Meet the Parents Comedic Analysis

1.        Meeting the parents has always been considered a pressure filled and awkward situation and in “Meet the Parents”, it is what drives the entire story.  Much of what occurs is an extreme exaggeration of the things that can go wrong when someone’s parents meet their significant other.  Throughout the movie, Greg’s only ambition is to please Pam’s parents and gain their approval.  All that he truly wants is for them to be happy or even impressed with him so that he can ask for Pam’s hand in marriage.  Her father, Jack seems to want nothing to do with Greg and is immediately suspicious.  All of this is hyperbole of the real life situation.

2.       One pair of foils is Greg and Jack.  Jack is a very serious man with a dry sense of humor.  He takes everything he does very sternly.  These two are foils because Jack is constantly threatened by Greg.  He thinks that Greg is going to take his place in Pam’s life and is convinced that he won’t be able to do as good of a job.  Another pair of foils is Greg and Kevin.  To Jack, Kevin embodies everything that Greg does not.  He is successful in a job that Jack finds admirable and lives in an enormous house.  Greg is also Jewish and Kevin is not which Jack is quick to point out.  Jack has very opposing views concerning Greg and Kevin.

3.       Robert DeNiro’s character in “Meet the Parents” is funny because he is so incredibly serious in situations where others might take a joke.  For example, when Greg makes a joke about Jinxy lifting the toilet seat, Jack treats his jest as if he is being completely serious.  He is also very much bothered by Greg’s hatred of cats, often referring back to it.  When Deborah shows concern for Jinxy being the ring bearer for her wedding, Jack interjects with “That cat’s been like a brother to you!”  DeNiro’s usual portrayal of serious characters only adds to the humor of his role as Jack in “Meet the Parents”.

4.       The most influential socio-cultural juxtaposition in “Meet the Parents” is clearly shown with Greg.  Greg is an average man who has an about average income.  When he meets Pam’s family it is shown right away that they live in a rather extravagant home and make more money than he does.  The same thing is shown with Kevin who is very obviously wealthy.  Greg is also Jewish while the other characters are not.  All of these things are played off of each other.  Greg is constantly baffled by the wealth of the other characters and he is made to feel like a lesser person.

5.       Pam’s ex, Kevin adds an element of humor to the movie because he and Greg are such opposites.  He is incredibly successful and talented in ways Jack thinks Greg is not which he is always making clear.  When they visit Kevin’s home, Jack says how incredible everything about Kevin is from his kitchen to his skill in carpentry.  Kevin even does better than Greg in their game of pool volleyball.  He’s also funny because of his relationship with Pam.  He has all kinds of pictures of Pam around his home and it is very obvious that he still has feelings for her.

6.       My favorite scene was probably closer to the end of the film when Greg is attempting to board the plane.  This scene was a sort of anecdote.  The stewardess calls the rows to board the plane and even though there is no one else left, she refuses to let Greg board before his row is called. 
Once he finally boards, a bit of buffoonism follows with Greg trying to shove his bag into the overhead compartment.  You could also call this a “latti”.   He also has a “bon mot” when talking to her and he brings up bombs.  There is situational irony when Jack ends up on the receiving end of the lie detector test he originally put Greg to.

"Modern Family" - Phil Dunphy

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Phil Dunphy in ABC Family’s “Modern Family” is aptly portrayed and developed by Ty Burrell with his short but witty comments, quirky behavior, and overall relationship with his family who share many of these same traits.

                Ty Burrell’s delivery of Phil’s responses to anyone he speaks with are completely impeccable.  Phil retorts at the times where it would be as humorous as possible and never fails to do so.  In the episode "Lifetime Supply", Phil is concerned that his doctor is going to diagnose him with a life-threatening disease.  To make him feel better, his wife Claire says "I assure you, you are fine." and Phil's simple yet to the point response is "That's very reassuring coming from a marketing major at a party school." while completely freaking out.   It is things like this that make Phil so incredibly hilarious.  His humor is in full force at the most unexpected points in each episode.  Another example is in the episode  "Send Out the Clowns", Phil is scammed by another realtor who steals his property.  This other realtor, Mitzi, is speaking to his son and says something to the effect of wanting to keep him.  Phil's immediate response is to scoop Luke up running off and muttering "He's mine!".  These tiny things that he says and the details he inputs are key to making "Modern Family" so insanely funny.

                 Burrell also strategically puts in quirky behaviors to Phil's characterization.  In the Thanksgiving episode for example, he is accidentally tazed.  At strategic points in the episode, usually when the people watching have almost forgotten it occurred, he would twitch and stutter as if the tazer was still having affect.  In addition to this, he is frequently becoming a 'mushy father'.  His affection for his children is often overwhelming as seen in the episode "Virgin Territory".  He is incredibly upset that his girls are both growing up and wants to keep them young as long as possible.  This is clearly shown when he wants desperately to buy a doll for his middle daughter, Alex.  In a more recent episode, his actions put his wife Claire and oldest daughter Hayley in quite an awkward position.  He shrink wraps their family onto the family minivan leaving Hayley and Claire on each side.  They appear to be saying very suggestive things and offering the family phone number.

                 Phil's relationship with his family is one of the most humorous things on the show.  In one episode, Hayley is ready to look at colleges and Phil takes her to see his alma mater.  They are the bulldogs but everyone seems to forget this quite frequently.  Phil thinks that he is still the number one man on campus and makes this  clear much to the embarrassment of Hayley.   When she is invited to a party,he automatically assumes that he is to and is distressed to learn that this is not the case.  Hayley is excited to go to college and use her independence but Phil wants her to stay as his little girl.  Phil is also very upset to learn that she is no longer a virgin in "Virgin Territory" and when Claire tells him that she has known this for a while, he tells her how grateful he is for that.  Phil is dedicated to his family and takes every opportunity possible to make sure they know this.

                 Phil Dunfey is a loving father and husband who thinks dearly of his family and always adds humor to everything that happens on "Modern Family".

What's Wrong With Having Long Limbs?

    Lately little consideration has been given to those of us who “limb-impaired” and by this I mean people with long arms and legs.  We are plagued with all sorts of prejudice ranging from corrupt dress codes to the responsibility of reaching the high shelves.  Changes need to be made and quickly before, like us in ill-fitting sweaters, this gets out of hand.
    Any tall person in a workplace or especially school has it very hard.  They must deal with the horror that is the dress code.  The dreaded “tips of the fingers when standing” rule has us shaking in our boots.  While they may be appropriate and even smart for certain outfits, no high school girl, myself included, wants to have to wear Bermuda shorts every single day in the summer!  Shorts that are very appropriate and could even be considered modest for today’s society often break this horrendous ‘fingertip’ rule and we are stuck changing into smelly gym clothes that are provided from the clothing reject pile in the locker room.  As if this is any less distracting than exceedingly short shorts?
    One of the biggest problems that long-armed people constantly face is sleeves that are too short.  When you find that perfect shirt and try it on, imagine the feeling when one discovers that your sleeves only reach mid arm!  My suggestion for this is that the average length for sleeves be at least three inches longer.  If any of you short armed people have need of something different, it’s absolutely your turn to try ordering online in “short”.  We have too long had the misfortune of having to find a website that offers sleeves and pants in “long” or “extra-long” as required.  As a tall person myself, I am always going into stores to try on pants only to find that they are much too short even in the ‘long’ sizes that these stores carry.  This is an easily remedied issue.
    Yet another predicament we do not lack is high shelves.  Any time anyone at all cannot reach something, it is always us that are called over to get it for them.  I say we are tired of this!  No longer will we be responsible for your ‘short’coming!  Anyone under the height of 5’6 will be required by law to carry around a step stool, or even a ladder depending on their height, wherever they go!  We should not have make up for the problems that short people cause!  Tall people should be the basis for measurements and considerations everywhere!

"Kiss and Tell" - Alain de Botton

   To produce a comic effect in “Kiss and Tell” Alain de Botton employs the characterization of the father figure, Mr. Rogers, to facilitate the sometimes unwanted but always undeniable similarities between parent and child.  Throughout the excerpt, Isabel is clearly embarrassed by her parents even doing "her best not to recognize" them.  Her father is clearly supposed to be a nerdy character, noticing "lighting fixtures" and even describes something as "fiddly".   Isabel unmistakably does not want the boy she is gonig out with to associate her with her parents.  She does her best to be different from them refraining from using the same type of vocabulary and making fun of them by pointing out how her father is about to sneeze or her "willow tree"-like dress.  In addition to this, they are accompanied by words such as "ominously" and "maniac".  De Botton also uses a metaphor to liken Mr. Rogers' actions to that of "the vigorous hand gestures of a man waving off a departing cruise ship.

"A Modest Proposal" Analysis

In the incredibly written satire A Modest Proposal, Jonathan Swift draws on emotion inducing imagery, black humor, and bizarre logos with the aim of writing an unorthodox solution to both overpopulation and widespread hunger.

Jonathan Swift paints a picture in the reader’s head of the disarray of his Ireland.  He vividly describes “the streets, the roads, and cabin-doors crowded by beggars of the female sex, followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags, and importuning for an alms”.  He uses these images to sell his point as the only solution to bring back “the publick good of [his] country”.  Swift wants the reader to picture this in their head so they can see how serious the issue is.  They need to know that his is the only possible solution and any other would not be as effective as they need to be.  If the reader is more easily able to picture these things, it will be much easier for them to be persuaded by Swift.  He clearly describes the methods of cooking babies and how they would “be very good boiled on the fourth day, especially in winter.”  Images are very helpful in Swift’s attempted persuasion.

Jonathan Swift also uses black humor to make the piece a clear satire.  By saying that “a child will make two dishes at an entertainment for friends”, he is trying to infuse rather grim humor into something that would otherwise be dismal and gross.  This change of expectations allows the reader to read the piece without immediately being put off by the grotesqueness of it all.  On the contrary, it may also cause the reader to stop reading!  They could be completely disgusted when he describes how an infant could make “a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled” and not finish the piece.  He infuses these unrealistic but surprisingly funny bits to make the piece even more ridiculous!

    Swift’s bizarre use of logos or statistical information is incredibly persuasive and attempts to rationalize his out of the ordinary proposal.  He brings up ‘facts’ like how, if they carried out his method, they could have “the addition of some thousand carcasses in [their] exportation of barrel’d beef” which he probably intended to sway any business that exports meat.  He, of course, knows that this entire proposal is entirely ridiculous but used particulars such as the latter to make it seem as though he was completely serious.  He even takes it to the point where he is arguing that people will gain “eight schillings per annum by the sale of children”, actually presuming that people would consider selling their children.  What makes this so incredibly humorous is that he goes about this Modest Proposal so seriously when he knows that no one would actually consider eating children.

"Suburban" Thesis Statement

Portraying a lighthearted exchange between neighbors in "Suburban",  John Ciardi utilizes situational irony, subtle sarcasm, and comedy of manners in order to display the importance of a healthy relationship between neighbors in a suburban environment where everything is so close knit.

Self-Deprecation

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been “the tall girl”.  The one that has to special order extra-long jeans.  The one that has no problem with high shelves.  This is not to say that I am very far out of the ordinary.  At 5’ 10.5” I am hardly the “jolly-green giant” my friends refer to me as.  In all honesty though, I love being taller than all of my friends.  I mean, I’m the only one that can reach the bowls whenever we are baking!  In addition to that, I make a fantastic beacon whenever we have to meet in a crowd!

           This is to say nothing of the inevitable clumsiness that comes with being tall.  As a figure skater, I am supposed to be the embodiment of grace.  This could not be further from the truth.  When I fall, it’s a long way down and of course it’s never when I’m doing anything intricate.  I mean, I got a concussion after falling from doing backwards crossovers!  Something that I could essentially do in my sleep!  I’ve fallen up stairs, down stairs, and you name it, I’ve probably sprained it twice.  The first time I sprained my ankle, I was skipping in my 7th grade gym class!  I’d like to blame this on my disproportionate body, but that would just be me making excuses!            People always say to me, “Oh, you’re so tall!  Do you play basketball?” and the only thing I can think to reply is “No, do you work for Willie Wonka?"  My mom and I actually make bets on things like that!  Once we were going to a family friend’s house that we haven’t seen in a while.  I bet my mom that the first thing she would say to me was something about my height.  Sure enough, as soon as we walked through the door I hear, “Hannah!  You’ve gotten so tall!”  Needless to say, my mom and I started laughing hysterically leaving our friend incredibly confused.  At this point, it’s gotten predictable.