Response to Readings on September 19th

The Waltz

In society we have this funny thing called being polite; even though, we might truthfully hate someone it is not socially unacceptable to tell them that. “The Waltz” by Dorothy Parker comically touches on this issue through exposing the differences between a young woman’s thoughts and words while waltzing with her partner. Despite the humor that the piece contains, the piece also reflects society’s expectations of a woman.

            While in the eye of society there is the expectation for women to be polite and composed. When the man first asks the narrator to dance she begins thanking him and saying that she would “adore to” (71). However, in reality she feels “so sorry for the poor girl he was dancing with” earlier and describes his dancing as “something you do on Saint Walpurgis Night” (71). The vast contrast between what the narrator thinks and says is humorous because it reflects reality; women must always remain polite. Her dancing partner then kicks her in the shin; however, instead of grimacing the narrator reminds herself to “smile” (74). This reminder reflects society’s expectation for a woman to keep her composure especially while she is in public.

            The piece also reflects the pressure that is put upon women to please men. Even though the narrator did not desire to dance, she agrees because “What can you say, when a man asks to dance” (72). The narrator simply desires to please her dancing partner because he is a man, which reflects Parker’s belief that a society puts a man’s needs before a woman’s. The man the narrator is waltzing with also has complete control over the situation; after all, “[he] won the toss; [he] can lead” (74). The man leading the waltz reflects society’s expectations men to lead, and women to follow without any complaints. Therefore, men are in the positions of control.

              Although “The Waltz” was written in 1933, the pressure that society places on women still exists. Women still feel the need to hold back their true emotions and feelings in order to keep up with society’s expectations. Even though, the narrator’s sarcasm in the piece is humorous, she like many other women today is too afraid to speak her mind.

Three Most Important Things in Comic Relief

Throughout my entire life I had never given much thought to humor; I simply laughed when I found things funny. Morreall in Comic Relief, however, offers a comprehensive overview of the philosophy of humor, which caused me to really stop and think. The three most interesting ideas that Morreall discusses are the incongruity of humor, the disengagement of humor, and how humor has benefitted society.

The idea that humor is a cognitive shift is of Morreall’s most prominent points in Comic Relief. Morrell defines a cognitive shift as “some thing or event we perceive or think about that violates our mental patterns and normal expectations” (11). Humans enjoy this shift because it provides a mental jolt, which causes us to reevaluate situations. I believe that humor involving cognitive shifts is the most prevalent humor found in society today; therefore, it is important to understand. The movie The Hangover, for instance, is so successful because it utilizes cognitive shifts perfectly. An example of this is when one of the characters walks into that bathroom and finds a tiger. This scene offers a tremendous contrast between what is expected and what actually happens, which supports Morreall’s idea that “the greater the contrast” the “greater the possible amusement” (51).  After all, this scene from the hangover would be a lot less humorous if the person found their dog in the bathroom instead of a tiger.

            Another important point that Morreall makes in Comic Relief is the idea that humor disengages us, while emotions tend to engage us. Morreall claims that emotions tend to evoke responses like the fight or flight response, which causes “heightened alertness, and increased energy and energy tension” (28). Therefore, Morreall argues that emotions engage us to for the purpose of survival. Humor, on the other hand, disengages us physically by causing us to lose motor control through our laughter. Humor not only disengages us physically but also mentally because people tend to not think about humor since it is all in good fun. This mental disengagement by causing irresponsibility, blocking compassion, and promoting prejudice; therefore, it is crucial to understand the possible harmful affects of humor so we do not unintentionally neglect or offend anyone.

Morreall, however, also believes that humor has bettered society by fostering intellectual virtues like open-mindedness, creative thinking, and critical thinking. Humor allows us to break down our mental barriers and examine issues in a new light. Morreall offers political cartoons as an example of the good that humor promotes because they keep “ a critical democratic spirit alive in the United States” (114). Political cartoons expose an issue to society through humor; however, there is always an underlying issue. Even though we may initially laugh, the cartoon causes us to think and question our own beliefs, which is vitally important.

 Morreall’s overview of humor in Comic Relief thoroughly analyzed many aspects of humor. However, the ones that I found to be the most important were the ideas that humor involves a cognitive shift, humor disengages us, and humor fosters intellectual values. All three of these points are especially apparent in everyday life, and therefore it are crucial that we understand them. 

An Oldie but a Goodie: A Response to "The 50 Funniest American Writers" by Andy Borowitz

An Oldie but a Goodie

            Humor constantly changes as society evolves. Many of the pieces that were deemed funny fifty years ago are now considered outdated because the humor behind the piece is lost. However, not all pieces suffer this fate. Mark Twain’s short piece “A Presidential Candidate” was written in 1876, but the work remains enjoyable and humorous because it satirizes many of the feelings society has towards politicians and politics today. The insanity found in this piece also remains especially relevant today because of the upcoming presidential elections in November.

            The president holds the highest position in the United States, and society expects any candidate to have a clean past and to not keep any secrets. However, there is a natural inclination to not trust politicians, so society tries to discover any and all of the politician’s secrets. Twain’s presidential candidate acknowledges this fact and decides to come clean before the election so “every attempt to spring things on him will be checkmated” (3). Through the candidate’s absurd logic, Twain reveals how presidential candidates constantly get attacked for their past since they are in the spotlight. These attacks on presidential are especially noticeable in the political ads on TV. The creators of these advertisements understand our tendency to distrust candidates; therefore, they expose how “evil” a candidate is even though they are oftentimes misleading.

            The real humor of the piece; however, is in the candidate’s dark past. The presidential candidate runs away from the Battle of Gettysburg because “although he wanted his country saved” he wanted “somebody else to save it” (4).  Through this sarcastic humor, Twain suggests that many politicians are cowards willing to sacrifice others before themselves. The criticism of the presidential candidate continues as he describes burying his aunt under a grapevine because it needed fertilizing, and when he suggests stuffing poor people into sausages to “improve our export trade” with cannibal countries (5). The absurdity of these statements reflects how the public perceives politicians as cold and heartless creatures. Even today, people today feel as though politicians are disinterested with those who they are representing, and their primary concern is with themselves.

            Sometimes humor loses its luster because they its no longer relevant. Mark Twain’s “A Presidential Candidate,” however, retains its humor since of the issues it satirizes are still prevalent in today’s society.  People enjoyed making fun of politicians then, and they still enjoy it today.

First Conversation with Mehran

Upon first meeting Mehran, it was apparent that he was just as nervous about our conversation as I was. In fact, he immediately apologized for being sick since his voice would be quieter and harder to understand than usual. However, I told him that there was no need to apologize. After all, I am not nearly as brave as Mehran who recently moved from Iran to come study at TCU.

Despite both of our concerns, the conversation was very relaxed and not awkward in the slightest. In fact, while talking to Mehran, it felt as though I was his longtime friend instead of a complete stranger. After all, he told me many stories and really opened up about his life here and at home in Iran. One of my favorite stories that he told me was about how he recently made chicken kabobs for his two roommates because his roommates doubted his cooking capabilities. When he served the kabobs, however, his roommates eagerly ate them all. The enthusiasm and excitement that Mehran told this story with was contagious, and I could not help but to laugh along with him.

The conversation became more serious, however, when I asked him if he would be able to go home for breaks. Mehran simply said that he could not, and when I asked why, he said that if he went back he would have to join the military. In this moment I realized how vastly different his life is from my own. Suddenly my fears about coming to TCU seemed trivial; after all, there are hardly any real differences between Colorado and Texas. Mehran, on the other hand, left everything in Iran, and had to learn a new culture, language, and way of life. Even his future in the United States is uncertain. When I asked him if he wanted to stay in the United States after graduation, he said that it depended if he would be able to work here.

            Needless to say, I have a lot of respect for Mehran. I doubt if I would be able to come to a completely foreign culture, and adapt to it as well as he has. Even from our brief conversation, Mehran’s drive became readily apparent, and I have no doubt that he will overcome any obstacles that cross his path.