I think that “Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life” would be a great addition to this laughter and the fine arts course. I compared the movie to Horace’s first satire, A Modest Proposal, The Decameron, Zombieland, Modern Family, and Seinfeld. I think the movie incorporates many similar ideas and themes that we talked about in this course and would be a great way to tie everything together at the end of the semester.
Given the topics covered in this course, I believe studying “Team America: World Police” would be a great way for the next class to conclude their course. Violence and sexuality are made light of, though extremely unrealistic animation. This is similar to South Park. I chose to relate themes to assigned works of comedy like Modern Family, South Park, and All in the Family. One of my personal favorite focal points, relating “Team America” to this course, was the music. The theme song is fantastically ignorant and extreme. The “sober-patriotism” is seen differently from a modern perspective than it might have been in 2004. I think “Team America” covers a lot of the topics in this course, and I think everyone finds at least one or two scenes to be hilarious, if not the whole movie.
For my addition to the curriculum I suggested The Onion. As a whole I believe that it adds an entirely new section of humor to the course. I discussed Dr. Strangelove, South Park. Modern Times, A Modest Proposal, The Cosby Show, and Modern Family because there is an aspect of their humor in different Onion articles. Not only is it full of satirical pieces, there are political articles mocking different current events. There is so much variation in the different articles that would make it very easy to study and very fun as well.
I decided to use the show called The Middle. This show is a great representation of the daily struggles that a working class family goes through. This family experiences some really tragic accidents, and it is entertaining to see how they fix these problems while adding a comedy twist to it. Compared to our other classical works we have studied I think this show provides a more modern twist. It is a very relatable show and has a very broad audience target.
In this course, the main lesson I learned was how something serious and current could be portrayed as funny. I noticed it in each section we went through throughout the month. In the essay, I analyzed Plato’s Apology and Demitri Martin’s Socrates’ Publicist. I analyzed Dr. Strangelove and Zombieland for the next section. I used South Park as my example for the third, and finished up with I Love Lucy and The Cosby Show. Each of these works proved to solidify my argument that The Onion should be further examined due to its use of mockery and satire on serious events and issues. It is the perfect work to tie in a lesson that has been apparent in each section we have analyzed.
Throughout this class I saw that we never looked at comedy in children’s work. My proposal was that future classes look at a children’s book, TV show, and movie in order to understand the connections better. There are many similarities and often humor hidden between the lines. One TV show I discussed was “Spongebob Squarepants.” This is a show that I watched as a kid, but I realized very quickly that it had many older viewers. The humor in this show is amazingly appropriate for all ages–children understand the humor they see and adults sometimes see a different humor. It all connects and filling this gap, in my opinion, would provide a very interesting discussion.
Blue comedy consists of risqué obscenities and sexual imagery that may be viewed as appalling. Modern Family has multiple sexual references that may be viewed offensive to some audience members. It’s safe to say that picturing your parents having sex is one of the most awkward and scarring scenes to ever imagine. If viewers are uncomfortable with sexual activity, the scene where Phil and Claire’s kids walk in on them having sex in the episode “Caught in the Act” is sure to be painful.
Gloria’s character is portrayed as suggestive and scandalous. Gloria describes her relationship with her ex-husband as always just ‘fighting and making love.’ She says that one time her and her ex-husband even ended up falling out of a window and Jay asks, “which were you doing,” which implies how kinky she can be. In the episode “Fizbo,” Gloria is jumping up and down on the bouncy castle as all of the neighborhood dads gather around to watch her flaunt her body. Gloria seems to be oblivious to the fact that they are checking her out.
Modern family also incorporates ‘stock characters’ or traditional characters that are cliché and easy to parody. The parents and children in Modern Family, particularly in the Dunphy family, are similar to characters that are common in other shows. Phil plays the dad that tries to come off as ‘cool’ to the kids and their friends. Claire has the role of the overbearing mother who worries about implementing the rules, what her kids wear and who they hang out with. Phil and Claire compare to the parents in ‘The Cosby Show’ as they both try to teach their kids moral lessons that relate to middle class families in unconventional ways. The parents in both of the shows find humorous and entertaining ways to teach their children lessons. For example, Phil schedules a time on the calendar to shoot Luke with a BB gun as a punishment for him shooting Alex. In the episode “I’m in with the in Crowd” of The Cosby Show, the parents re-enact a drinking game (with tea) that made Vanessa sick.
What elements of blue comedy and stock characters did you find funny in Modern Family? How do sexual references in Modern Family compare to other works we have looked at? Can you think of any other ‘stock character’ comparisons?
It’s as if everything we have covered in class thus far can relate to Modern Family. If the viewer has more background knowledge from previous episodes, they are able to build off that humor in future episodes. Characters in the show use humor to overcome unfortunate circumstances. The show also includes an emphasis on satirical elements.
Although Modern Family is a sitcom that can be watched in any order while still understanding the plot, one is able to better understand the humor based on its antecedents. Just as knowledge about old-fashioned love sonnets is important to fully grasp the extent Collin’s poems ‘Litany’ goes to mock the tone and comparisons, it is also preferable to have knowledge about the preceding occurrences in Modern Family. When the kids walk in on their parents in “Caught in the Act,” it is funnier if the viewer knows that Phil and Claire have addressed sex as taboo in their home. For example, in the episode “Pilot,” Haley has a boy over for the first time and her mom is worried that they are going to have sex so she makes them leave the door open.
In our unit on tragedy we learned the importance of using humor to offset tense and unmanageable situations. Haley, Alex and Luke dread what they consider to be the worst part of walking in on their parents: talking about it. When Phil and Claire apologize about what happened the kids decide to smile and node while thinking about something else. Claire tries to make the conversation serious by discussing consent among adults. On the other hand, Phil inserts humor by saying, “let’s face it your mom can’t keep her hands off me whenever the gun show comes to town.” Luke laughs at his dad and Alex supports him by saying humor makes difficult situations easier. Haley agrees and they are able to end the family meeting on a lighthearted note.
We discussed the use of satire through a diverse series of works to exemplify how it can be comical to exaggerate ironic personalities and situations. Modern Family also embellishes certain characters and circumstances to add to the entertainment. The show uses Cameron as a satire of a melodramatic gay man. In the episode “Pilot” Cameron gets himself and Mitchell painted as fairies above Lily’s crib and introduces Lily to the family by reenacting The Lion King. It is funny that even Mitchell yells at Cameron for portraying himself in such a manner.
Do you think being familiar with previous episodes allows you to appreciate the subtle connections in sitcoms? Do you think the satirical representations of Cameron (and possibly Gloria) can be seen as stereotyping? What other connections did you see between themes and works we have studied and Modern Family?
Luke’s is always shortchanged on his birthday because it falls around Thanksgiving. While Luke usually seems content with the little things (even just receiving a box as a present), Phil and Claire want to go all out on his birthday celebration this year.
Everyone in the family has a different idea of what it will take to give Luke the best birthday party ever. Phil organizes the party entertainment featuring a rock climbing wall, Jungle Tanya’s animal show, a zip line and a bouncy house. Cameron thinks that every party needs a clown and dresses up like Fizbo the clown and makes balloon animals. Jay wants to give Luke a crossbow because that is what he enjoyed at Luke’s age. Claire also thinks back to her childhood memories and wants to create an arts and crafts table making comb sheaths. All of the plotlines come together at the birthday party when all of their themes are simultaneously implemented.
While all of them had good intentions, the conflicting ideas of a good time turn the party into complete chaos. The point-of –view zip line scene and multiple crashes it causes are hilarious. Phil turns out to be secretly afraid of clowns and runs around trying to avoid Fizbo. Claire gets mad that Luke received a crossbow and thinks it’s dangerous. When Haley’s thinks her boyfriend is flirting with Jungle Tanya she frees the scorpion from its cage. Fizbo notices the loose scorpion and screams and runs away, sending all of the kids into a similar panic. Luke accidentally fires off the crossbow, which deflates the bouncy house. When Luke is trying to run away he slips on the beads from Claire’s arts and crafts table and lands in the emergency room.
The episode begins with a scene in the ER but it does not reveal what is going on. The episode flashes to the ER multiple times throughout the episode to remind the viewer that a disaster is going to occur. At the end we realize that Luke gets hospitalized as a result of everyone’s contradicting efforts to contribute what they believe to be the best element of the party.
The hospital scene unexpectantly turns out to be what Luke considers to be the best part of his party. He is surprised and extremely happy to see all of his family in the waiting room for him at the ER. The sentimental coming together of the family and eating birthday cake in the hospital demonstrates how Luke really does appreciate the little things and just needed his family to make his birthday meaningful. However, Luke undercuts the sentimentality by saying that all he really wanted was a cast and that he couldn’t wait for it to start to smell in a few weeks.
Do you think everyone in the family was trying too hard to contribute what they thought was cool instead of what Luke would want at his party? What did you find funny about the chaos at Luke’s birthday party?
What sticks out for many people about Seinfeld is that it is a show about nothing. Well, it really isn’t about nothing, but it is about small, seemingly unimportant social dilemmas or faux pas. In fact, the lives of the main characters seems so unimportant, shallow, and self-centered that what happens to them seems rather meaningless. In that respect it is a show about nothing. It is especially a show about nothing if you have just finished watch shows about sticky, difficult social issues (like All in the Family) or shows that bridge racial barriers while teaching important moral lessons (like The Cosby Show).
“The Contest” is a great example of the entertaining and delightful shallowness of Seinfeld. While never using the word “masturbation,” the entire show depicts a contest to see how long the characters can go without masturbating. The core of the show is an unspoken word, but other words and phrases are, humorously, used in its place. Adding to the show’s conflict are thwarted sexual encounters with a virgin and a Kennedy, of course. Oh, and a woman taking a sponge bath. And by the end of the show we have learned nothing about peer pressure, finances, or even the title and artist behind “Suwanee River;” we have merely spent some delightful time with some rather superficial people who had a masturbation contest.
“The Opposite” is as empty as “The Contest,” though, from what we’ve studied, we might see a bit more. Jerry, by the end of the episode, notes that while is stays the same, those around him may go up or down. In this respect, we could see this as a return to the medieval Wheel of Fortune so important in A Confederacy of Dunces. George begins the episode a the wheel’s bottom, living with his parents and striking out with women, only to find that by the end he is being waved to home plate by woman while working with the Yankees. Elaine, in contast, goes from success at work and home to failure in both. But Jerry, as if he were the unturning center of Fortune’s Wheel, remains unchanged, neither going up with George (who will eventually fall) nor down with Elaine (who will just as inevitably rise).
One thing that might be brilliant about this show is how it plays with sit come conventions. In a funny and delightful way, we develop very little attachment to this characters. They may be entertaining, but we do not really care, long term, what happens to them. And the plots and conflicts are just as delightfully thin. So what did you think of this show? Does variety make shows better, or is this one weaker or stronger by comparison?
