A Humorous Galaxy Ever since the infancy of written language, man has been making jokes to humor one another. The first joke ever written, crafted by an ancient Sumerian dating all the way back to 1900 BC, shows that even the oldest ancestors of mankind thought that potty jokes were pretty neat. Douglas Adams, in his book The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, uses his advanced sense of humor to create plenty of opportunities to appreciate humor in the written form. This fictional adventure follows Arthur Dent after he is saved by his alien friend, Ford Prefect, from the destruction of Earth. With the help of humor and sarcasm, Adams portrays his views of society and provides readers the opportunity to realize some of the small flaws that we …show more content…
However, this sort of awkward English mistake is usually only found in verbal form, as it can often be corrected once put into writing. Recognizing this, Adams specifically uses dialogue as a literary device in order to create a humorous situation that exploits this sort of English mistake. As Arthur and Ford sit in an alien space ship awaiting their deaths, Arthur starts to contemplate his life, saying, “‘You know,’ said Arthur, ‘it’s at times like this… that I really wish I’d listened to what my mother told me when I was young.’ ‘Why, what did she tell you?’ ‘I don’t know, I didn’t listen’” (Adams 48). Adams uses Ford to show how the average person would react, interpreting what Arthur said to mean “I wish I followed my mother’s advice,” when in reality, Arthur was being quite literal with his words. In this specific example, Adams takes advantage of dialogue in a humorous way that enables him to portray his perception of this somewhat inconspicuous English miscommunication. Dialogue is one of the most commonly used literary devices in a many books, but it is often the best way to create humor between
Throughout Adams’ letter, she persuades her son by appealing to pathos in order to demonstrate how highly she thinks of her son. Clarifying, “Nothing is wanting with you but attention, diligence, and steady application,” Adams reassures that she is not trying to change her son, or turn him into a hero, but for him to gain experience and become a well-rounded person. Adams also acknowledges her sons disinterest in the voyage, “If I had thought your reluctance arose from proper deliberation or that you were
Discuss the irony of the following statement and the situation which it describes on pg. 153. “…there fooled what I later realized was a sickeningly comic aspect of an unfunny situation: the men talked in near-whispers.”
For example, she writes about the “family of punctuation” and emphasizes that each mark plays a key role to better understand how punctuation fits into literature. The author not only uses the personification of the punctuation to simplify and contrast them for each other, Truss most notably uses anecdotes of situations in which she either personally has seen the error or has received from readers. For instance, at the start of the book, Truss writes how easily it is for a person to find a sign that states “I’ts party time” (2). Throughout her book, she uses examples and anecdotes that are relatable and similar to the ones states to demonstrate how common they are and engage the audience. As a result, Truss’ application of informative examples and anecdotes add a dimension to the book that separates it from other grammar and punctuation books, as it is more unconventional and
While traveling with his father, John Quincy Adams received a letter from his mother. Abigail Adams uses multiple rhetorical strategies to advise her son. In her letter to her son John Quincy Adams, Abigail Adams uses metaphors, repetition, and a convincing tone to persuade him to take her advice. Abigail opens her letter by hoping her children and husband are doing okay. She mentions that John (her son) is gaining understanding and is “daily improving” (15).
Adams’ tone is very evident in the letter to her son, her tone is authoritative. She is not scolding her son in her letter, but it is not a speaking lightly. This is shown in the first paragraph of Adams’ letter, particularly lines three through eight. “If I had thought your reluctance arose from proper deliberation, or that you were capable of judging what was for your own benefit, I should not have urged you to accompany your father and brother when you appeared so averse to the voyage”. Adams is basically saying, if I thought you actually had a reason not to go and that you were mature enough to decide, I would not have made you go. Her tone is similarly shown in lines twenty-one through twenty-six, when she discusses how her son only needs to apply himself and given his other advantages in life, he will do well. Adams’ authoritative tone makes her message effective because she is
Abigail Adams, in her letter, introduces advice and caution to her son, John Quincy Adams while he is on a trip to France with his father. Adams purpose is to allow her son to know what she expects of him on his trip in France. She adopts an authoritative tone in order to show her son that she knows what’s best for him, and to make sure he experiences some feelings of fear, so he will obey her wishes. In her letter, Abigail Adams uses different types of rhetorical strategies to help get her thoughts across.
Abigail Adams uses tone as a rhetorical device in her letter. The first being a loving and trusting tone towards her son that appeals to his emotions. Recognizing that her son has “readily submitted to her advice,” Adams praises her son for his consideration of her opinion. When she states that difficult times are times “in which a genius would wish to live,” she illustrates her trust toward her son - she believes that he is a genius and thus should uphold the thinking of a genius. However, Abigail Adams’s methods of persuasion are not entirely congenial. Mothers are aware that sometimes they have to be more austere with their children in order for them to comprehend the importance of their advice. Therefore, the mother utilizes a stern tone in her letter. In the beginning, A. Adams tells her son, John Quincy Adams, that he does not have “proper deliberation” or the right judgement to make the decision on his own. Therefore, she had to step in and urge him to accompany his father and brother on the voyage. Additionally, she tells him that she has voiced her opinion, so she hopes that he will “never have an occasion” to “lament” it. By saying this, she is showing J.Q. Adams that it is in his best interest to follow her advice. As the saying goes, mother knows best. Abigail Adams is very passionate about making this aware to her son; however, sometimes her
A sense of dramatic irony is thought to be used throughout the reading. However, the book often takes a turn so that the reader’s previous thoughts on the plot are changed.
Adams uses irony constantly to keep readers laughing from page to page. This fantastic novel is written in a way that complements its genre giving the text great quality. Adams has a way of connecting with the reader by stopping what is currently happening to explain something in greater detail. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is very slow paced because it only covers a few days. A theme this book is absurdity because very strange things happen in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy that would not happen normally in real
In Sherman Alexie’s best work to date " The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven” humor allows his characters to display strength, hide weakness, to expose prejudice, avoid realities and to create bonds (Coulombe, 94). I believe Alexie’s humor engages readers creating positive connections between individuals of diverse backgrounds and disrupts tension between racial communities. Humor is often defined by its fluidity, its paradoxes and its ability to surprise (Coulombe, 95). Humor teaches self-knowledge and social awareness. Alexie’s use of humor encourages readers to think anew by creating a space of shared inquiry and reciprocal empathy.
4) “Truly, sir… I am but, as you would say, a cobbler” is an example of what literary device?
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
Laughter Out of Place: Race, Class, Violence and Sexuality in a Rio Shantytown- Donna M Goldstein
Humour and satire are two concepts that are both wide ranging and diverse, from dark, to light hearted, with each producing a different effect. Humour in the main, is something that is used to please the audience, its function is to invoke laughter amongst its audience. Satire is used to create a comical critical view of the subject at hand, this can range from a light hearted comical way, to a judgemental way, with each style giving the text a different meaning, however this does not mean that satire cannot be humorous, which can evident in the use of parody and irony within texts. Within literature both concepts play an important role to how the text is viewed, humour can include word play, grammatical jokes, to even inside jokes with the author and reader, and with satire, including that of irony and parody, with each style and type delivering humour in its own unique way. These differing styles of humour can be found in a variety of forms including Jasper Forde’s The Eyre Affair (2001), with its silly atmosphere, word play and grammar jokes, and the use of light hearted satire and parody to brighten up the text, and Julian Barnes A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters (1989), where there is a more serious atmosphere, with a more critical, satirical eye on history and characters, as well as using irony to achieve its comical effect, and the position of the world. Each text is humorous and satirical in its own right, and with each author using different techniques to
Imagine a vast concert hall filled with people. The audience excitedly clamor in anticipation for the main star of this event. The event they paid so much money for, cleared up time in their schedule for, spent time getting to the event for. As the lights dim, the spotlight shines on the center stage. Then an average person emerges on the stage with a thousand eyes’ on him. He only has with a microphone in his hand. Just a typical person, with a normal gait and normal sense of fashion. However, after speaking a few words in the microphone, the crowd bursts into a cacophony of laughter. No matter how ordinary or extraordinary the person, entertainment through humor is universal. Utilizing humor, an extensive language of amusement, to open perspectives and challenge what is conceived right or wrong can be impactful- if done correctly. Dave Sedaris accomplishes that goal when he uses humor to illustrate his dilemma because of his identity. Despite being an accomplished successful comedian, author, radio show host, certain people look down at him as just a homosexual freak. Rather than gravely addressing his opposition, Sedaris utilizes a jovial yet relatable anecdote called “Chicken in a Henhouse”. Incorporating ideas from Ardian Bardon’s “The Philosophy of Humor”, specifically, the three theories of humor: superiority theory, incongruity theory and relief theory, Sedaris argues that the American public stereotypes homosexuals as pedophiles and ,as a result, they feel