Humor Blog --- Rhoman James

In the Importance of Being Earnest there is a great mix of effective high and low humor. The low humor is easier to detect and can relate to physical joking or farce. High humor is a little harder to detect, this can consist of satire or puns that relate to the time period. A very humorous instance of the book was when Jack was distraught over a woman and his friend was eating a muffin, he then said “How you can sit there, calmly eating muffins when we are in this horrible trouble, I can’t make out. You seem to me to be perfectly heartless.", and his friend replies "Well, I can’t eat muffins in an agitated manner. The butter would probably get on my cuffs. One should always eat muffins quite calmly. It is the only way to eat them." This was a classic instance of Wilde's satirical tone towards the class of the society. 

My favorite piece of modern humor is probably shown in the TV series Family Guy. Seth Macfarlane constantly jokes at the rituals and actions of our society and many others. Many puns and hypocritical statements are the baseline of the comedy and add a nice twist to regular comedy. 

Performance Review Blog-- Haley Longworth

To Rhoman, Garrett, Alaap, and Hans:


I thought you all did well in your performance, and had your lines memorized for the most part. I liked the scene you all did when Jack was trying to get Algernon to leave his house. You all had nice movement across the stage and were easy to understand, using clear projection. One of my favorite things about your performance was the carrots that represented the garden.


If I were to cast back any actors in a performance of the entire play, I would call back Megan, Sofi, Rhoman, and Ryan. They all talked very clearly, and Ryan made his groups performance funnier, which I think is appropriate for and Oscar Wilde play. I would award an Oscar to Megan because she had all her lines memorized and was able to get into the character of Gwendolen well.


I think that my own performance added an understanding of the text because we got to act like the characters and look at the text from a new perspective, adding in movements and using sarcastic voices for example.

The Best Medicine (David Stevens, Comedy)

When it comes to comedy, I’m no snob. I appreciate essentially all forms of humor: from high to low, from family-safe to politically-incorrect, from political satire to scatological jokes. As such, I have so far enjoyed thoroughly reading The Importance of Being Ernest. It is an excellent combination of farce, societal satire, wordplay and more. To demonstrate this, I will select two examples of high and low humor, both concerning cucumber sandwiches.

First: Jack, commenting on the aforementioned vegetable confections:

“Hallo! Why all these cups? Why cucumber sandwiches? Why such reckless extravagance in one so young?”

This is what I would consider high comedy. Wilde is making a big deal out of a few cucumber sandwiches, which is at once ridiculous and a cutting criticism of the upper classes of Victorian England.

Second: Algernon on the sandwiches:

“Please don’t touch the cucumber sandwiches. They are ordered specially for Aunt Augusta.” (Takes one and eats it.)

This is pure farce. The juxtaposition of Algernon’s comment and action are hilarious.

My favorite genre of television show is comedy. I love Saturday Night Live and most of the NBC comedies, from Seinfeld to 30 Rock to Parks and Recreation. I especially enjoy witty dialogue and political satire, such as on the above and also on The Colbert Report. Here are a few examples:

Comedy Blog

In The Importance of Being Earnest, of the funnier scenes in my opinion was when Jack attempted to take one of the cucumber sandwiches and Algernon told him, “Please don’t touch the cucumber sandwiches. They are ordered specially for Aunt Augusta.” But soon after, Algernon takes a sandwich and eats it himself. This sort humor was quite comical and I found myself chuckling. Dilbert is one of my favorite comic strips so I decided that I would pick an example from there. http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT2R1VysWpwoIZZ__BtdV26tW-yJBHmCc9yjpjKn1YWzHn5CopL:rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEyLzEyLzA0L2MyL2RpbGJlcnQ5MTMuY1NqLmdpZgpwCXRodW1iCTk1MHg1MzQjCmUJanBn/c78913ab/c2e/dilbert-9-13.jpg This example satirizes unfair bosses with their overly rigid demands which is similar to Algernon eating the sandwiches then wondering where they went.

comedy blog Siobhan O'Neill

In The Importance of Being Earnest, a scene that stands out to me comedic wise would be the opening scene with the cucumber sandwiches. In this scene Earnest reaches for a cucumber sandwich when Algernon declares they are for his Aunt Lady Bracknell and they must be saved for her. Later on it is Algernon himself who eats the cucumber sandwiches absent-mindedly. In this scene Wilde is poking fun at the things we place importance on, for example manners and cucumber sandwiches.

My favorite form of modern technology are vines. They are videos no longer than six seconds that are usually making fun of someone or something. The fact that I can laugh hysterically at something that is only six seconds long makes me think that there has to be some true talent hidden in them.

Humor Post- Ethan Petraitis

The Importance of Being Earnest has many different types of humor, some intelligent and some slapstick, but my favorite type of humor present in the play is the satire used to poke fun at the class differences present in the play. One example of this is when Algernon is talking to Lane about Lanes personal life. "I don't know that I am much interested in your family life, lane" "No, sir; it is not a very interesting subject. I never think of it myself" this implies that Lane is so low in the class structure that his personal life doesn't even mean much to him, and especially not to Algernon.

One type of humor that I really enjoy is slam poetry. One of my favorite poems is George Watskys 'Narwhal Apocalypse' youtube.com/watch?v=A3fo96LYaJA This poem is a satirical take on human ingenuity and problem solving. The wordplay is clever enough to keep you thinking and the slapstick and physical humor at the end keep everyone interested between the deeper, thought provoking

Comedy Blog

The Importance of Being Earnest is a witty, humorous play packed with satire, sarcasm, and puns. While reading Act 1, there were a few times that I found myself smiling at Wilde's wit. Personally, I think I identify more with "low" humor, but both low and high can be funny. On page thirteen Lady Bracknell says, "I never saw a woman so altered; she looked quite twenty years younger," when talking about Lady Harbury after her husband's death. Typically if someone's close relations were to die they would look older, so the author made it obvious that Mr. Harbury's not being around was a relief to his wife. Another example was when Algernon revealed his secret Bunbury, who wasn't anyone at all, that he used to get out of obligations he didn't want to be a part of. "I have invented an invaluable Bunbury, in order that I may be able to go down into the country whenever I choose," he stated. Later on in the act, he had "just had a telegram to say that (his) poor friend Bunbury is very ill again" when his Aunt Augusta tells him about a dinner with Mary Farquhar, allowing his to miss out on the monotonous event.

A couple movies I find particularly funny are 21 and 22 Jump Street. Both are full of slapstick, sometimes vulgar, humor. Nonetheless, they never fail to get me laughing, especially when you find out that Schmidt was dating his boss's daughter and see Ice Cube's reaction.

There are also a lot of Vines that you can watch on Twitter that are super funny, especially late at night when you need sleep.

Humor Post- Maranda Gaines

In The Importance of Being Earnest, one situation in particular stood out to me as very humorous. As Jack and Algernon converse towards the beginning of this act, Algernon snacks on the cucumber sandwiches. Jack then reaches towards a sandwich and Algernon scolds him in return. “Please don’t touch the cucumber sandwiches. They are ordered specially for Aunt Augusta,” says Algernon as he continues to munch away. Algernon’s character is my favorite so far; he is witty and very clever. Later in the act, when the two ladies arrive, Algernon picks up an empty plate in horror and says, “Good heavens! Lane! Why are there no cucumber sandwiches? I ordered them specially.” This whole ordeal about the sandwiches pretty much sums up Algernon’s character so far. He is very sassy and he knows it, which is why I find him so funny.

The funniest show on cable TV right now is Impractical Jokers. This show is pretty much all farce or “low” comedy. The four men put themselves in a lot of random, unlikely situations, hence the use of the word “impractical.” Out of all shows on Comedy Central, this is the one I feel like is least like trash. My mom and sister also enjoy it, so it appeals to a wide audience.

Comedy Blog

The Importance of Being Earnest is a play filled with puns and witty remarks that  gives the audience a chuckle. One moment I remember off the top of my head that I found particularly funny was when Jack states, "I am in love with Gwendolen. I have come up to town expressly to propose to her." Algernon comes back at this remark stating, "I thought you had come up for pleasure? ... I call that business." This moment of  exchange is followed by many other humorous remarks about marriage. Wilde uses this wit to provide social commentary through out the play.

One piece of humor that has recently come out and created a lot of controversy is The Interview. The Interview is filled with satire, witty remarks, bad puns and any other element of humor you can name.  In the movie James Franco and Seth Rogen go to North Korea to interview/ assassinate Kim Jong Un.  Through out the movie they make references to how the North Koreas supposedly view the dictator and also how we Americans view him. If you look passed all the vulgar jokes you find that the movie is not only social commentary on our relationship with North Korea but it also provides social commentary on Hollywood and the idolization of celebrities.

Comedy blog- Hans Stromberg

I am a sucker for puns. Any pun will do., good or bad, I appreciate any pun. In The Importance of Being Earnest Wilde uses puns, "As far as the piano is concerned, sentiment is my forte." Most puns are bad puns, but you have to appreciate the effort involved in this sly sense of humor. Some people don't even recognize puns because they are so subtle, this is why puns are so great. Apparently, I'm a fan of high humor because I like puns, even though I appreciate slapstick humor all the same.

Humor is everywhere, especially on television. I enjoy all types of humor, but lately, Parks and Recreation has caught my attention. Maybe its just because I only watch this show after midnight when I'm tired, but I always find myself laughing at the simplest of humor in Parks and Recreation. While being a hilarious show, Parks & Rec is also mocking modern government my showing that it never works. Leslie Knope is a try-hard local politician, yet she always gets beat out by some sleazebag or the guy with more money. This critique on society makes for quality television.

Comedy Blog-Garrett Uebelhor

Although there are countless examples of humor in the story, there was one that actually made me laugh out loud. The scene in the story where the widowed women is being discussed is in my opinion the most humorous of all.  Algernon states that " I hear her hair has turned quite gold from grief". The humor in this quote is not fully seen until the reader understands that the lady has come into a lot of money as a result of her loss. So really when Algernon is saying that her hair turned gold with grief he is also making a reference to her new found money. To me this type of more witty and intelligent humor is what I find the most funny. I really humor where at first it almost goes over your head.


The following pictures is just the type of humor I find funny. Its a pretty clean joke, yet is still witty and very comical. I would say it represents a pretty cerebral humor. I also enjoy shows like The Colbert Report and South Park, which may not necessarily always be a clean humor however it often satirizes very real issues and is able to present them in a very comedic way.

Comedy Blog - Omer Hamad

I enjoy the combination of many types of humor that are apparent in Earnest. The combination of witty exchanges and physical humor allow for entertainment to occur regardless of what mood I'm in. These two variations of humor within the little story are meant to be in stark contrast between one another, which for me is unexpected and entertaining.

The type of humor that I like in the modern world is similar to the types I identify within Earnest as being funny. Stuff from this guy's YouTube channel includes a mix of different humors. It ranges from witty and high type humor to quite physical humor. And again, this allows for me to be entertained in whichever mindset I may be in.

Comedy Post - Jonathan Tungate

The Importance of Being Ernest has many good examples of comedy, however one that particularly stuck out to me was this on page 23: "To lose a parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both seems like carelessness." This I would consider to be of high level humor as it is playing on the word "lose" and its meanings. High level humor pertains to these kind of examples, where they have a deeper meaning or wordplay we can only understand by having a good understanding of the language. A lower level comedy example would be on page 11 with, "If Gwendolen accepts me, I am going to kill my brother, indeed I think I'll kill him in any case." This example is not to tricky, but blunt sarcasm and irony which is humorous in its delivery as being serious. Low level comedy I think would refer to humor like this, and physical slap stick. The author does include lots of wordplay which is important to most of the jokes and irony, and is mostly contained to the high level comedy examples.

An example of low level humor that is memorable to me would be from "The Office," where the character Micheal Scott says, "You don't call retarded people retards, that's bad taste. You call your friends retards when they're acting retarded." This is funny because in our society we have social rules on what we should and should not do in order to not offend people, and in this we have to watch ourselves and language closely as our words can have a completely different meaning depending on the situation. This is also similar to examples in Ernest because the author wrote many jokes and wordplay relating to the irony of the high class society and life styles, in how they are supposed to talk, eat, and act around each other.

Comedy Blog-Will Atkins

"Goes over and takes sandwich."

I identify with lower humor such as physical humor like this.
As a younger, less mature individual, I appreciate more slap-stick humor that is more obvious than cerebral or high humor. I would rather see Omer fall in his face than Garrett make a mediocre double entendre.

In the television show, How I Met Your Mother, more slapstick humor is used in its aesthetic purpose. It uses more low humor than high and is part of the reason in which it appeals to me.

Comedy Blog- Brittany Graul

In The Importance of Being Earnest, one of the scenes in which the humor particularly stands out, at least for me, is when Jack makes an attempt to take one of the cucumber sandwiches and Algernon scolds him, saying, “Please don’t touch the cucumber sandwiches. They are ordered specially for Aunt Augusta.” And then, Algernon, after having just warned Jack off of eating them, takes one and eats it himself. This kind of farcical humor was just so outrageous and ridiculous that I couldn’t help but find it funny. Also, I usually tend to be amused by puns, so I found it really comical when Wilde interjected silly little puns like, “As far as the piano is concerned, sentiment is my forte.” While humor like that doesn’t generally have a deeper meaning, it is simply entertaining. I generally find low comedy really funny.

Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest. Great Neck, NY: Barron's Educational Series, 1959. Print.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BignPBV32Sk

I have always been a huge fan of The Office, so I can’t resist mentioning that show. The Office consists of a lot of farcical humor and “low” comedy, but it somehow always manages to be hilarious and once you get to know the characters, it all just becomes funnier. The show kind of illustrates how ridiculous people can get in their daily lives, even in a boring paper company.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7SGSl-UnW0

Other examples of modern humor that I find particularly funny are 21 and 22 Jump Street which contain a lot of slapstick humor and farce, and while it can be quite vulgar, it is actually really funny.  It’s so humorous because the movies follow two undercover cops who go into high school and college, when they clearly are way above the normal age and together they manage to mess up basically every situation they are in.

Humor Blog- Andy Hoyt

My favorite example of humor so far in Earnest is the conversation between Algernon and Jack in the very first scene. While I tend to prefer high humor over low, I enjoy both when used in an appropriate context. This passage appeals to me for that very reason. Both characters engage in slapstick humor when insulting each other, but also make some very witty comments.

One of my favorite modern forms of comedy is the 4chan "green text" story. These fictional stories are told from a first person perspective and written in bulleted, incomplete sentences and posted on the internet forum 4chan. While many of these posts are obscene and offensive, some of them have witty references to popular culture. One of my favorites is the tale of "Ving and Ling", two Chinese siblings who move into a new town. Here is an image of the original post:

While it may include some crass language and slightly racist undertones, this is a fantastic example of masterful blending of both high and low humor. The entire story serves to sets up a brilliant play on words with lyrics from the popular song Don't Stop Believing by Journey but also includes crude humor throughout the rest of the piece. This keeps the reader entertained and interested in the story as it builds to the witty climax with the last two lines.

Comedy Blog Ryan Collins

The beginning scene from Earnest still stands as a preeminent example of some of my favorite humor, farcical humor. The way that Algernon continually denies Jack warm hospitality, his cigarette case, and his blessing to marry are extremely comical, and paint a very vivid picture of Algernon pacing around the room, carrying the cigarette case while a desperate, pleading Jack follows at his heels. This humor is enhanced with it being a play, where the farcical scene can be acted out and seen by the audience instead of only in the imaginations of the readers. This type of humor critiques the social aspect of society, since in puts the characters in such unlikely situations, it is borderline lampoonery, making for some good laughs.

This particular scene, taking place on a blind date at a nice restaurant, is one of my all time favorite moments from one of my all time favorite shows. In a desperate attempt to impress his date, Charlie (the man sweating through his shirt) is told by his friends to reveal that he works as a philanthropist. However, Charlie is illiterate and nervous, hence the sweat, and botches the line, saying he is a full-on-rapist. This type of outlandish farce is common on the show, which I recommend to anyone who enjoys farcical humor similar to that which was on the critically acclaimed and highly venerated cult classic, Seinfeld.

Comedy Blog- Alexander Reese

     I find both types of humor to be entertaining in Earnest. One of my favorite parts was when Algernon talks about how coming to profess your love is not romantic but simply business. This example would fall into the "higher" form of comedy, specifically satire. I also found it comical when Algernon told Jack the sandwiches were for Aunt Augusta, then proceeded to eat one himself. I suppose this would be classified as more of farce.

     http://imgur.com/gallery/R9NCh This piece of comedy gold gave me a right good giggle. I'm not sure how you would categorize this exactly, but I suppose it would be slapstick.

     Another example of humor that appeals to me are these videos called montage parodies. These videos started off as montages people uploaded of themselves pulling off amazing feats in video games, and when some rather creative people saw them they took to editing these videos in absurd ways to make fun of the stupidity. They have since branched out to making videos of just about everything "MLG." If you want to watch this video, I highly recommend turning down your volume. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29FGLOCUggo

Humor blog -- Megan Woodrum

A humorous moment that really cracks me up in my reading of The Importance of Being Earnest is right at the begining. Its in basically the introduction when Algeron sets up Jack so he can find out the truth. It was a very manipulative move when he asked him about the cigarette case and its insciption. I just found it funny the way he worked him so easily and had such a way ofsetting up questions and comments that would trip up Jack. Personally I love the sarcastic and witty jokes. When someone is really quick to make a connection that is smart and funny I die laughing.

A good example of modern humor is The Office. The show is a fake documentary and uses awkward and dry humor. It shows humor through the seeming unintentional  actions of the characters in the show. I honestly love this show I've seen it countless times and watching Jim tease Dwight or Michael ramble about things he has no idea about never grows old. Another great example of modern day humor is the movie The Ringer, a movie featuring Johnny Knoxville so you know its gonna have stupid and simple humor, but that doesn't mean it's not funny. The movie is all about a guy pretending to be mentally handicap so he can win a bet off the special olympics, he does it to get his gardeners fingers sewn back on so its not as horrible as it sounds. Throughout the movie they have simple bathroom or sexual jokes but they're still hilarious because of their delivery.

Humor Post - Katy

The importance of being Earnest's humor is certainly entertaining. I enjoy the witty comments that the characters make to each other in attempts to outsmart the other. On page 10, Algernon says "Literary criticism is not your forte, my dear felow. Don't try it. You should leave that to people who haven't been at a University. They do it so well in the daily papers." This jab at the local media and their ignorance is funny to me because of the somewhat continued truth that it holds today. I particularly like on page 13 when Lady Bracknell enters and says, "I'm sorry if we are a little late, Algernon, but I was obliged to call on dear Lady Harbury. I hadn't been there since her poor husband's death. I never saw a women so altered; she looks quite twenty years younger." The fact that she is making fun of Ms. Harbury looking younger without her husband is comical to me because you would assume it would be the other way around.

For other humor, I look to my favorite TV shows like The Office or Scrubs. While most of this humor is low and dry humor, I find it hilarious because the characters make a fool of themselves.

Check out these funny youtube videos on these two great and somewhat underrated shows.
The Office: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZ3v7V2CZu8

Scrubs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FIsGERFlG0

If you havent seen either of these shows I HIGHLY suggest them!

Comedy Blog - CatyBeth Gooding

Even from the beginning, I have enjoyed reading this play. It has both “low” and “high” comedy, sort of like how children’s movies and TV shows have comedy for both the adults who inevitably watch the show, as well as comedy for the children that the show is targeted for. Some of my favorite moments so far have been when Earnest asks Gwendolyn if he may propose to her (p18), as well as Lane stating that he had been married “because of a misunderstanding” (p 2).

Something I found funny recently was a meme of sorts. The format would be “Hi, I’m auditioning for the role of ____ from ____, and I’ll be singing ___ by ____.” So as an example, one was “Hi, I’m auditioning for the role of Jack from the Titanic, and I’ll be singing Under the Sea from The Little Mermaid.”  I guess this could be considered either situational irony or puns maybe? I am not sure what aspect of society it critiques.

Another meme that I enjoy is “mmm whatcha say.”  It started from an SNL skit (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmd1qMN5Yo0) , and basically, every time someone dies, you play “mmm whatcha say” in the background.” I would definitely consider this farce. The original skit is making fun of a TV show called “The O.C.” In the season 2 finale, one character is shot, and then out of nowhere, the song is played. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saEzQcayEPM ) 

Comedy Blog - Olivia Dixon

The Importance of Being Earnest is chock-full of "high" and "low" comedy, both of which I find funny. It's the kind of humor that makes the ends of your lips turn up ever so slightly but doesn't leave your stomach hurting. Wilde's punchlines come as a surprise and that's what makes them funny. For example, when Algernon asks Jack, "Got nice neighbors in your part of Shropshire?" you expect him to answer pleasantly and instead he insists, "Perfectly horrid! Never speak to one of them." ...oh. Also, when discussing Lady Harbury, she says "I never saw a woman so altered; she looks quite twenty years younger." You would expect a woman who lost her husband to look aged and weary, but Lady Bracknell describes the contrary.

The host of "America's Funniest Home Videos" once said "fun" is "laughing at one's pain knowing it's not your own." I think this is true when we find a character's misfortune amusing. For example, Algernon tells Lane "I don't know that I am much interested in your family life" which is a horrible thing to say to someone but we the reader find it funny because the joke was not at our own expense. In one instance, Lady Bracknell is extremely insensitive to Jack when she says, "To lose one parent, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both seems like carelessness." There is no sympathy in this statement; instead, she dismisses his pain completely. I mean... seriously?"

I also love the misconception Algernon and Jack have about marriage. Algernon exclaims, "Good heavens! Is marriage so demoralizing as that?" when Lane says, "in married households the champagne is rarely of a first-rate brand." We see where his priorities lie... Later, he complains that "the amount of women in London who flirt with their own husbands is perfectly scandalous." The idea of a loyal spouse seems like a foreign concept to him. Perhaps the most frustrating comment Jack makes is "the truth isn't quite the sort of thing one tells to a nice, sweet, refined girl" and Algernon adds, "The only way to behave to a woman is to make love to her, if she is pretty, and to someone else, if she is plain." -_-

I laugh at pretty much everything so its hard to describe my sense of humor. My favorite movies are Pitch Perfect and 21 Jump Street if that helps. I appreciate a good pun but slapstick is what really makes me laugh, like when Channing Tatum is told by his professor that he can say whatever he wants and he chooses "fyato," which is not a real word. Or when Jonah Hill performs in a poetry slam (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qxJ6bznkNI).

And I've watched these 100+ times...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRnWEnZjXVE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7ls9vtWleQ

Comedy Blog - Jacquelyn Engel

Oscar Wilde is quite a confident and bold writer in “The Importance of Being Ernest”. His writing is very blatant, and that’s what I enjoy most. Wilde does not hold back his opinions; he completely goes against the social norm of “everyone thinks this but is too afraid to say it out loud”. I find Wilde’s bluntness comical and entertaining because they are true for the most part. I think both the high and low comedies are equally funny, although, sometimes it takes a little longger for me to understand the high comedy.

I’m a huge sucker for puns, so these were automatically funny for me.

“Sentiment is my forte” (1)

“It produces a false impression” (8)

I think this quote not only portrays marriages but also family relationships. Sometimes if you’re with family too much, it can be exasperating.

“Fortunately, he is accustomed to that” (14)

This quote was referring to Lady Bracknell asking if Jack/Ernest smoked. It’s funny because smoking is not quite an occupation. It occupies time, but it is not an occupation.

“A man should always have an occupation of some kind” (21)

The Office is my favorite show. It’s pretty much the only show I watch. Like Wilde’s writing, The Office is just blunt and blatant. If you haven’t seen it before, it is a satirical comedy about an American workplace. The show emphasizes ignorance, primarily on the topics of race, sex, and religion. It uses a lot of dramatic irony, verbal irony, sarcasm, and farce to ridicule humans.

Comedy blog - Chelsea Southworth

By page two of "The Importance of Being Earnest", I was already snickering to myself. The following interaction between Algernon and Lane stuck out immediately:
"Algernon: (Languidly) I don't know that I am much interested in your family life, Lane.
Lane: No, sir; it is not a very interesting subject. I never think of it myself."
This exchange just oozes sass and sarcasm; you can easily imagine a snooty rich boy casually dismissing his servant's life, and said servant solemnly agreeing while inwardly thinking to himself what a prick his master is. Clearly, Wilde is calling out the wealthy upper class on their lack of regard for their servants outside of "what can this man do for me."

The first example, being satirical in nature, is "high" comedy (which I enjoy completely), but "low" humor makes me laugh as well. On page four, Jack reaches out to get a sandwich, but Algy immediately stops him, saying, "Please don't touch the cucumber sandwiches. They are ordered specially for Aunt Augusta." Algy then eats one. This immediate disregard for his own words is what makes this part so humorous.



My sense of humor depends on the moment, but there are basically two options: wry and sarcastic, or so absolutely dumb that there should be no reason for me to laugh, yet I do. The slam poem "Fuck You Old People" is snark personified. The societal aspect they critique is obvious: adults who villainize our generation for issues they created (screwed up economy, special snowflake syndrome, "a hard-on for college education so throbbing it's practically pornographic", etc.); as the poets said, adults who do this "are not even robbing Peter and blaming Paul; they're robbing Peter, and blaming Peter." Sass follows sass as they absolutely slam people who blame young adults for all of the world's problems (the ending is killer, but I won't spoil it), and as they mock the mannerisms of these people (the old man who walked uphill both ways; the woman who understands, she's been there). It's just the most delightful mix of blunt honesty, seething anger, and biting snark.


An example of the second one is "none pizza with left beef", which originated in the following post

I do not know what makes this so funny; it's literally a pizza with nothing on it but beef, but only on the left side. Yet the very mention of "none pizza with left beef" starts me laughing; I think about this meme at least once a day and chuckle to myself. This is certainly "low" comedy, but, like a lot of the things I chuckle at on tumblr, I think much of what makes it amusing is more context than anything else. 

Citations:

Geiger, Tayler, Ben Tolkin, Andie Berry, and Sam Lai. “Fuck You Old People.” Youtube. 22 March 2014. Web. 8 March 2015.

Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest. Austin: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 2000. Print.

The Importance of Being Earnest Humor

pg.10; Algernon: "Literary criticism is not your forte, my dear fellow. Don't try it. You should leave that to people who haven't been at a University. They do it so well in the daily papers. What you really are is a Bunburyist. I was quite right in saying you were a Bunburyist. You are one of the most advanced Bunburyists I know."

In truth, I laughed out loud when I read this little speech given by Algernon in the direction of Jack. His words are satirical and dripping with sarcasm, which are my two favorite kinds of humor. The first quip derides those who pretend to know about literary criticism in the daily papers, though clearly in Algernon's opinion they are simply making fools out of themselves. The snide, clever way in which he condemns the poor writers is what makes the comment truly farcical. The second comment refers to "Bunburyists" which Algernon explains to essentially be a way of getting out of engagements one does not want to participate in. The complete absurdity of having such a well-developed and deceitful excuse to escape daily life is a satire on the Victorian society they are living in. It is humorous that Algernon, who is so quick to denounce others in their odd ways, would take something so ridiculous so seriously. Wilde creates a character in Algernon that is a satire of the proper Victorian gentleman, which I find incredibly amusing.
Given that this is the passage that I find most entertaining, I would say that I enjoy "high" humor more than "low." Though I definitely enjoy physical humor, if I had to choose one type it would be that of satire and sarcasm.

One of my very favorite TV shows that I find hilarious is "Parks and Recreation", (on Netflix!) which I would say employs mostly dry, deadpan humor mixed with some slapstick. The show uses an enormous amount of satire of the government and of multiple other things throughout the seasons. I find April's dark humor particularly funny, along with Ron's deadpan lines. Tom, played Aziz Ansari, is a satire in himself, being of an extreme consumer.

Another TV show that I find funny is "Friends", which I recently started to watch on Netflix. This is show is also filled with satire and sarcasm, one example being Rachel, who is a satire on the typical wealthy, helpless daughter who is expected to marry and be a housewife. Though she does not live in to this expected role, many of her actions are a comment on this type of person. This show is also filled with ironic situations involving the characters romantic relationships.

Conformity and Rebellion- Rhoman James

Rebellion Sailors, chanters and politicians Proselytize our new dimensions Warriors, weavers and priest-drawn blood Sanctify our new haven. The sun comes up We chop wood Toolerize and gamify our fun Still the same man under the same sun. And for millennia The new is suppressed Marked as devilry To keep us meek. Feeling crazy today Going to have my say But first I'll impregnate The Chief's chief lay. This poem is referencing how in our society we follow all of these rules set by certain people, we try to make it fun so that it isn't so tedious and unbearable but we have to do it. He said that "the new is suppressed" because when the younger generations try to do something different in our society, the traditional leaders tend to shoot that down very fast. They consider these revelations "devilry" and they outlaw these actions. The author does a very good job addressing the many variables that contribute to our conformation.

Rhyme- Rhoman James

The whiskey on your breath A Could make a small boy dizzy; B But I hung on like death: A Such waltzing was not easy. B We romped until the pans C Slid from the kitchen shelf; D My mother’s countenance C Could not unfrown itself. D The hand that held my wrist E Was battered on one knuckle; F At every step you missed E My right ear scraped a buckle. F You beat time on my head G With a palm caked hard by dirt, H Then waltzed me off to bed G Still clinging to your shirt. H The rhyme scheme of this poem is ABAB CDCD EFEF GHGH, contributes to the constant feeling of this poem. I see this poem from a daughters point of view talking about her abusive father. The fact that this rhyme scheme repeats for every stanza makes us feel a good sense of rhythm, probably because this occurrence is a regular occurrence. This is a very easy rhyme scheme to keep track of and it makes us see this experience as common, there is nothing out of the ordinary. This is a very sad poem that is filled with innocence from a child, and that shows in the simplicity of the rhyme scheme

Sodom and Gomorrah- Rhoman James

There were two cities that were destroyed because of their wicked ways and sexual sins including homosexuals, which is why we have the word "sodomy." It was taken from the names of these cities. God sent angels to get Lot and his family out because Abraham had prayed and asked God to spare Lot, and he also asked God would spare these cities for the sake of Lot and his family if there was 50 righteous people. The only ones that ended up surviving were Lot and his two daughters. Even his wife looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt. They had been told not to look back at the destruction God was sending on the cities. I think that this act can be viewed as unfair to some people because there are many ways to represent right and wrong and some may think the way God handled it was the wrong way. One problem in the US is the fact that our government tries to create standards of right and wrong and we are expected to accept their values as true. This is a reoccurring problem in our society and will continue to create conflict over the generations.