Comedy & Satire: How do they do it?

Hyperbole  An exaggeration of the truth for comedic effect.  In Ron White’s standup show, They Call me Tater Salad, he does a bit in which he discusses his wife’s lack of household abilities. He tells a story of her claiming that the dryer was broken. He asked her if she cleaned the lint filter. Greeted with a puzzled look, he offered to check it himself. As he was checking the lint filter, she asked if he found anything. He responded, “Well, you’ve only got a quilt in here.”  Of course, the lint filter couldn’t collect the mass of a quilt, so he is exaggerating, but the hyperbole makes the story funny and gives it a bit of a surprise ending.

Comic Metaphor or Simile  A comparison that is comedic.  Chris Rock used a comic simile/metaphor in his Bigger and Blacker tour when he compared a large woman’s fat coming out of her shoe to rising, baking bread.  Larry the Cable Guy uses comic similes a lot: –“I disappeared like a set of rims at a Puff Daddy concert.” –“One woman was in labor for 39 hours before they finally decided to do a C-section. That would be like running a marathon and then finding out you could have used a golf cart.” –“I was madder than a legless Ethiopian watching a donut roll down a hill.”

Understatement  An ironic expression in which something of importance is emphasized by being spoken of as thought it were not important.  Example: “He was sort of dead... I think.”

Irony  Irony in comedy involves statements that are made that imply their opposite. Often, irony is the difference between appearance and reality.  To some extent, Larry the Cable Guy’s prayers could be considered ironic. Anytime he says something really offensive, he says, “Oh, that ain’t right. Lord, I apologize for that right there. Be with the starving pigmies in down there in New Guinea.” This is ironic because you as a viewer know that his prayer isn’t sincere because the jokes are planned and repeated at each show. The appearance here is that Larry is religious; the reality is that he is vulgar and offensive.  The opening of Bill Cosby’s special focuses on people who drink and do drugs. He points out the irony of people drinking or smoking marijuana to have a good time. This is ironic because they want to have a good time, but usually end up either paranoid from the drugs or sick from the alcohol. The appearance here is that drinking is fun and unpredictable. The reality is that it is harmful and bad for your body, as evidenced by vomiting and paranoia.

Sarcasm  The act of saying one thing, but meaning the complete opposite.  If you fail to do your homework, and I say, “Oh, that’s really smart,” I am being sarcastic because I am actually meaning to say that it was dumb to not do your homework.

Of course, comedy is not limited to these items. What else contributes to a comedian’s humor?  Physical Humor  Impressions (also known as parody)  Exploitation of stereotypes  “Voices”  Sound effects  Tone of Voice  Timing

Satire  Humorous writing or speech that is intended to point out errors, falsehoods, foibles, or failing. It is done for the purpose of reforming human behavior or human institutions.  In World Literature, you will read a satire called “A Modest Proposal” (from the 19 th century) in which the author suggests solving the Great Potato Famine in Ireland by feeding the Irish with their young children. Of course, he is not serious about doing this, but his point in making the absurd suggestion was to insult the inaction of England to aid the starving Irish.  At the opening of Chris Rock’s Bigger and Blacker standup, Rock rants about the failure of contemporary parents to raise their kids properly.  Satire can be done explicitly or subtly. Rock’s satire is explicit; he states the problem over and over; however Bill Cosby’s satire about people who slaughter themselves with drinking is done through impressions of those people.

Your Assignment  You will watch a 105-minute Bill Cosby special over the next two class periods.  As you watch, look for examples of each of the comedic elements you just learned about.  Record these examples in “quotation marks” in the chart I have distributed to you.  Cosby is known for his stories, so his jokes and techniques are embedded in those.  Cosby is a great artist of subtle satire. Be sure to ask yourself what different people or behaviors he is satirizing as you watch.  Record as many examples as you can.  The sheet will be collected as soon as the film ends.