what+is+humour?


 * What do you find funny & what exactly is humour? Read students' funny recounts

phrases, sayings and idioms []

knock knock & other jokes http://members.tripod.com/~towerofenglish/jokes.htm http://www,funny.com http://humour.com

Complete the following questions and read the notes at the bottom** What makes you laugh in general? What has made you laugh recently? Write a joke you can remember. Don’t worry if it is corny! Under pressure it is always the corny ones we remember!

Write in point form a funny story

What are the general topics of humour?

What is the joke in this? Explain
 * Joke**: if Moses had stopped to ask for directions he wouldn’t have been lost in the desert for 40 days!

Who might not like this joke?

What is humour?

Are there different types of humour?

Why would something be funny to one person but not another?

What is a stereotype?

view the u tube film & discuss the sterotypes. []

Is a stereotype good or bad? Give examples.

How is a stereotype generated/ created?

How is a stereotype maintained?

What are the stereotypes of: Irish Scottish Jewish Kiwis Dutch

** Writing Satire ** ** http://www.ask.com/bar?q=Writing+Satire&page=1&qsrc=6&ab=2&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.courses.dsu.edu%2Fengl201h%2FAssign2001%2Fsatire.htm ** Satire is a piece of writing that attacks human vices or follies through the use of irony, sarcasm, or humour. The purpose of satire is to attack or criticize an issue; however, the means of attack is through humour. Let's look at an example. Go to [|www.theonion.com/onion3602/consults_internet.html] After reading the article, consider the following: 1. What do you think the driving issue behind the article is? 2. What do you find humorous about the piece? 3. What do you think the author's underlying message is?
 * Satire--What Is It? **

Use puns and plays on words. Use stereotypes. (Satire is not "politically correct") "Terrible Two-Year Old Goes on Shooting Rampage; Injures 7" Use dissonance. Use hyperbole. Use quotes and identifying tags--have fun with names and titles.
 * Types of Satire **
 * "Nothing to Mir But Mir Itself"
 * "Supreme Court Rules Supreme Court Rules"
 * "Student's Nonconformity Linked to Peer Pressure"
 * "Beggars Go on Strike"
 * "World Death Rate Holding Steady at 100 Percent"

Look at examples at [|The Onion] or at [|Political Cartoons.com]

Answer the following questions for each joke: 1. What is the humour? Explain 2. Does it rely on a stereotype? What is the stereotype?

A


 * B the caption reads " you've hidden the butter from me again Sheryl- there's none in the fridge!"**

C: ** Wrong Turns ** Driving to a new restaurant, Jill took several wrong turns. When she finally found the right road, she asked her husband, "Why didn't you tell me I was lost?" "I thought you knew where you were going," he replied. "You always know where you're going when I'm driving."

D Why do women turn maps upside down? Why can’t men stop to ask for directions? How many men does it take to change a toilet roll? It’s unknown because it has never happened! On a visit to Windsor Castle in England, an American tourist was heard saying: ‘It’s a wonderful castle but why did they build it so close to the airport?

E: ** Magic Secret ** During a recent magic show, a woman asked me, "Sir how do you do that trick?" The magician responded, "If I told you I would have to kill you" She said, "OK then...tell my husband!"

F

A radio station routinely paid money for people to tell their most embarrassing stories. Here was one of the winners: I was due later that week for an appointment with the gynecologists when early one morning I received a call from his office: I had been rescheduled for early that morning at 9:30am. I had just packed everyone off to work and school and it was around 8:45 already. The trip to his office usually took about 35 minutes so I didn't have any time to spare. As most women do, I'm sure, I like to take a little extra effort over hygiene when making such visits, but this time I wasn't going to be able to make the full effort. So I rushed upstairs, threw off my dressing gown, wet the washcloth and gave myself a wash in "that area" in front of the sink, taking extra care to make sure that I was presentable. I threw the washcloth in the clothes basket, donned some clothes, hopped in the car and raced to my appointment. I was in the waiting room only a few minutes when he called me in. Knowing the procedure, as I am sure all women do, I hopped up on the table, looked over at the other side of the room and pretended I was in Hawaii or some other place a million miles away from there. I was a little surprised when he said: "My...we have taken a little extra effort this morning, haven't we?", but I didn't respond. The appointment over, I heaved a sigh of relief and went home. The rest of the day went normal, some shopping, cleaning and the evening meal, etc. At 8:30 that evening my 14 year old daughter was getting ready for a school dance, when she called down from the bathroom, "Mom - where's my washcloth?" I called back for her to get another one from the cabinet. She called back, "No - I need the one that was here by the sink. It had all my glitter and sparkles in it." ACTIVITY Write a funny story think of what makes you laugh with your family. Write it for someone in your family.
 * G: Gyno Visit **


 * Types of humour **

eg picture cartoons/ comics
Humour can be funny or/ and it can be cruel. Are we laughing with the person or against them, at them? Is it sympathetic laughter (harmless) or intended "tendency comedy" we are made to laugh at a person, not simply because they are ridiculous (ludicrous silly) but because they are being ridiculed (mock, laughed at) the laughter is derisive, with some element of contempt or malice and its purpose is as a weapon against the person or people. Tis is the function of Satire
 * __Satire__** is the use of humour or sarcasm to criticize. The literary art of derogating (criticise, put down, belittle) by deriding (deride transitive verb – to shoe contempt, dislike disrespect) a subject. Good examples of satire are Jonathan Swift's //Gulliver's Travels//, Mark Twain's //Huckleberry Finn//, Aldous Huxley's //A Brave New World// and George Orwell's //Animal Farm//.
 * __Sarcasm: __**irony, cynicism, mockery

To acquire benefit from a situation or set of circumstances of which one would generally disapprove. To win your point of view or statement by exaggeration &/ or making it appear ridiculous the use of apparent (false ) praise for actual dispraise. Eg ‘Oh, you’re God’s great gift to women, you are!” an added clue is in the inflection ( raise ) of the speakers voice. Sarcasm is where you say something, and mean the opposite thing. Usually sarcasm is spoken, and usually it's associated with being 'fresh'. For instance, if Erica has an idea for a vacation that Jenny thinks is ridiculous, and Jenny says, "Right, I'll go on that vacation after I go square dancing in China," and Jenny is known to hate dancing, that is sarcasm. An example is a scene in Waiting for Godot where a man takes off his belt to hang himself... and his trousers fall down.
 * // Black humour //** is comedy based on taboo or macabre subjects, such as death or disfigurement, suicide, rape, insanity, terrorism and so on

Try to find the meanings of the following terms related to comedy: Farce Tragicomedy Absurd Comic relief