Scatological Humour Essay

Even though Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb screened in the midst of the sobering Cold War, critics were keen on praising the film for its mastery of humor applied to such a sensitive matter. The film is exceedingly loaded with metaphors, innuendos, and allusions that nothing can be left undissected or taken for face value; the resulting effect is understood to be part of Kubrick’s multifarious theme. Kubrick has stated that what began as a “the basis for a serious film about accidental war ” eventually birthed an absurd and farcical classic comedy. The director fuses together irony, satire, and black humor to create a waggish piece but most of all the situation of the times and its

Barbara Ehrenreich employed the use of humor multiple times in Nickel and Dimed; it was perhaps her most frequently used rhetorical device. Ehrenreich was trying to portray the tragedy and heartbreak of the situation by using that sort of hopeless, sardonic humor. She also used her humor as a way to camouflage topics that would otherwise be off-limits. Although some of the humor included in the narrative may have seemed distasteful, it all had a purpose and was rarely used inappropriately.

Norman Cousins said, “Laughter is a powerful way to tap positive emotions" (Moss 1). Humor is studied by many researchers in sociology, psychology, art, literature, and medicine. When people wonder whether humor aids in areas other than health, a treasure trove of possible benefits to the learning or educational community is opened up. Humor can be used as a tool to promote learning.Research speaks to the many benefits of humor in healing, to its benefits in the classroom or boardroom, from reducing stress of students or employees, to boosting self-esteem and feelings of camaraderie. Additionally, studies show that those who use humor to convey a message are often more favorably perceived. Humor helps deliver the presenter's message to

He has written a satire against the foundation and the constitutions of Industrial Society. A uniformly monotonous description is used, much like the movement of machine where “products are continuously churned out”. The language used in this chapter holds no complexity. It translates simply to the author’s purpose; generating a cold mocking account – “a satirical bite”. This is the main thematic contrast of the two texts.

Ragueneau’s character and role are very different from that of Le Bret. Ragueneau, a baker with passion for poetry and an unfaithful wife, idolizes and worships Cyrano for his unmatched poetic skill and courageous, heroic reputation. Rather than ground Cyrano, he aims to please him while feeding his own hunger for attention and poetry. This is clear in his welcoming of Cyrano into his bakery the day after he fought a hundred men, as well as when he accompanies Roxane to the battle field to provide Cyrano and his fellow soldiers with food they were so desperately in need of. Throughout the play, Ragueneau is a source of comedy, as his dramatic character and flamboyance is contrasted by Cyrano’s discipline and seriousness. While a baker, Ragueneau humorously turns all of his recipes into poems, parodying the sophisticated poetry of Cyrano which Ragueneau so greatly admires. He describes his cooking using ornate language such as “Veil, O Muse, thy virgin eyes / From the lewd gleam of these terrestrial fires! / Your rolls lack balance. Here’s the proper form— An equal hemistich on either side.” Ragueneau also encourages Cyrano’s heroism and benefits from

Yet, even in evaluating how anger is emotionally imposed on the audience due to the absurdity of the proposal, it’s impossible to disregard the role of humor. There are obvious elements of humor throughout the proposal and amusement in the very nature of the proposal is expected. However, any sense of humor abruptly disappears at the heart of the critism. When the proposer begins stating “I can think of no one objection that will possibly be raised against this proposal” the humor stops and the voice of Swift, as well as sharp criticism, begins. Although humor may be an integral part of the proposal and certainly a partial indication of the use of Horatian satire, the fact that humor isn’t present throughout the whole proposal suggests that the use of hilarity is secondary. Rather, this contrast of humor and emotionally imposed irritation only helps to emphasize the role of anger. This is especially evident when one considers the irony that litters the humorous proposal.

Voltaire’s Candide is a lively satirical work wrought with black humor and caricature-like characters. Apart from being a humorous and entertaining masterpiece, Candide explores the metaphysical conflict humanity faces in attempting to make sense of the world and its struggles. In his work, Voltaire uses his characters to serve as caricatures or parodies of various contrasting philosophies which each in their own way attempt to confront and remedy this existential conflict. He frames these characters’ worldviews in such a way as to create a philosophical spectrum with optimism and pessimism being at opposite extremes amongst other worldviews, such as meliorism and quietism, within the spectrum.

Abstract: Antony Gormley’s provocative work Untitled (For Francis), 1986, reminds the viewer to consider the universal symbolism that is represented by humankind in relationship to the cosmos and divinity. This visual study will ask and answer the following question: Why did Anthony Gormley use his own body form in Untitled (For Francis), 1986, as a universal spiritual symbol, that is relative to the stigmata received by Saint Francis of Assisi? This question will be answered by first identifying the Gormley’s philosophy and motivation with regards to the human body as a universal symbol that exists within the cosmos. Secondly, this study will explore the subject matter and formal reasoning behind the artist’s work, Untitled (For Francis). Third, this study will historically contextualize Saint Francis in the Wilderness, 1485 by Giovanni Bellini in conjunction and the universal symbolism and typology of the stigmata, as it relates to the content of Gormley’s work.

Darnton would explain just this through the remainder of the chapter. "It strikes the modern reader as unfunny… Where is the humor in a group of grown men bleating like goats… while an adolescent reenacts the ritual slaughter of a defenseless animal? Our own inability to get the joke is an indication of the distance that separates us from the workers of preindustrial Europe." (Darnton Pg. 78)

Research Question: How does His Girl Friday stay within the bounds of the Hays Code while challenging the culture of censorship in United States?

Manbearpig: Half Man, Half Bear, Half Pig, but All Global Warming? South Park is a popular animated comedy series written by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. While the episodes of South Park are always humorous on the surface, each show usually has a deeper, much more profound meaning and moral. One episode of South Park entitled Manbearpig, named after the monster in the episode, has a particularly potent deeper meaning. On the surface, the episode pokes fun at monster stories, politics, and specifically Al Gore. Deeper down, however, this monster story can be read as a national allegory alluding to the dangers of global warming, the problems with the politics behind global warming, and the eventual doom we will all face

Dante had his fair share of the real human experience, whilst traveling through hell in Dante Alighieri’s “The Divine Comedy”. Characters in literature have been popularized since this masterpiece to favor sins as a type of personality trope. The lazy bum, the angry husband, or the prideful peacocks; the list goes on and on. The cause and effect of these traits have served well to teach generations of readers, the ideas and meanings of our actions as humans. Although it is rare, some works leave open ended plots for us to contemplate the meaning of said sin. In conjunction to some of the deadly sins, the main characters from “The Cask of Amontillado”, “The Veldt”, and “Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister”, all display a truth about human nature.

Dante's `Divine Comedy', the account of his journey through hell, purgatory and heaven is one of the worlds great poems, and a prime example of a most splendidly realized integration of life with art. More than being merely great poetry, or a chronicle of contemporary events, which it also is, the `Comedy' is a study of human nature by a man quite experienced with it. The main argument I will make in this essay is that Dante's `Comedy' is chiefly a work of historical significance because in it lies the essence of human life across all boundaries of time and place. I feel that such a reading is justified, nay invited, by Dante himself when he says;

The Divine Comedy is much more than an epic poem depicting a man’s interpretation of Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory. Written by Italian poet, Dante Alighieri, the Divine Comedy frequently alludes to the political turmoil that was prevalent throughout 14th century Italy, specifically, the city of Florence. During this period of Italian history, there was a lack of a stable government and a power struggle between the Papacy and the Holy Roman Emperor. This paper will analyze the political aspects within the Divine Comedy and its connection to religion, focusing specifically on the Inferno.

The Middle Ages are rarely considered a time of blossoming comedy, but the comic mystery cycle, known as Mistero Buffo, brought a bit of frivolous light to the Dark Ages. As explained in Dario Fo’s analysis of these plays, jongleurs played a precarious position in society: improving morale of the masses by mocking the rich and ordained, yet keeping out from under the footsteps of those lampooned. This was no more popular than during the feast of fools, where the working-class gathered to enjoy the jongleurs’ performances and release frustrations about the class system, while masking it with a religious moral. Often performed at this event was the Mistero Buffo (Fo, 1-14), which similarly juxtaposed relevant satire and biblical passages through stock characters, Aristotelian values of comedy, and an underlying breakdown of degree and religion.