouse In his essay “Chicken in the Henhouse”, Sedaris utilizes various forms of humor to demonstrate that you can’t stereotype an entire group of people and that you shouldn’t judge people. Sedaris argues that stereotypes cause a negative self image and feelings such as guilt despite being innocent of any misdeeds society implicates him in. Serdaris uses humor to make himself more relatable which can be explained through the use of the superiority, incongruity, and relief theories