Page 114 - SpringBoard_ELA_CA_Smapler_Flipbook

unique manner,” said Ronald P. Culberson, a humorist at FUNsulting.com. “For instance, a three-legged dog walks into an Old West saloon and says, “I’m looking for the man who shot my paw.”
13 Ask an average person why humans laugh, and he or she would probably say, “Because something was funny.” But comics need to know what gives the giggles; their livelihood depends on it.
14 Comedian Anthony DeVito told READ that “people tend to laugh at things that reinforce what they already believe. Comedy tells them they’re right.”
15 Gary Gulman, a finalist in Last Comic Standing, a reality TV show and comedy competition, gave specifics. “Sometimes it’s a keen observation about something you thought you lived through. Sometimes it’s a juxtaposition of words. Sometimes it’s a gesture or a sound. An encyclopedia couldn’t do this question justice.”
What Are You Laughing At?
16 Yet laughter is not always a planned response to a joke. One study found that
80 percent of the time, we laugh at something that just happens. People often laugh just because someone else does. Like a yawn, a laugh is contagious. That’s why some sit- coms use laugh tracks.
17 Laughter is also social, a way to bond with others. After all, how often do you laugh alone? When two or more people laugh at the same thing, it is as if nature reminds them of what they have in common.
18 Behavioral neuroscientist Robert R. Provine conducted a 10-year experiment
in which he eavesdropped on 2,000 conversations in malls, at parties, and on city sidewalks. He found that the greatest guffaws did not follow intentionally funny statements; people laughed hardest at everyday comments that seemed funny only in a certain social context.
19 “Do you have a rubber band?” is not in and of itself humorous, but it is if it’s said in response to “I like Amelia so much. I wish I could get her attention.”
Theories of Funniness
20 There are three main theories about humor.
21 Release theory—Humor gives a break from tension. In a horror movie, as a
character creeps through a dark house (often idiotically) to follow an eerie noise, he might open a door to find a cat playing with a squeeze toy. The audience laughs in relief. Humor also lets us deal with unpleasant or forbidden issues, such as death and violence. People are often more comfortable laughing at something shocking said by someone else, though they would never say it themselves. Comedian Keenen Ivory Wayans
once said, “Comedy is the flip side of pain. The worst things that happen to you are hysterical—in retrospect. But a comedian doesn’t need retrospect; he realizes it’s funny while he’s in the eye of the storm.”
22 Superiority theory—Audience members laugh at those who appear to be more stupid than they judge themselves to be. Slapstick humor, such as seeing a guy slip on a banana peel, often falls into this category. This theory dates back to Plato in ancient Greece and was prominent in the Middle Ages, when people with deformities were often employed as court jesters.
23 Somecomediansexploitedthistheorybybuildingaroutine—orevenapersona— around the idea that they were losers who couldn’t catch a break. Larry David, David Letterman, and Woody Allen are comedians who have done this, each in his own way.
my Notes
aCTIVITy 4.2
continued
aCademIC VoCabUlary
Juxtaposition, a technique used by artists and writers, places normally unassociated ideas, words, and phrases next to one another for effect (e.g., surprise or wit).
literary Terms
A persona is the voice or character speaking or narrating a story.
acTIVITY 4.2 continued
Teacher Notes
3. Key Ideas and Details (RI.8.3) As discussed
in paragraphs 16–19, why is unplanned humor M 9781457304644_TCB_LAo_SfEt_eL8n_U4f.uindnd n2i5e3 r than planned humor? Read
paragraphs 16–19. In paragraph 18, what does the author mean by “social context”? How
do unplanned humor and social context work together to create a funny situation?
Unit 4 • The Challenge of Comedy 253
4. Craft and Structure (RI.8.4) What context clues in paragraph 21 help you understand
the meaning of the word “retrospect”? Rea15d/04/15 paragraph 21. Keenen Ivory Wayans explains that when bad things happen to us, at what point in time do we find humor in them? If someone is “in the eye of the storm,” does that refer to past, present, or future?
1:47 AM
Unit 4 • The Challenge of Comedy 253
© 2017 College Board. All rights reserved.
© 2017 College Board. All rights reserved.