Can Humor Solve our problems, or at least help?
Rationale Behind this Unit
This unit came from some fierce and long-held wonderings sparked by a question my father asked me out of pure frustration. We were in the library, searching for books on tape,with me rambling on about this book and that book and "how it's so sad but good" and "you have to read it" when he finally burst out, "Why are all books so depressing?" I said, "Well, we tend to gravitate towards the things that affect us, and since we are good, empathetic people, tragedy impacts us." However, as I left, and as I've searched for books ever since that moment, I've had this nagging thought: why so much focus on the tragic? And why an almost complete ignorance to the light-hearted parts of books, especially when studying them in our classrooms? Take Shakespeare for example. He's a really funny guy, and yet we focus on his most tragic scenes and quotes. How many times have you heard, "To be or not to be?" (In case you aren't an English teacher or didn't pay attention in your English Lit class, he's talking about suicide there). That's dark, about as dark as it gets really. Now think, how many times have you heard, "They have made worms' meat of me!" Probably not as many which, in my humble opinion, is sad. I think there is much to learn from comedy. To understand comedy, you have to be smart. To create comedy, you've got to be even smarter. You have to understand context and puns and common language usage. You've got to understand what's normal in order to see the absurd, and you've got to see the world for what it is and what it could be and what it's not and why it's not.
Another reason I love comedy is the inherent goodness of it. I know this is controversial and a little too sunshiny-optimistic, but hang with me here. A few years ago, one of my professors showed clips from The Axis of Evil Tour. It was a group of Muslim comedians who traveled around together, doing stand up skits to dispel stereotypes about Muslims, the religion of Islam, and terrorism. It was sheer genius. They shed light on the absurdity of people thinking all Muslims are terrorists by telling jokes. These clips inspired me to reflect on all stand up comedians. I know that some are raunchy and baudy and use swear words and scream, but most of the time, the underlying issue, what's really funny about it, is how they allow us to make fun of ourselves and our own absurdities. For example, in order to understand and laugh at The Axis of Evil Comedy Tour, you have to live in a post-9/11 world. You have to understand that movies have villainized Arab people for decades, and you have to be willing to admit that a small piece of you has, at one time or another, given in to those irrational fears. And once you do, the laughing and the healing can being.
As for the language component (the English part--the part we're supposed to cover in the standards) there is so much to comedy. To be funny, you have to understand how to emphasize certain words and phrases over others. You had to understand the importance of timing. Comedy is an artform, just like a painting, a novel, a poem, or a song. One in which can be harnessed for good--for a good cheering up, to help us understand one another and ourselves, and to put a smile on someone's face who would otherwise may have been focusing on whether "to be or not to be." Dramatic, I know.
Common Core Standards
Writing:
Essential Questions:
Objectives:
Skils:
Facets of Understanding
Project
This unit came from some fierce and long-held wonderings sparked by a question my father asked me out of pure frustration. We were in the library, searching for books on tape,with me rambling on about this book and that book and "how it's so sad but good" and "you have to read it" when he finally burst out, "Why are all books so depressing?" I said, "Well, we tend to gravitate towards the things that affect us, and since we are good, empathetic people, tragedy impacts us." However, as I left, and as I've searched for books ever since that moment, I've had this nagging thought: why so much focus on the tragic? And why an almost complete ignorance to the light-hearted parts of books, especially when studying them in our classrooms? Take Shakespeare for example. He's a really funny guy, and yet we focus on his most tragic scenes and quotes. How many times have you heard, "To be or not to be?" (In case you aren't an English teacher or didn't pay attention in your English Lit class, he's talking about suicide there). That's dark, about as dark as it gets really. Now think, how many times have you heard, "They have made worms' meat of me!" Probably not as many which, in my humble opinion, is sad. I think there is much to learn from comedy. To understand comedy, you have to be smart. To create comedy, you've got to be even smarter. You have to understand context and puns and common language usage. You've got to understand what's normal in order to see the absurd, and you've got to see the world for what it is and what it could be and what it's not and why it's not.
Another reason I love comedy is the inherent goodness of it. I know this is controversial and a little too sunshiny-optimistic, but hang with me here. A few years ago, one of my professors showed clips from The Axis of Evil Tour. It was a group of Muslim comedians who traveled around together, doing stand up skits to dispel stereotypes about Muslims, the religion of Islam, and terrorism. It was sheer genius. They shed light on the absurdity of people thinking all Muslims are terrorists by telling jokes. These clips inspired me to reflect on all stand up comedians. I know that some are raunchy and baudy and use swear words and scream, but most of the time, the underlying issue, what's really funny about it, is how they allow us to make fun of ourselves and our own absurdities. For example, in order to understand and laugh at The Axis of Evil Comedy Tour, you have to live in a post-9/11 world. You have to understand that movies have villainized Arab people for decades, and you have to be willing to admit that a small piece of you has, at one time or another, given in to those irrational fears. And once you do, the laughing and the healing can being.
As for the language component (the English part--the part we're supposed to cover in the standards) there is so much to comedy. To be funny, you have to understand how to emphasize certain words and phrases over others. You had to understand the importance of timing. Comedy is an artform, just like a painting, a novel, a poem, or a song. One in which can be harnessed for good--for a good cheering up, to help us understand one another and ourselves, and to put a smile on someone's face who would otherwise may have been focusing on whether "to be or not to be." Dramatic, I know.
Common Core Standards
Writing:
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2b Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2c Use appropriate and varied transitions and syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2d Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary, and techniques such as metaphor, simile, and analogy to manage the complexity of the topic.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.1d Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives; synthesize comments, claims, and evidence made on all sides of an issue; resolve contradictions when possible; and determine what additional information or research is required to deepen the investigation or complete the task.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.2 Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.6 Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating a command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. (See grades 11–12 Language standards 1 and 3 here for specific expectations.)
Essential Questions:
- What makes something funny?
- What is the purpose of comedy?
- How is comedy grounded in our understandings of ourselves and those around us?
- What is the relationship between comedy used to empower and comedy used to harm or demean?
Objectives:
Skils:
- Adapt speech to fit various situations
- Integrate multiple sources
- Respond to diverse perspectives
- Use precise language
- Develop a topic
- Use appropriate transitions
- Types of Comedy: farce, dark, parody, satire, slapstick, screwball
- Purpose of comic relief
- Communication is powerful
- Articulated ideas are powerful
Facets of Understanding
- Explain: the types of humor and the purpose of comic relief
- Interpret: why something is funny, what the author's message behind the comedy is
- Apply by: explaining the humor in speeches, videos, photos of our modern media by connecting them to the comedy used in Shakespeare
- (Perspective)See from the points of view of: the people making fun of others and those being made fun of
- (Empathy) Empathize with those who are made fun of/discriminated against, the butt of the joke
- (Self-Knowledge) Reflect on: the purpose of comedy in our society and how it can be used for good and for evil. Also reflect on the types of comedy YOU use in your life and how it contributes to people around you.
Project
- Students create their own comedy skit that informs people of an important topic and/or dispels stereotypes