A Hidden Art - Genevieve Rodriguez

When people think about vulgar language, they do not think of artfulness or high society. The first thought that usually comes to mind is lower working class. One can compare a fishmonger to a prince and easily tell which one will use the vulgar language more often. The past few generations, however, have taken vulgar language and elevated it so that it can be used in art to provoke certain emotions. A.R. Ammons does a wonderful job of using a “four-letter word” and turning it into a work of art. The title of his piece is “Shit List; or Omnium-gatherum of Diversity into Unity.” The title alone gives us an idea of what the poem is going to be about: a list of shit. Usually, a shit list is a list of people that have wronged a person, but the next part of the title is saying that it is an assortment of diverse things unified. He begins his poem with a positive attitude: “you’ll rejoice at how many kinds of shit there are;” the speaker could have said “there is so much shit in the world” or something to that extent. He is elevating the “shit” and making it an art. He goes on listing the kinds of shit there are, but instead of just listing them, he uses parentheticals to explain some of the shits. He uses sarcasm in explaining some of the kinds of shit; for example, the mockingbird shit is “dive-bombed with the aim of song,” the eagle shit is “high-totem stuff,” and the baboon shit is leopard induced. These parentheticals keep the reader alert and waiting for the next witty comment, instead of focusing on how many times the word shit is repeated. Ammons keeps the energy going throughout the piece, which is very hard for a person who is just repeating a four letter word over and over again. I think that Ammons does a fine job and that people of high and low society can read this and understand that although we are all different, everybody shits. For me, the meaning of this poem is that we are all connected by our anatomy, and even though we are different, we function the same way.

Something that struck my eye was the tercet style. I read Dante’s Inferno and this kind of reminded me of it because of the way it was written in tercets. It has nothing to do with that but I just thought I would put that out there.

Mylanta

Although I would love to watch a video titled "Whacking Off", I unfortunately will be going to bed knowing that I missed out on the experience. Setting that aside, the Native American story "Nanabush Eats a Bulb" contains tons of great information that could possibly teach your children notable lessons for the future! Although some may find the story inappropriate, "Nanabush Eats a Bulb" is highly appropriate and effective in the teaching lesssons to people of all ages and walks of life. It doesnt matter if you are ten years old living in a trailer or fifty years old living in the Playboy Mansion, a lesson can still be learned from reading this innapropriate oral tradition!
If you have an issue with arrogance this story may be for you! At first the Trickster believes he is the "chosen one" and thinks highly of his invisibility to the outside world. This belief burns to the ground when he realizes he actually made a wrong decision when not abiding by the bulbs "words of wisdom". After shitting double his body weight he begins to realize that he is not as powerful as he thinks he is, which makes him a perfect example for teaching a great life lesson. "Take other wisdom into consideration before you burn to the ground by sticking with your wisdom". Near the end of the story the Trickster realizes that he needs others in order to help himself. In today's world this shows up alot. People turn down other's informative ideas, and run back for help when they realize they were in the wrong and the wisdom giver was in the right. This story does an excellent job in showing that arrogance will get you into shitty situations when you take others word for granted. People don't waste their time sharing their wisdom with others for the hell of it. Wisdom is shared for the purpose of helping others, and when you turn it down and run back to them in the end, you are the one that is looked down upon. "Nanabush Eats a Bulb" is a great example of showing that arrogance will nearly make you suffocate in your own shit. Take wisdom from the wise because you never know when more might be coming your way!

How Poop gets the point across...

In the Native American tale "Trickster Eats the Laxative Bulb", human excrement is used to both draw in the reader, and also to exhibit the moral of the story. Needless to say I did not ever think a laxative plant would ever teach a lesson; but it is the case in this story. Sometimes in literature, or in movies and media, profanity or “taboo” topics are overused. It leaves the reader questioning the necessity of this content, and with a dislike for the piece. I did not have this feeling after I finished reading the Trickster story. I found the story surprisingly humorous, and I understood the lesson. If the story had a more serious tone, I do not think this lesson would be as easily received. The lesson learned is that arrogance can get us in deep shit. Joking aside, the story begins with a bulb telling the Trickster “If you eat me you will defecate.” Rather than heeding this warning, he lets his ego take over, and eats the bulb. In his head he knows nothing will happen, because a plant could not affect a “great one” like himself. Little by little, the Trickster begins to experience the effects of the bulb. It starts with him “breaking wind”; it progresses into him being shot up into the air, and nearly being crushed by a tree. That is when the defecation starts. He does all he can to avoid being surrounded; he evens climbs a tree. Eventually he is still engulfed. When he climbed out of the steaming pile, he had to rely on the older trees to guide him to the water to clean off. I think the trees symbolize the Trickster’s wise elders, who help him learn his lesson. The Trickster learned the hard way that arrogance can end badly. This story can be appreciated by a full spectrum of readers. I got something out of this lesson; I also think children could take it in, as it is not too vulgar. The humor helps anyone understand the moral, because let’s face it, poop is funny. I do not believe this taboo topic impedes the story in any way, but rather helps it function.

Say what?

I have grown up in a Christian household all of my life. I went to a private Christian school from fourth grade until graduation from high school, and cussing was always looked down upon. If a student was caught saying a certain word or announcing language that was inappropriate, we would have been reprimanded and given a consequence. When I arrived here at Young Harris, it was a whole different ball game. A person’s ears can catch the sound of four letter words being spouted out all around campus all of the time. In someone’s dorm room, in a classroom, and just walking across campus. I was never extremely sheltered as a teenager because my mom wanted me to be aware of things going on and didn’t want me to have a rude awakening when I headed off on my own to college, so none of these words were new to me….I just hardly ever heard them spoken. Taboo words do not offend or bother me usually, although some words do set off a trigger. I have a hard time listening to people cuss using Jesus Christ’s name or putting God in front of words. Growing up in the Bible belt and a Christian this has had an impact of the way I view certain aspects of the English language. I still hold true to my morals and beliefs in college because I have made them my own, but I am still not innocent of using profanity every once in a while. I screamed out “shit” earlier this week when I ran over a deer in my 4runner on my way to dinner in Ellijay followed by “what the hell was that?” when all four of my car’s wheels made it back onto the ground. Slip ups happen… shit happens…and A.R. Ammons does a great job of demonstrating this concept in his poem. Ammons carried out his poem into a creative and organized passage keeping the reader’s attention. He made the point clear that shit happens to everyone and it’s something that can’t be avoidable. He brings about images of panda shit and scorpion shit that I would never have thought of on a regular basis. The reader is aware after observing the different styles of shit that it is a part of life and how we were all created. One thing is not better than the other because of some defecation, everything shits and it all smells. Some very conservative people may find the shit poem offensive and uncalled for, yet others, like myself, may find it more artful in the way of carrying out an organized and deeper meaning. Our generation also has a lot do with it. My grandmother, and even my mother, would find a poem saying shit over and over again offensive and uncalled for, but it is a normal word our vocabulary today. It all depends on the audience and their beliefs. No matter what you believe, just remember...shit happens and you can't avoid it!

Michael Squires Blog #3

In our culture we use words to communicate with others and different words have different meanings. In the Trickster story the authors audience are little kids because its telling a life story taught by many adults. I think the author uses the word defecate to humor his audience and keep them interested so they’ll follow the whole story to its ending and listen to the lesson he is trying to teach. At a very young age we are taught to listen and not do things that we are told not to but in the Trickster story the character feels he is of higher authority. Having this “higher authority” got the character in trouble because when he heard the voices “don’t eat me or you will defecate” he thought that it’s just a plant what could it do. After he eats the flower nothing happens so he thinks he has won the battle but really the worst is to come. As he is on his adventure he starts to “break wind” and can’t stop at first he thinks this is funny but quickly becomes aggravating. Once he thinks the breaking wind stops he starts to defecate all over the place and can’t stop until he finally falls in his own waste. I think the trees in this story are kind of like adults in an essence because he turns to them asking for advice or direction so he can survive and stay alive. I found this story humorous because I can see myself doing the same thing, because I always was a “rebellious” child. Doing differently what I was told. I can relate to what the character went through and that’s why I think I don’t do those things now because I know what it can get me into

Duck song :)

The song “Sex with Ducks” by Garfunkle and Oates is a song which says protecting the rights of two people having a gay marriage legal is basically the same concept as protecting the rights of a person who wants to have sex with a duck. This song says it is just ridiculous. It can be considered art because this piece rhymes and uses the perfect words to convey the message that protecting the rights of two people having sexual relations is utterly absurd. In the song, they mention that Pat Robertson said “it’s a long downward slide that will lead to legalizing sex with ducks if 2 men can stand side by side.” This quote says that if 2 men or 2 women eventually are able to legally marry, they will legalize anything and anything will happen; even having sex with ducks will be legal. The words used can be crude but are said to make a point. Although some find it offensive, it is just another person making their point. They are trying to say their point not just through words in a sentence but turn it into a song. When people say their thoughts, less people become offensive than when they are said rather than sang. As the song goes on, they become creative with different ways the duck would have sex or innuendos. I guess the “Sex with Ducks” song is less offensive because this is funny and it is beautiful because of the music with the song. It is also less offensive because it does not necessarily use offensive language as it does use sentences that a person would look twice at and think or ask themselves, “What was the person thinking when they wrote this song?” As some people would be offended if a story was read with this same story, people are not as offended listening to the song.

Rubber Ducky

When people hear the words “sex with ducks,” they suddenly become appalled at the thought of anyone doing that with ducks. For many people, they feel the same way about gay marriage; they almost consider it as bad as sex with ducks. People can express their feelings towards gays in many artful ways, such as this song. This song allows people to expose their position on gays in a semi offensive, yet still witty way. Sex with ducks provides a metaphor that some people feel that if we legalize gay marriage than why not legalize having sex with ducks too. In some people’s eyes, they are equally unethical. Throughout the song, the phase sex with duck is associated with the politically incorrect gay situation. This song portrays that if gay marriage is actually legalized one day, than “the need to legalize sex with ducks” is relevant. Everyone opposes people having sex with animals because it is morally wrong. Some of the lyrics in this song propose that “sex with ducks and gay marriage are one in the same.” Instead of people, repeating the same gay marriage is immoral, people can view gay marriage in a less boring, by comparing it to sex with ducks. It removes the repetition of hearing the say words repeatedly until they are dull. On the other hand, the song “Sex with ducks” makes people who are gay sound like horrible people who have no respect for themselves or morals. Even though this song completely hates on gays, even if someone is gay, he or she would probably still laugh that how people view their differences. The song just allows people to express their feelings, just as gays can express their feelings, they just cannot prove it. In the end, sex with ducks has a nice pun on the meaning, by comparing it to gays, if gays are allowed to proclaim their love publicly, than “legally [they can] do something awful.”

Can You Handle It?

Blog #3
The A.R. Ammons’ poem, Shit List; Or Omnium-gatherum Of Diversity Into Unity, about the different types of shit was not intended for everyone. I don’t think the words in the poem, mainly the word shit, were meant to be read by smaller people. Younger kids shouldn’t be introduced to words such as shit at a young age; therefore this poem would be inappropriate for kids in middle school and under to read. In the modern world, however, many smaller kids have been introduced to curse words at an early age. This does not make it right. In my personal opinion, I don’t agree that they should be. This poem was intended to be read by people in high school and up. I think you have to be at a certain level of maturity to read this poem.
This poem reiterates the fact that everyone and everything has bodily functions. It has to happen because it is part of the cycle of life. If we didn’t poop, we could not live. It is vital to survival. I think one would have to have this assumption in order to find this poem funny. I don’t agree that cursing is always funny, but in this context, it is. Depending on someone’s religion, it could determine whether or not he or she thinks this poem is laughable. A really religious person might not think it is very funny because of the abundance of the word “shit.” Even if a person doesn’t morally think cursing is right, it could still be funny to him or her. Also to think this poem is funny, I think one has to have a sense of humor or be easily amused. In a sense, this poem could be considered disgusting, but it is natural. I also think one has to be open-minded to different things. A normal poem wouldn’t have a subject about the bodily functions of life. If one is close-minded, then he or she probably will not find this poem laughable. People that are close-minded are not willing to branch out to different ideas. Overall, this poem is very strange, but in a peculiar way it brings humans and animals together.

Callie Holloway

the use of profanity

Anna Aycock

When I started to read “The Shit List,” by A.R. Ammons I was a little surprised at just how many times he use the word shit. I am sure that if my mother read this poem she would be offended by how many times this single profanity is used, but on the other hand as I read I am not offended as my mother would be. It just goes to show you that people are going to take shit or any profanity in a different way. It seems as though my mom and my grandparents to seem to have a stronger opinion on cussing and see it as something horrible that should never be said. Then I look at cussing and think that if I am with my friends talking and there is a need for a cuss word I will put it the conversation. Now if I was talking to my mom and felt the same way I would find another word to use into of a profanity because of the way that my mom dislikes it when I use profanity. I mean in my family event the word sucks is something horrible and I am told that it is not lady like to say. I think that if my mom tried to laugh at this poem it would be a little harder to do because of how much cussing is in it. I believe that this piece was written for people who are not afraid to laugh at the word shit, if you have a strong dislike for this particular word than this poem is not for you. People who would enjoy this poem are more open about things and are not afraid to talk about things that would make some people uncomfortable. In some cases the more open minded the person the funnier that they are going to think Ammons really is

Shit? Really...

Amber Faith- Blog 3

Growing up in a small town can be a blessing and a cursing. Especially when it is one of “those” small towns where everyone seems to know everything. Everyone is supposed to have the same views and thinking process as the surrounding culture. When you choose to vary from the “typical” you are extremely radical, and not always viewed as radical being a positive behavior. The culture is known to be very conservative and religious based. In these cultures, only in the right crowd is it allowable to use taboo words. A major taboo word like ‘shit’ seems irrelevant to a piece of poetic literature. This culture would be a prime example of who would probably not appreciate the works of A.R. Ammons. When we break through our cultural constraints we have the ability to form our own judgments, even down to the topic of literature. Through reading the poem by A.R. Ammons I began to use a completely different application to the word shit. Ammons creatively used a common biological process of life to demonstrate many varied forms to humor the readers with the taboo word shit. This author’s unusual word choice reveals that this poem is only intended for mature audiences with an intellectual insight to translate the humorous parenthetical and how they vary based on different animals. He used our general assumptions and thoughts of these very diverse animals to relate them altogether with the one thing that will certainly have in common, shitting. Ammons’ boldness to compose a witty and entertaining poem about shit shows he assumes the reader will be able to be open minded culturally in order to laugh at his atypical humor about shit. More than likely, he also intends his audience will have some understanding and appreciation for biology with the numerous and comical references he makes toward this subject specifically. A biological reference in the poem such as “caterpillar shit (so many dark kinds, neatly pelleted as mint seed.)” implies knowledge of the defecating process of a caterpillar. Even without biological knowledge lines such as “…bull shit (the classic)…” could also be found amusing. When I initially read this poem I thought that it was too absurd to find humor within the text. Finally, I allowed myself to be more open-minded and press beyond focusing on the taboo word, shit. Once I directed my focus more to analyzing the text and meanings behind the text I found it an insightfully different form of literature that made a typically disgusting word into the most hilarious word ever written in poetic form. A.R. Ammons is not so full of shit after all.

Matthew Peeler's Blog

A.R. Ammons’ “Shit List” is what I would like to call an interesting piece of work. The word “shit” is used in just about every line and is used in more than just a casual way. Like many forms of literature, Ammons turns what could be considered a very vulgar poem into a work of art. Many may ask how this is the case? Ammons describes different kinds of shit throughout this poem but keeps it interesting for the reader. Just as the reader begins to have the thought of ‘this is just another vulgar poem not worth reading’, he throws in a very comical line that keeps the readers attention for a while longer and repeats this cycle throughout the poem. For example, “rainbow trout shit (for the nice)”. This line comes in the fourth line of the poem after the reader begins to wonder why he/she is really reading this and they laugh, at least this was my reaction It is this cycle that helps do the job that the poem intended to do, and that is entertain the reader. The question still arises however of how this is artful? Though it may not seem like it, Ammons’ poem is a work of art simply because he holds the attention of the reader throughout the poem. This takes quite a work of art to have a successful poem about shit.
Ammons uses parentheticals throughout his poem as well. These short worded “explanations” as I like to call them are also a key in making this a work of art. I mentioned the way Ammons adds a comical line in when the reading begins to become cumbersome. These parentheticals are typically involved in this comical line. Some examples of these lines include “bull shit (the classic)”, “magpie shit (total protein)”, “mockingbird shit (dive-bombed with the aim of song)”, and robin shit that oozes white down lawn chairs or down roots under roosts. This poem is a perfect example of potentially offensive language turning into something powerful. Laughter is a very powerful emotion that we all experience at some point. This poem draws out this emotion and tends to bring out the best of us. With the proper connotation, ever a poem about random shit can become a powerful piece of work that we can all enjoy.

Sex With Ducks....Art? I THINK NOT!!!!!!

The use of fowl or curse words, otherwise known as “billingsgate” language, has constantly come across and received as “taboo” in our society today. However, with the ever-changing form of society in which we live, these taboo and forbidden words have, as it seems, emerged themselves in our everyday language. Words once spoken sparsely, have now taken new meanings, although some have stayed the same. Many times one uses these words in order to seem “cool” or “intelligent”. However, many of these words and phrases applied at the wrong time take away from valid and otherwise substantial conversations. Often times, we find that the use of such language now comes with no surprise, therefore not leaving any sort of enamored effect on those who do not speak and use such language. The “I can’t believe he just said that” factor no longer resides in our minds. Now, many people find the use of “billingsgate” language leads them to boredom. Without the enamoring effect, “taboo-ed” terms seem to go un-noticed.
Now that society has chosen to accept the once “forbidden” words, we find more ways of inserting them in un-needed places such as music… and try to call it art. In the song, “Sex With Ducks”, artists and song writers try to prove a point that gay marriage should not be allowed. Permitting gay marriage and relationships would coincide or therefore “lie” (no pun intended) as equal to having sex with a duck. I do agree that both of these acts incorporate morally wrong actions, but I do not agree with the overuse of the word “sex” in the song. I do not agree with the making of this song in that the song writers seem to flaunt their use of the word “sex,” strictly due to the fact that it too, was once a “taboo” word. I do not believe that any song with the use of foul language should be considered art. After all, the use of curse words to explain or present your feelings on certain matters still resides just as immoral as the situations you may feel harsh against. The use of “billingsgate” language is in no way shape or form beautiful, it only demeans the person that uses it.


"Cursing is the use of big words by little people"- unknown

Why sex with ducks is an art

One of the most controversial issues in America today is gay marriage. Many people have many different views, and are willing to express them in a conversation, but Garfunkel and Oates go about this expression in a different way. They created a controversial video, comparing gay marriage to having sex with ducks. The point they are trying to get across throughout the video with humor and song is that sex with ducks and gay marriage are one in the same. A quote that they sing during the video is “God I hope he’s right because if gay marriage becomes lawful, I am going to find myself a duck and legally do something awful.” This quote really tells you their view on things, because they believe that having sex with a duck is awful, but so is sex with a man of the same sex.

The reason I find their video an expression of art is because they are expressing their view through a video with song which has a humorous side to it. When I look at a painting on the wall, I might not like what the artist has drawn, but I typically respect and admire it, because I cannot create anything like that. This is the same idea with the video. I could never come up with a creative idea like that. I also admire their video because they put their bold view out there. I personally do not have the same view upon gay marriage that they do. I do not think that it is terrible and is the same as having sex with ducks, but while watching the video, I certainly can see the humorous side in it and definitely enjoy it even though our views clash. In my opinion that is what any type of art does, it brings people together from different backgrounds, and even if they do not have the same view or values of an idea or issue presented in the art, they can still appreciate it and respect it for the work put into it. I think that is why the video is so enjoyable; because it brings us together, and when a piece of art does that, potentially offensive language is forgotten.

Taboo words and topics

Wezly Barnard

Taboo words and topics can be used in various ways to achieve different goals. In more cases than others, use of taboo words will offend people. A word can be said directly to a person and have the intent of meaning bad towards them, or offend them. In this case there might be a situation or argument between two or more people which would encourage either of them to use verbally harmful words. Another form of using taboo words or topics could be when a group of people or friends are comfortable around each other. Friends might use” slang” or “swear” a few times in order to feel “cool” or fit in with the group. However, offensive words can be overused in conversations and will become extremely boring for others. People lose interest in a topic if taboo words are used out of context. The topic may even sometimes not make sense.
Although taboo words and topics are frowned upon, they can be used in different forms to create humor and art. In the Trickster narrative the topic emphasized on is defecating. Even though the word “defecate” is not a very harsh taboo word, it still creates an image of Trickster eventually defecating and ending up being covered by it. “Then he could not help himself, but had to defecate.” Trickster was arrogant from the start and believed he could overcome the situation. Unfortunately he could not and defecated so much that he covered himself in it. This brings about a comical situation, but more so teaches a lesson through the story. Trickster was ignorant to the bulb making him defecate and later finding himself using nature to come to his aid. “Tree what kind are you, tell me about yourself, can you tell me where the nearest water is?”
A.R. Ammons’ poem however uses a more direct word that is repeated throughout the poem. The topic is the same but the word used is a lot stronger. It might be thought that the word being repeated makes the poem slightly boring, but Ammons uses a descriptive technique to create a comical poem that a person could find them laughing at; “blazing blast off, for the nice, total protein, and from the animal of alluvial dreams.”
In both pieces techniques have been used to achieve different goals. In one a lesson is achieve and the other a comical atmosphere. It is evident that taboo words and topics can be used to create something beautiful and/or powerful.

Faith in Farts

Native American Indians are famous for telling legendary folktales. Story telling was an elaborate way for elders to pass on religious beliefs to their tribes. Trickster eats the laxative bulb, is a story about a Trickster who defies nature by challenging a talking plant that ensures him that he will defecate. The story's character is a head-strong egomaniac that is full of vulgar farts and huge dung piles to attract the attention of a teenage audience. Richard Dieterle retells the Trickster story to allow the coming of age reader to discover the truth about the power of faith.
Trickster is a character who does unimaginable, unthinkable stunts to prove that he is "a great one". While walking through the woods a plant claims that "if you eat me you will defecate", foolish Trickster eats this bulb and continues "merrily on his way". He laughs aloud and recalls the pledge of the small plant and says "I'll defecate when I feel like it". Continuing through the woods, Trickster "expels a bit of gas", and reminds himself that "even a great one like" himself has gas "every now and again". He continues on his journey when he begins "to break wind over and over again" until "his rectum is nearly ripped". Pride full and proud the Trickster considers these farts to be great like himself.
Trickster soon realizes that the plant he eats has power over his farts, and with an angry tone he duels with the plant in his belly. He enjoys the challenge and with each fart, they become stronger and stronger. Trickster destroys logs, trees and even a small village with his powerful butt winds. This makes him "laugh until his sides hurt" and he cheerfully walks away from the destroyed ruins of his nature walk.
Trickster basks in his arrogance remembering the promises of the bulb and smiles gleefully as he has not had the urge to defecate. No sooner than the thought escapes him, he begins to feel his belly rumble and squats a "dung pile so high that it touched his body". Trickster climbs the tree and with each new height his excrement follows him. Now at the top of the tree, Trickster has no place to go, he slips and lands in the middle of his own crap. He is covered head to toe and stumbles about looking for water.
Trickster is unable to see and relies on the help of four tree spirits to get him to the lake to wash off. In the lake he rejoices as he washes off the dried dung. "Had not the trees helped him, he would surely have died".
Dieterle retells this story to the adolescents of today to reveal that relying on sight alone will destroy the things around you but when you guide yourself with the power of faith you will be cleaned. In this story, adolescents of today can relate to Trickster with his know-it-all attitude. Trickster thought of himself as "a great one", but really was nothing great without the help of the unseen guidance of the tree spirits. Richard Dieterle clearly reveals to readers that this attitude leads to destruction and with the power of faith in the unseen things around you, you will be guided to the purity and freshness of a second chance.

Blog #3: Billingsgate, Scatology, Art, and Audience

Dear All,

Per usual, answer ONE of these two questions in a response of 300-450 words, using ample citations from the texts to bolster your clear and innovative discussion!

1.  In class, we talked about how overuse or misplaced use of taboo words and topics can impede meaningful conversation. They can be used too often and therefore bore us.  They can be used in the wrong situation and offend people.  However, in Rabelais' Gargantua stories, A. R. Ammons' poem, the trickster narrative, and (I'll propose) the song "Sex with Ducks" by Garfunkle and Oates, billingsgate language can be considered art.  Choose one of the pieces and discuss the artfulness of the piece.  How can potentially offensive language become something beautiful and/or powerful?

2.  One topic that came up in class was that reactions to billingsgate will differ depending on cultural surroundings.  Choose one of the pieces and discuss how the words reveal what kind of audience was intended for it.  What would their assumptions, values, or attitudes toward the world have to be in order to find that piece laughable?

Good luck,
Jennifer

HUNTER WARREN

"...or by the apprehension of some deformed thing in another, by comparison whereof they suddenly applaud themselves. And it is incident most to them that are conscious of the fewest abilities in themselves; who are forced to keep themselves in their own favour by observing the imperfections of other men. And therefore much laughter at the defects of others is a sign of pusillanimity. For of great minds one of the proper works is to help and free others from scorn, and compare themselves only with the most able"

Thomas Hobbes shows his views that people use others as objects of self satisfaction in order to mask their own faults in this part of his quote on humor. In Emma, Frank Churchill and Emma engage in a conversation that later reveals Emma's hidden insecurities. During the scene Austin reveals that Emma is unhappy with her unsatisfactory feelings for Frank Churchill. She says, "Not that Emma was gay and thoughtless from any real felicity; it was rather because she felt less happy than she had expected. She laughed because she was disappointed; and though she liked him for his attentions, and thought them all, whether in friendship, admiration, or playfulness, extremely judicious, they were not winning back her heart. She still intended him for her friend." After Emma discovers her true feelings for Frank, Frank by the orders of Emma, asks the members of the party to speak of what is on their mind. In doing this, Frank asks everyone to say one thing very clever, two things moderately clever, or three things very dull. In response to this, Miss Bates says "then I need not be uneasy". Due to the insecurities that Emma withholds, she responds with "Ah! ma'am, but there may be a difficulty. Pardon me-but you will be limited as to number-only three at once". Becuase Emma says this, you can begin to notice that Emma ridicules Mrs. Bates due to the way she feels about herself. She has to ridicule others (like Mrs. Bates) in order to satisfy herself and help herself overlook her own personal problems.

Humorous or Not

When comparing the reading against the movie of the Box Hill scene from Emma, I found the movie to be funnier. I really did not find either to be hysterically funny because I did not find humor in the satire. The movie was a little funnier since it was easier to follow along because of the way the actors presented this scene. The body language and tone of the voice of the actors made the scene more entertaining. I did not find the book to be humorous because I feel the book’s word choice was confusing and dull because of the 1800 language used. Although the movie uses the same language, it was easier to follow because of the visual picture.
I feel Hobbes quote best describes the Box Hill scene. Even after reading just this one chapter out of the book, we see Emma craves to be the center of attention at all times. This characteristic of Emma is shown when Miss Bates tries to joke at her own dullness while playing the game Frank suggests. As the spotlight drifts from Emma to Miss Bates, Emma snatches the spot light back by jokingly attacking Miss Bates about the difficulty Miss Bates will have limiting her dullness statements to only three. Miss Bates does not get anger with Emma for saying this, but she becomes embarrassed. I feel Hobbes quote best describes this scene. His quote begins by stating “keep themselves in their own favour by observing the imperfections of other men...” This best describes the scene because Emma cuts down Miss Bates for her own pleasure. Hobbes quote continues saying “…And therefore laughter at the defects of others is a sign of pusillanimity,” which clearly describes Emma. Emma believes it is funny to point out the obvious flaw in Miss Bate, even though no one else did. I believe that the pleasure Emma receives from cutting Miss Bates down shows her personal discomfort with herself.

Satire much?

Jane Austen has a reputation of using a gentile satire humor. In her novel Emma, she expresses her humor among several characters, especially in the Box Hill scene. I believe that Emma definitely received the greater portion of her humor in this scene. Satire is defined as irony, sarcasm or ridicule, and Emma clearly gets the ridicule side of it. When they’re about to start their game, Miss Bates jokingly says that it wouldn’t be tough for her to mention three bad qualities of hers. Emma takes this quite seriously and doesn’t like the fact that Miss Bates is getting a lot of her attention. She proceeds to tell Miss Bates that three and only three qualities may be mentioned, no more, no less. Of course, she is implying that Miss Bates has many flaws.
The other person that Austen has granted a satire touch to is Miss Bates herself. She, however, has a much more sarcastic humor. She was almost insulting herself when she was joking about being able to mention bad things involving her own personality. The first scene that was shown to the class was in the room with Emma and Miss Bates was dealing out tea and cake. Meanwhile she was explaining stories to Emma and the others. She kept on rambling about her stories and the girls were barely even listening to her. She was so distracted by her own stories and drawing so much attention to herself that she goes back and forth from handing Emma cake, to going back, and eventually giving her cake.

Carol Raterman's Blog :)

I laughed more at the scene from Emma when I watched it. The scene was a lot easier to follow and to understand seeing the actors and actresses faces. As Emma said to Miss Bates, “But there may be difficulty. Pardon me- but you will be limited as to number-only three at once.” She was laughing because she was making fun of how boring of a personality Miss Bates has.
In the movie, Miss Bates, at first, shows that she is not bothered by what Emma said; but that is because she did not fully understand what she said. Miss Bates shows her pain after a few moments because she finally understood what Emma was talking about. The audience laughs at the fact that we are not the one in the situation. We are laughing at the fact that Miss Bates is the ‘boring’ one who is being picked on by Emma. Emma wants to bring back the attention to her when she is first making the game and then the cruel comment.
The quote by Thomas Hobbes reads, “It is incident most to them that are conscious of the fewest abilities in themselves; who are forced to keep themselves in their own favour by observing the imperfections of other men.” This means that the person is looking for the flaws in other people to be happy with who they are as people. When a Emma laughs at Miss Bates, Emma laughs because she wants to be happy with who she is. The quote then says, “And therefore much laughter at the defects of others is a sign of pusillanimity. For of great minds one of the proper works is to help and free others from scorn, and compare themselves only with the most able.” Hobbes is saying that people laugh because they do not have the other person’s problems. Emma laughs at Miss Bates because Miss Bates has a quality that Emma is happy she does not have.

Bout to be a what? Girl fight!

While reading this excerpt from the book Emma, I honestly did not have a strong emotion one way or the other. I did not find any humor in this chapter and caught myself wandering off in my thoughts and having to re-read a few paragraphs over again. At certain times in different situations, it can be a little more challenging to picture a scene the way a writer wants it to be perceived. It is a little more difficult to understand the exact tone or severity of a situation when it is written in text. Nothing beats actually experiencing a situation in person and having a firsthand view of what is happening. Viewing the video in class put the whole scene into perspective for me. I was able to feel more emotions and feel more sympathetic towards Miss Bates. I got more of a sense of what was really happening. Even though Hollywood does have a habit of sometimes distorting novels to make them more dramatic and appealing to an audience, it can put scenes back into perspective for a viewer. Immanuel Kant expressed “Laughter is the eruption of emotion that arises from a strained expectation suddenly reduced to nothing.” The reading brought about no “eruption of emotion” for me, but I did break out into laughter after watching the clip. The laughter that erupted was a type of sympathetic and “feel bad” laughter. No one really knows exactly what to do in awkward situations, therefore it’s common for people to let out a giggle or two as a way to express their emotions. The reader couldn’t really tell the extent of the remark and the exact damage it did to Miss Bates’ feelings. The video brought out the emotions and added a dramatic twist to the scene. The long and drawn out pause was a great way to add in more emotional appeals and a great example of how an “eruption of emotion” can arise.

Emma

Blog 2- Anna Aycock

As I was reading the chapter out of Emma I thought the awkward moments were funny but I did not laugh out loud, it is a lot more difficult to laugh at something written. In class we watched a clip from the movie Emma and it was much easier to laugh at from the way it was presented. In the movie they draw out the awkward feeling for a while and you do not feel this while reading the chapter because no one told you to drag this out longer. While watching the clip every aspect of it is put almost on a platter for you, but when you are reading the book you have to figure out what is being said and what it means. It is just not placed right in front of you to see it.

I thought that Hobbes’ quote fit best in context of the story. In the section from the book we know that Emma wants to take the attention away from Miss Bates. Emma does this by making a cruel joke about her. Hobbes says, “And therefore much laughter at the defects of others is a sign of pusillanimity.” Emma shows in this part of the book that she wants everyone at the party to see that they do not want to give attention to Miss Bates because she is so boring but on the other hand Emma is interesting and better than Miss Bates ,at least in her mind. Mr. Knightly comes into play at the end of the chapter and tells Emma that she has done a bad thing by making a joke about Miss Bates. Mr. Knightly and Hobbes think a lot alike. Mr. Knightly wants Emma to only compare and joke with someone that is on the same status level as she is. Hobbes says that, “the proper works is to help and free others from scorn, and compare themselves only with the most able.” These two men know that they should not make fun of people who are “deformed” in any way whether that meant social status or how people act.

There Are Two Sides to Every Story

When I read the Box Hill scene from Emma, I had a difficult time grasping what I was reading. As I was reading, the characters seemed to overlap each other because I didn’t know who was who. Our class discussion helped sort out the different characters and some of their characteristics. I knew a lot more about the Box Hill scene when we viewed the clip, so I was able to pick up on some of the funny things that happened during the scene. The character’s voices and animations brought life to the scene. When reading it, one cannot judge how someone’s voice sounds without actually hearing it. Reading the picnic scene, I didn’t realize how much Emma’s words offended Miss Bates. Also when reading it, there were not any awkward pauses. However, when we watched the picnic scene it had a very long awkward pause after Emma made her rude comment. Upon watching it, it became clearer to me how sensitive Miss Bates was. It was also funnier watching the part where Miss Bates acted goofy while she was attempting to give Emma and Jane their cake. I am more of a visual learner, so watching the scene had more clarity and reason for laughter.
Charles Baudelaire believed, “The wise man does not laugh without trembling.” Throughout this scene there were a few funny parts. During the picnic scene Mr. Churchill suggested they play a game by saying one clever thing, two semi-clever things, or three dull things. I think everyone thought it would be a really fun game. Miss Bates stated, “Three things very dull indeed…I shall be sure to say three dull things as soon as ever I open my mouth.” Miss Bates is pretty much making fun of herself to liven the crowd. Then Emma pipes in by saying that she would be limited if she were to say three things. There was a part of me that wanted to laugh, but I felt empathy for Miss Bates. I think Baudelaire’s quote is appropriate here because a wise man should think twice before he or she laughs any time. It’s like a person laughing at something they know there will be a consequence for. The quote that suits Emma would be the quote from Thomas Hobbes. She couldn’t handle Miss Bates having all the attention. Emma made her comment so the attention shifted back to her. She didn’t care who she had to belittle. Baudelaire’s quote describes my reaction towards the scene.
-Callie Holloway

Emma

In reading both the chapter from the novel Emma and watching the scene from the film, the movie had much more humor. In some cases directors will alter the dialogue pretty greatly from the book to the movie. This is not really the case in Emma. Almost all of the parts of the book, and also the dialogue hold true in the movie. The only real difference between the book and the film is actually seeing the scenes being played on-screen; a very crucial element. After reading this chapter in the text, I struggled to find very much humor, or even comprehend the actions of the scene at all. But after watching the film, my views had been changed totally. The way the actors portray the scene at Box Hill made it much easier to see both the humor and the awkwardness intended by Austen. You can easily miss these details when reading. When Emma takes a stab at Miss Bates’ dullness, I found myself laughing at first, but then soon after feeling sorry for Miss Bates. This is due to the acting in the film; I laughed at the initial joke, but stopped when seeing Miss Bates’ reaction. If I had to compare this type of humor with one of the quotes from our class discussion, it would be the one by Thomas Hobbes. Hobbes explains that people laugh “by the apprehension of some deformed thing in another”. This is precisely what Emma does to Miss Bates. Miss Bates is older, and is quite honestly a mundane, boring woman. Emma decides to make this apparent to everyone at Box Hill that afternoon. It is no surprise that Miss Bates is upset by Emma’s comment, which is felt in dept by the viewer when watching. Hobbes says that people use this “comparison” to “suddenly applaud themselves”. It is apparent very early on that Emma likes to be the center of attention. When arriving at Box Hill, she is having an awful time. Then as soon as Mr. Churchill begins putting the spotlight on her, she starts to enjoy herself. This was the same reason Emma made the comment to Miss Bates. Hobbes’ quote perfectly defines the type of humor shown in this portion of the novel.

Emma and Miss Bates

In comparison from the reading out of the book and watching the movie clip on it I find that the clip was actually the most laughable. When I read the text I thought it was mildly humorous. However, actually watching the clip made me be able to visualize the emotion that was being expressed in the reading. The quote that matched my emotions closet is the quote by Immanuel Kant in 1790, "Laughter is the eruption of emotion that arises from a strained expectation suddenly reduced to nothing." The reason that this quote describes my feelings about this is when the quote talks about an "eruption of emotion that arises from a strained expectation." This portion of the quote best describes my feelings best because I was never really expecting to actually have a good laugh at the clip based on the text. My strained expectation was the fact that I told myself before I ever even saw the clip that I didn't think that it was going to be very humorous or funny. To my surprise the characters in the clip were actually very humorous and very funny in some parts of it. After I began to watch the clip, all of my "strained expectations" were actually "reduced to nothing". After watching a few minutes of it, I was actually expecting the clip to be funny in a way, I had more open eyes to the idea of it being funny. The clip also changed my view on what type of humor it really actually is. Instead of the clip being comically funny, like I had expected it to be, it had more of a dry humor element to it. In my opinion, dry humor is much more funny than a comical type of humor because with dry humor you aren't really expecting it to be that funny nor do you actually know what to expect, and that is what makes it laughter and not giggling.

Laughable Character

Throughout history Hollywood has tried to capture the value of literature through movies. Jane Austen writes Emma, a series of Little Women books. Jane portrays Emma as a self centered, all-about-me girl, this is evident in Chapter 47 of the book. Hollywood has once again proved us to be accurate in its filming of this movie.
When reading chapter 47 about Emma at a social party, I found it difficult to follow and uninteresting. I must confess, I had to read it twice to understand what was truly going on. In the beginning Emma thought the party was "downright dulness", this was due to the fact that she was not the center of attention to the most eligible bachelor, Churchill. As the party continues, Frank Churchill suggests that Emma "requires something very entertaining from each" of the party guests, a word game. This makes Emma very pleased as she is the center of attention and is now enjoying the day out at Box Hill.
The movie and the book, Emma, portray this outing as a viscous poke at comedy with poor tact. Emma lashes back at Miss Bates whom is the first to speak up at Emma's word game. Miss Bates is the only old maid of the group with the lowest education and income. Miss Bates with her "good-humoured" self makes a joke that nobody finds funny except for herself. She states that saying three dull things should be easy for her since she can be dull at times, thus taking the attention off of Emma. Emma lashes back at Miss Bates explaining to her that there is a limit to the number of dull things that she can say. When reading the text (twice) I did not understand the significance of it however, watching the movie it was very clear that Emma was indeed a self centered horor at anybodies expense.
Johann Wolfgang was quoted by saying, "Men show their character in nothing more clearly than in what they think is laughable", this quote is true when reading chapter 47 of Emma. Emma's character was accurate in both chapter 47 of the book and the movie, selfish.

Matthrew Peeler

When I first read the excerpt from Jane Austin’s book Emma I can honestly say that I was curious as to why we were reading this piece considering that the class was humor-based. This text would typically fall into the category of boring in my eyes, as I was not able to vision the situation. However, when we watched the clip from the movie, I was able to relate to the situation much more and laugh at it. After seeing what went on in the situation, I was able to laugh at the comments made by Emma towards Ms. Bates. Regardless of the fact that the comments made by Emma were rude and disrespectful, they were made in a sarcastic manner that made it comical to the viewer. I personally thought the situation stayed funny until the point where Emma received a lashing of words for what she said.
Immanuel Kant said, “Laughter is the eruption that arises from a strained expectation suddenly reduced to nothing.” This quote explains my reaction to Emma just about as well as one can. As I explained earlier, I was not particularly fond of the reading. As the explanation took place during class and we watched the film I was able to appreciate the comedy inside of it. My “expectations” of our class discussion were “strained” due to the fact that didn’t feel like I understood the reading very well. After we discussed the reading and watched the video, I “erupted” with laughter since I was finally able to understand. As I read this quote, it struck me as if I had dealt with that particular experience before, which I had. When I began to dissect the quote to explain how I related to it, I realized that these three words were a very clear description of my experience with Emma. I had “expectations” about the discussion that were “strained” simply because I didn’t understand but in the end I “erupted” with laughter and enjoyed both the movie and the book Emma.

What started as innocent fun ended in cruelty

When reading the book, one might not understand the unusual relationship between Miss. Bates and Emma. While reading, it is hard to comprehend the offensiveness Miss. Bates feels from Emma’s vulgar statement, "Ah! ma'am, but there may be a difficulty. Pardon me—but you will be limited as to number—only three at once.” Throughout the reading, one knows that it is suppose to be offensive, but it is hard to picture the awkwardness. However, the movie clip portrays the awkwardness and tension felt between Miss. Bates and Emma shortly after the comment. In the film, one can visually see how Miss. Bates reacted to the statement. From the stun, she does not know how to react, so instead she just stutters. Emma thought her comment was funny an appropriate given the situation, but she quickly learns that she was mistaken. Emma’s reaction is similar to Kant’s quote, “Laughter is the eruption of the emotion that arises from the strained expectation suddenly reduced to nothing.” What Emma perceived as funny, ended up not only displeasing Miss. Bates, but also the entire group. Emma felt that she could not she could not resist on such an opportunity to get the attention back on her. Perhaps she thought she joke would appear as wit, but instead it made everyone lose respect for her. To Emma, her moment in glory turned was “suddenly reduced to nothing.” Emma took advantage of the situation with Miss. Bates, with her being an older lady, lower in class and already unsure of herself. The unpleasant situation also reflects Hobbes quote by keeping “themselves in their own favour by observing the imperfections of others.” As I said before, Emma wanted the attention to remain on her, thus in her desperation, she made a cruel and unacceptable comment about Miss. Bates. According to Emma, everything Miss. Bates has to say is boring, but how could she contain her boringness to only three words amazed Emma. When Mr. Knightly comforted her about her offensive remark, Emma simply replied, “how could I help saying what I did?”

Emma

Between reading the Box Hill scene from Emma and watching it, I found the movie clip to be the most laughable. The text was difficult for me to understand after first reading, but once I looked into the text more I understood what was going on. While reading the text, I did not get the full experience of Miss Bates' reaction to Emma's rude comment. However, when we watched the movie clip it was easy to see the awkwardness of the situation. After Emma made the comment "yes, but you are only limited to three dull things," the drawn out pause with Miss Bates stuttering over her own words gives off a few different emotions. My first reaction was to laugh at Miss Bates, but once I saw her reaction to the comment I began to feel bad. I laughed because Emma’s comment caught me by surprise and did not seem to be hurtful. The long pause after Emma's comment illustrates Miss Bates' embarrassment, especially when she shyly agrees with Emma and puts her head down while mumbling to herself. Thomas Hobbes explains this scene best with the quote, "or by the apprehension of some deformed thing in another, by comparison whereof they suddenly applaud themselves." Emma has low self esteem so she "applauds" herself by making fun of Miss Bates. Emma does this because Miss Bates obviously is not as pretty and is an easy target to pick on. Another part of Hobbes’ quote that hits home on this subject is, “And it is incident most to them that are conscious of the fewest abilities in themselves; who are forced to keep themselves in favour by observing the imperfections of other men.” By picking on Miss Bates’ imperfections, Emma tries to keep the positive attention on herself. By doing so, Emma makes herself look selfish and mean.

Laughing at imperfections of others

Wezly Barnard

Jane Austen illustrates in her book Emma, an event where two completely different characters clash in conversation. Chapter seven was difficult to understand when I read it and I battled to find the humor in the text. The opening is very dull and set a tone for the chapter. Austen however, does make the character of Emma stand out above the rest. Emma wants all the attention to be on her and did all she could to make that possible. I did not laugh at all at the situation of Emma putting Miss bates down about the dullness in her life, but rather felt bad at how Emma addressed the comment. It was very different when I watched the visual of the situation and actually saw how Emma put the comment across. At first I laughed at Emma’s remark towards Miss Bates as I thought it was done light heartedly, but it was more of a guilty laugh because I knew it was not a nice comment towards Miss Bates. Seeing the reaction of the other characters and Miss bates illustrated the tension after Emma said,” …yes, but you are only limited to three dull things.” Emma is depicted as an insecure person and puts Miss Bates down to make herself feel better and seem superior in front of the other characters. Thomas Hobbes helps us understand this in his quote, “by the apprehension of some deformed thing in another, by comparison whereof they suddenly applaud themselves.” Miss Bates is not a strong enough character to counter act the remark and just settles for agreeing with Emma. Hobbes helps others understand that it is inappropriate to laugh when a person is put down by another. Hobbes quotes that people should“…compare themselves only with the most able.” Laughing at a person because of their faults can sometimes be funny, but one should think about the impact it will have on the person being targeted.

Miss Bates

In almost any situation, there are those who laugh, and those who are laughed at. People usually never intend to hurt another person’s feelings by making them the brunt of the joke, but it almost always happens that way, and the person getting made fun of tends to be made fun of other times in their life as well. A prime example would be in the novel Emma, written by Jane Austin. By starting in the middle of the novel at chapter 43, a reader probably knows nothing about the characters, but it quickly becomes easy to see that Miss Bates is the one who is mostly ridiculed and laughed at. She is the quirky one of the bunch, and is considered by some to be delusional.

Chapter 43 begins with all the characters a top box Hill. They are all just having a good time hanging out, whenever Mr. Churchill decides to start a game in order to please Emma. According to Frank Churchill, “She [Emma] only demands from each of you [all the people a top box hill] either one thing very clever, be it prose or verse, original or repeated-or two things moderately clever-or three things very dull indeed, and she engages to laugh heartily at them all.” The point of the game is to hopefully make Emma laugh, but it ends up getting Miss Bates laughed at by most readers, and certainly anyone who watches the video. Before the game even starts, Miss Bates says “then I need not be uneasy. ‘Three things very dull indeed.’ That will just do for me, you know. I shall be sure to say three dull things as soon as I open my mouth, shan’t I...Do not you all think I shall?” Immediately, Emma says “ah! Ma’am, but there may be a difficulty. Pardon Me-but you will be limited as to number-only three at once.” Basically what is going on is that Miss Bates says that she will be able to answer three dull things quickly, and Emma pops off and makes fun of her by saying that she will have to limit herself to just three. This leads to silence, and although you may or may not laugh while reading it, when watching the video, it is hard not to. You feel so sorry for Miss Bates, but it is funny because there is such a long silence and the characters just kind of stare at Miss Bates, and the way she acts afterwards is kind of sad, yet funny at the same time. This occurrence, as well as others that can be witnessed in the video and throughout the chapter lead me to believe that Jane Austin intends for Miss Bates to be the source for laughter throughout the novel.

Thomas Hobbes points out Emma's imperfection

Chapter 7 from Jane Austen's Emma initially was not easy to understand without knowledge of the characters. By the end of the chapter one thing you did know and understand fully was the characteristics of Emma. She was the one the author chooses to use in demonstration a lesson. That lesson was to understand what is appropriate and what is inappropriate as a group of individuals are joking with one another. Emma seemed to cross the line of inappropriate in the scenario with Miss Bates. While reading this particular text I did not experience laughter as the scene unfolded. Although I did not experience laughter while reading, I did laugh as I watched it. I would label myself laughing at Emma’s joke towards Miss Bates as a shameful laugh. A shameful laughter is when you initially hear or see something you snicker at what has just happened but as time progresses and the situation unfolds more and generally becomes more awkward you realize you probably should have been more cautious when you laugh. It is easier to see and experience sympathy as you watch Emma’s cruel joke towards Miss Bates. The characters depict the tension much better actually watching it than the image that forms as you are reading. Thomas Hobbes targeted individuals of Emma’s character when he states “…And it is incident most to them that are conscious of the fewest abilities in themselves; who are forced to keep themselves in their own favor by observing the imperfections of other men.” As you translate this quote in application to the same scene were previously discussed, Hobbes makes it clearer why Emma targeted Miss Bates so harshly. We learn Emma is conscious about herself from how the author depicts her selfishness and need for attention. Because of these flaws in Emma, she chooses to target someone she saw with an “imperfection” to aid her insecurities by pointing them out to everyone, when in return she only end up showing her own imperfections. Thomas Hobbes is clever in the way he helps others see what is the cause of joking cruelly and why the “joker” seems to act in such an illogical way. Hobbes quote implies that we should have not laughed at Emma’s joke of Miss Bates as it shows the lack of ability in her own character. Joking and laughing at someone’s joke should be something that you think through before it is at someone else’s emotional expense.

Emma and Quote

Camden Goddard
Upon reading Jane Austin’s novel Emma, I did not find anything particularly funny or striking about the situation on Box Hill between Emma and Ms. Bates. The way Austin portrays the scene comes across as a normal conversation or dialogue in writing. However, when put in visual form in the movie, the perception on the issue changes significantly. The way in which Emma insults Ms. Bates comes quite common in everyday happenings among young people today. In the light of the conversation on Box Hill however, an insult of this sort carries a different meaning in light of the different time. As a woman of lower status, one who tries to find joy in anything to help her forget her underprivileged and inferior state, Ms. Bates takes Emma’s harsh criticism to heart. As seen later in the chapter, Emma receives her fair share of tongue lashing as well. Had Ms. Bates not come from a lower class than Emma, the criticism might not have come across so harsh. Due to her selfish ways, Emma only worsens the already awkward situation in turn, leading to her own demise in the end of the chapter. This scene in Emma relates closely to the quote by Thomas Hobbes. Hobbes writes that people “keep themselves in their own favour by observing the imperfections of other men. And therefore laughter at the defects of others is a sign of pusillanimity.” Emma clearly draws attention to herself by making fun and insulting Ms. Bates. This leads to the others guiding their attention towards Emma. Although those present during the situation at Box Hill did not laugh after the rude comment, Emma’s actions show signs of “pusillanimity.” Emma wanted all of the attention to come to her instead of others, this shows a downfall to her leading readers to think that abides as a selfish person.
Had Jane Austin written Emma as a play write, further explaining the actions of the characters, I think I would have understood the humor better. However, making fun of someone due to their personality is never right in any situation. In watching the movie, I was very disheartened when I saw the reaction of Ms. Bates. Therefore, I did not understand or see the humor in that scene. I was more sympathetic for Ms. Bates instead of finding humor in this scene of the novel.

Questions for Blog #2

Dear All:

Please respond to ONE of the following questions with a clear, direct argument in 300-450 words:

1.  Between reading the Box Hill scene from Emma and watching it, which did you find the most laughable?  Which theorist from our quote sheet do you think best explains the reaction you had, or think you should have had, to the scene?

2.  Jane Austen is a celebrated classic humorist, known for her "gentile satire" of people in society.  Which character or characters do you think receive the most of Austen's ridicule, ultimately?

Good luck,
Jennifer

Quote response

Henri Bergson wrote the following quote, “Society is suspicious of all inelasticity of character, of mind and even of body, because it is a possible sign of a slumbering activity as well as an activity with separatist tendencies, that inclines to swerve from the common centre round which society gravitates. In short, it is the sign of eccentricity. It is confronted by something that makes it uneasy, but only as a symptom – scarcely a threat, at the very most a gesture. A gesture, therefore, will be its reply. Laughter must be something of this kind, a sort of social gesture.”
This quote really interests me because I can agree with the first part, but as soon as he starts talking about the gestures, I find things become a little arguable. When he writes that society is suspicious of inelasticity of character, body and mind; he makes a really good point. People become very uncomfortable when people don’t change. If someone has a straight face all day long, without laughing or showing any emotion, you may even feel threatened.
People that are “different” from us in such a manner tend to be categorised. We think of them as weird, or odd, maybe even not human. When someone walks by you in a long leather coat, sunglasses, straight face, heavy black boots, black shirts, black pants, everything dark. Chances are you’re going to take a couple of extra steps to go around this person because they are different from what we are used to. Bergson says that when we see a person like this, there is some kind of fear within us that says, please don’t hurt me, or don’t do any bad things; so we result to looking at them with a smile or some gesture of comfort to us. We know smiles to be a thing of comfort, so we refer to them when we see an “out-of-place” person walk around to make us feel safe. I don’t always agree with that because I find in my case, I look away from people I may threatened by not to draw any attention to myself.

-Laurenz S

Thomas Hobbes Quote - Genevieve Rodriguez

The Thomas Hobbes quote was my favorite quote because it makes me think about what laughter really is and why we laugh. When I first read this quote, the first reaction I had was that laughter is not a nice gesture. He describes laughter as “sudden glory” and it is casued by “the apprehension of some deformed thing in another, by comparison wherof they suddenly applaud themselves.” What I got from that is that people glorify themselves by noticing the negative things in other people. He also says that laughter is caused by “some sudden act of their own that pleaseth them” and that most of them are conscious of the “fewest abilities in themselves.” What Hobbes might have meant by that sudden act may be that peple laugh when other people make mistakes, but they should also laugh at themselves when they make mistakes. He says that people compare the defects of other people so that they can “applaud” themselves. He goes on to say that people are forced to observe the imperfections of other men so that they themselves can be in favor of themselves, and that when people are always laughing at the defects of others, they are pusillanimous, or cowardly. This is very true. Most comedians are people who are making themselves “funny” because they are putting down or making fun of other people, and in turn they become famous and are glorified. When bullies in school pick on other children, they are trying to make themselves feel better about themselves and the things that they do are funny to them. Hobbes ends his quote by stating that “for of great minds one of the proper works is to thelp and free others from scron, and compare themselves only with the most able.” To me, this means that great people do not laugh at others, but try to help them and free them from their disdain. Great people only compare themselves with the “most able,” meaning that instead of looking at how great they are and looking at others’ defects, they look to their goals and compare themselves with great people who they want to be like. This was my favorite quote because Hobbes puts a different spin on the act of laughter, and no one ever really notices that they are making fun of others when they laugh, but it is very true.

Laughter: something worth being contagious

When thinking about the word laughter, I can’t help but remember the events that have defined the word for me. Right before I sat down to write this blog, I was watching TV with a group of friends and while channel surfing we stumbled upon America’s Funniest Home Videos. We sat there with our eyes fixed on the TV as we watched people of all ages make fools of themselves and receiving the honor of having someone else catch it all on tape. We discussed how most of the videos were not amusing to us (unlike they used to be back in the old days when we were younger) except for the few exceptions to where we all laughed simultaneously for a few seconds until the next clip flashed across the screen. One particular girl was the exception to this. She laughed at every single mishap and seemed to enjoy the hurt and embarrassment of others caught on tape (but then again, who doesn’t from time to time?). During one clip of a man falling off a ladder and a bucket of paint falling onto his head, she busted out laughing uncontrollably. The rest of us uttered out a single breathe of laughter or a chuckle, but she basically split her side from how hard she was laughing. We all sat there in silence, exchanged looks, then simultaneously belted out the loudest laughter. We weren’t laughing at the dumb man covered in paint, we were laughing at the fact that she was laughing, and laughing to the point of tears running down her face. One guy even shouted out “this isn’t even funny at all, but I’m laughing because she is!” Robert Provine states, “Another attraction of laughter is its remarkable contagiousness. Think of the last time you sat in an audience, laughing and letting waves of laughter wash over you. A pleasant experience – one of life’s best. But consider now the primal nature of the animal chorus and the way members of the audience synchronize their noises. How odd that we can’t help laughing when we hear others laugh!” I believe this to be true because I experience it firsthand tonight. No, it wasn’t my first time laughing only because someone else was or because their laughter was contagious, but it reoccurred to me how easy it can be done. The majority of people probably have a person or two in their life that is known for their laughter or for having a contagious laugh. I know I have someone very specific whom I always think about whenever I laugh extremely hard or for an extended period of time. One of my best friend’s laughter is extremely contagious, and you can easily hear it from a mile away and automatically identify who it is without actually having to visually see her. I believe that laughter is a vital part of our lives and it’s one thing that is worth catching from someone else.

The hidden secret within laugher

Thomas Hobbes statement might come off as offensive because of the word choice. When people think of the word deformed, they automatically think of major deformities, rather than small and common deformities that Hobbes is describing. Throughout his quote, it seems as if Hobbes is implying that laugher only comes from “the apprehension of some deformed thing in another, by comparison whereof they suddenly applaud themselves.” Although most people do not associate laugher with evil, some of the time we do laugh out of pure meanness. People mainly laugh at others because they “are conscious of the fewest abilities in themselves.” For instance, remember being a child and other students made fun of you because you wore glasses or had braces or always being chosen last for a team. All of these problems can seem like deformities, even though children cannot change how they are, somehow as children we find making fun of them pleasurable. As we get older, we no longer look at glasses as funny; instead, we poke fun at other aspects. Hobbes knows that we are human and laugh at each other, but I do not think that we always laugh at others imperfections. It is hard for us to admit our own imperfections, so in return, we end up laughing at others flaws, but in reality, we actually end up laughing at ourselves for comparing ourselves to others. I agree with Hobbes, laugher is often associated by laughing at another’s failure and flaws, to make them feel better about themselves. On the other hand, Hobbes points out that laughter is sometimes caused “by some sudden act of their own that pleaseth them.” By this, I think he meant that we could find things that are funny without offending others. Laughter starts a number of different ways, wither it be from jealousy or something else, laughter always makes one feel better.

Humor In Literature

As Robert Provine says in the year 2000, "Another attraction of laughter is its remarkable contagiousness. Think of the last time yous at in an audience, laughing and letting waves of laughter wash over you. A pleasant experience-one of life's best. But consider nwo the primal nature of the animal chorus and the way the members of the audience synchronize their noises. How odd that we can't help laughing when we hear others laugh!"

If you have payed attention to anything in your life you may have noticed the contagiousness of laughter and the effect that it reigns upon the human race. Laughter provides for happiness, and a chance for people to open up in a way that they might not be able to do without the means of laughter. A quote from "Wylie Sypher" can further explain this idea. "However spontaneous it seems, laughter always implies a kind of secret freemasonry, or even complicity, with other laughters, real or imaginary. This quotation further implicates the idea that laughter creates a sense of brotherhood amongst people. Although laughter may have its flaws, the act does a great job in instilling positive meaning into a person. As I just stated, laughter may be used in the wrong ways in order to attempt a personal gain, but it doesn't take a person of much intelligence to realize that laughter does a great job in instilling positive advancements in a person. Laughter does an excellent job in helping two or more people open up to each other in a way they couldnt without it. I personally use laughter and humor in my everyday life to open up to other people, to understand them better, and to also help them understand me better. I feel as though laughter is a free path to greatness, and without it nothing would ever be as good as it could be. Haha forshizzle.

Laughter: a way to avoid embarrassment

Ralph Ellison writes that, “Comedy provides an otherwise unavailable clarification of vision that calms the clammy trembling.” As children we make lots of mistakes, as we grow we try our best to not make mistakes but that is just not possible. Everyone has been embarrassed or picked on while a child, we have learned from these experiences how to turn an embarrassment into a joke, and Ellison is trying to show this in his quote that we turn an embarrassment into this, so we are not laughed at but with. We have learned a way to shelter ourselves from these hurtful moments in life to show the world that the person did this on purpose just to get a laugh or that they are not afraid of the scrutiny. In some level we all know that the last option is not one that is not very true, some people might make it seem that way but we know on some level it will bother us when we are embarrassed. Ellison is trying to say that there are many ways to turn a bad situation into one that can make everyone laugh.

For instance, when we laugh at comedians we know that they are usually making fun of someone but because they are not in front of us we feel as though it is okay to laugh. “… We pierce the veil of conventions that guard us from the basic absurdity of the human condition.” Ellison shows us here that we all are afraid of being made fun of and laughter and making fun of you shows everyone that they made it a mistake and it was fun, they are also okay with it. He also helps us to understand that we are all afraid of being made fun of and when people try to make it into a joke it makes it more socially acceptable.

We laugh because we are superior - Jake Davis

According to the famous poet Charles Baudelaire, "the wise man does not laugh without trembling." Out of all the quotes about laughter, this one really stood out to me. At first I was actually even taken aback by it. It made no sense to me at all. Why would a person tremble while laughing, regardless of how wise they happen to be? Then after careful dissection, it started to actually make sense. When you laugh, do you often laugh at people who are inferior to you? For example when a friend who is not the smartest person around does something stupid, you most likely crack up. It is funny just because of who it is; there that person goes again, doing something stupid. Then, if you see someone you feel is superior to you and smarter then you doing the same thing, it is probably not half as funny. You probably are sitting and thinking, now why would he do something like that? It is unexpected, and that takes away from the humor in it. When i watch one of my favorite movies of all time, The Hangover, I laugh at Phil. I feel far superior to him, and thus when he does something stupid it is funny. If he acted very smart and intelligent, it would not be even remotely funny, because a person would wonder why somebody that smart acted so stupid. That would take all of the humor out of it. Thus this brings me back to the quote by Baudelaire. When he says the wise man does not laugh without trembling, he means that when the wise man laughs, he trembles because he is wise enough to realize that he is only one step ahead of being the one who is getting laughed at, because no matter how wise you are, there will always be someone wiser.

Matthew Peeler's Blog

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, one of the definitions of laughter is “a cause of merriment.” Robert Provine says, "Another attraction of laughter is its remarkable contagiousness." To me, laughter is exactly what Provine states, it is contagious. Laughter is something that brings us all together and does exactly what the definition says by bringing us merriment. This trait of laughter is very apparent in most cases, as time itself has shown us plenty of situations in which laughter is contagious. There are many relationships that have started with a good genuine laugh. Every type of relationship, from a professional business relationship to relationships leading to marriage, can be started with laughter.
I think that most people can go back and remember being in a situation that was awkward. When I get in this situation, the first thing I try to do is make everyone laugh. This typically takes the edge off of a situation and does exactly what one tends to do and that is bringing the people around them together. It is human nature for individuals to follow what is going on around them. Regardless of how much of a "leader" a person is, they are going to fall into the trap of society at some point and follow what is going on around them. With laughter being so contagious, just as Provine states, one can use this pitfall in human nature to their advantage and create a situation that brings individuals closer together.
This is the contagiousness that oftentimes sparks relationships that last a lifetime. It all starts in the same place, with a good genuine laugh that sparks a conversation to break the ice. Without laughter, it would be much more difficult for people the break the barrier that holds back the ability to have a good ice breaking conversation. Without laughter, we would not have to chance meet some of the people we meet and have met in the past. Laughter is a characteristic that is carried by most everyone and is highly contagious. It is these two things that bring us as individuals, along with society as a whole, together.

Why do we Laugh?

Callie Holloway

Blog 1- Why do we Laugh?

Laughter is very much essential to life. It is something we put into our daily routine or at least I do. I think Thomas Hobbes’s quote talks about some of the negative aspects of why people laugh. It says that people laugh because of the deformities of others. I don’t necessarily agree with this because not all people do this. I guess there are times when it does occur, but I wouldn’t say it is meant to be derogatory. There was a time I was in music class in elementary school, and I could not stop laughing for the life of me. My music teacher would give me the evil eye, but that did nothing for me. I wasn’t trying to be rude, but I just couldn’t quit. I guess it seemed like I was doing it on purpose. Sometimes I think people think that when we laugh we are doing it in spite or trying to be mean, when we truly aren’t. He also portrays that when people laugh; they are putting themselves above others or bringing glory to themselves. I don’t agree with this either. This quote can also be a little confusing. If some people like telling jokes, then they might laugh at their own jokes to try and spread the humor. This doesn’t mean they want to bring glory to themselves.
Hobbes does mention the word pusillanimity which means cowardice. He says,” Much laughter at the defects of others is a sign of pusillanimity.” I do agree with this statement of his because it is not right to make fun of people. It reminds me of the golden rule. Hobbes also says that people laugh at others because they are insecure about themselves and their own imperfections. I do agree with this statement. I think there is a difference in laughing at someone who trips or something and then laughing at someone to make fun of them. Who hasn’t laughed at someone who has tripped? Sometimes it also depends on the person. There are certain people I can joke around with because of their personality, and there are others that I have to be more serious with. If my friend trips, I would probably laugh. If someone I didn’t know tripped, I would make sure they were okay first. I am a person that loves to laugh a lot, and the reasons I laugh are not to put others down or bring glory to myself. I laugh because it makes me happy, and I like to see other people laugh. Laughter is meant to bring a sense of life into this world.

“ A pleasant experience- one of life’s best.”

Amber Faith - Blog 1 [Laughter]

Laughter is the most vital emotional expression for a happy soul. The ability to laugh shows the freedom of peace and happiness. There is no better medicine for life than a laugh that brings you to tears. This expression seems to be one of the most contagious expressions. The reasons for the expression of laughter are not easily explained but, Robert Provine attempted to explain laughing when he quoted,

“ Another attraction of laughter is its remarkable contagiousness. Think of the lat time you sat in an audience, laughing and letting waves of laughter wash over you. A pleasant experience- one of life’s best. But consider now the primal nature of the animal chorus and the way the members of the audience synchronize their noises. How odd that we can’t help laughing when we hear others laugh.”

Provine points out early “its remarkable contagiousness” there is a great amount of truth within this portion of his quote. Think of instances where there were many individuals in a common area and someone began laughing and the reason for laughter was not even know to everyone but everyone still even without knowing why, naturally laughed also. It is commonly recognized and one of the reasons laughing is so enjoyable. Within Provine’s thoughts of laughter he shows the positivity in laughing, and that is what makes his statement an easy one to agree with in comparison to the other quotes about laughter, such as Charles Baudelaire’s quote. He makes a reference to being wise and making laughing something to fear. In my opinion his statement seems invalid to any happy soul. As I reflect on some of my happiest moments in life- I clearly see the connection to remembering times of laughter, especially when this laughing involved a group of people. During these times not only the event that was taking place brought us closer together, but it was also laughter that made us more secure making the memory enjoyable. Laughing has created the most memorable moments in life. Laughing is best summarized in Provine’s words “ A pleasant experience- one of life’s best.”

Laughter is contagious. Like the flu...but better:)

Carol Raterman
People laugh for many different reasons. The reason Robert Provine gives is shown through his quote which says, “Another attraction of laughter is its remarkable contagiousness. Think of the last time you sat in an audience, laughing and letting the waves of laughter wash over you. A pleasant experience- one of life’s best. But consider now the primal nature of the animal chorus and the way the members of the audience synchronize their noises. How odd that we can’t help laughing when we hear others laugh!”
Some people have very contagious laughs and people around them cannot help but laugh when they hear it. It is very good to be around people with contagious laughs because if a person is upset and is around a contagious laugh, it makes the person happier because they cannot help but laugh.
When a person is in an audience, normally the actor or actress says something to make the crowd laugh. As a few people laugh, it spreads throughout the room and eventually, the entire room is filled with laughter. The reason the room fills with laughter is because either many people found the comment or joke funny, or a few different people had contagious laughs, or some of both.
Laughing is healthy because it improves a person’s spirit if they are in a poor or sour mood. As a person is laughing, they are temporarily forgetting about their problems and are expressing happiness. As a group of people are watching a movie, the contagiousness of laughter is what makes the few people who do not find the comedy funny laugh. They are laughing because they cannot help but laugh.
Robert Provine had a point when he said that laughing was a pleasant experience- one of life’s best. He was saying that it feels so good to laugh and not many other experiences are better than laughing and I definitely agree.

Wezly Barnard
Title: Waves of laughter

“An attraction to laughter is its remarkable contagiousness, laughing and letting waves of laughter wash over you.” An experience of being around people or seeing them laughing often creates an interest of others around them. Society is extremely inquisitive when noticing others enjoying themselves and are always curious to find out the reason as to why they are not having the same enjoyment in their life. It’s as if people feel like they are missing out on something, or they feel like their life is lacking happiness in some parts, and always want to be part of a good situation.
“A pleasant experience-one of life’s best.” Robert Provine clearly understands how good it feels to laugh. Laughing is an experience that comes either from a joyful conversation, a funny joke being told, or watching something happen to an individual that is out of the norm. In these events, an individual is almost always brought to laughter and if there are others present they will find themselves joining in on the laughter. The laughter then becomes contagious as people that did not find the event funny or might not even have been present at the time of the event or joke will catch on and begin to laugh.
Being present in a group of people that are laughing creates an aura around them and those who are part of the group usually feel the aura and begin to feel the happiness inside them. The whole group eventually reaches the same point of happiness and their laughing becomes synchronized as they are all on the same level. The loudness of the laughter will reach the same pitch and the length of laughing sprees become identical. The experience becomes joyous for everyone.
It is enjoyable to be part of good moments with others, even if a person in the group is not on the level of happiness, laughing together is always pleasing.

Laughter According to Hobbes...

Camden Goddard
While sitting here, remembering the funny moments that happen to have found their way into my life, sorting through those that have left an imprint into the deep depths of my most fond memories, sudden new thoughts occur as to why I thought these particular incidents amusing. Now looking back, I do not instantly feel the inevitable and almost seemingly involuntary form and expression of pure happiness to which most associate the term and action of “laughing”. Upon reading Thomas Hobbes, the roots behind what makes me smile and laugh now would seem almost cruel in many instances.

Hobbes writes, “sudden glory is the passion which maketh those grimaces called laughter; and is caused either by some sudden act of their own that pleases them; or by the apprehension of some deformed thing in another, by comparison of which they suddenly applaud themselves.”

Upon reading this, I directly apply my thoughts to memories of extensive laughter that have recently come over me. In one instance, I find that laughter comes many of times in situations where things or people have disadvantages, or when “emotion arises from a strained expectation suddenly reduced to nothing” (Kant). On many of these occasions, simply because laughter comes as an “instinctive-like” reaction, we fail to realize we demean, or belittle others, as we act by “observing the imperfections of other men” (Hobbes). Therefore, “laughter at the defects of others is a sign of pusillanimity,” and truly demeans oneself in the end (Hobbes). After all, “the wise man does not laugh without trembling” when he realizes that laughter may fall under the classification of a sin(Baudelaire).

Real World Laughter

Chantel Carroll
Title: Real World Laughter

"The wise man does not laugh without trembling" is a quote about real world knowledge. In every society of the times, the older people get the wiser they become. E.E. Cummimgs wrote "in Just" (1923) a poem of a balloon man who appears to be lame, as the children of the park become older the same man is queer and old. As the seasons change and the children become yet older, this same ballonMan is regarded as "goat-footed". The older these children became their innocence was lost and the once naive laughing children were now aware of the real world dangers lurking around them.
The wise man is older with the knowledge of his surroundings of how cruel the real world can be. Charles Baudelaire learned this lesson at thirty-ish when his life was at a low point. He struggled with poor health, massive debt and sporadic literary output that accompanied his wise understanding of the wicked everyday life. He used poetry as therapy for his self loathing. In 1855, the joy of laughter was no where in his lonely heart.
Ralph Waldo Emerson writes, "To laugh is to risk appearing a fool", this is evident in the quote by Baudelaire. The act of laughing results in a tremble of simple unintelligence to the world around you. Tremble can be defined as short movements from fear or weakness. In other words, if you laugh, your weak and resemble a fool to the wise wicked world that encompasses your everyday life.

Welcome to ENG 1102: Writing about Humor in Literature!

Dear All!

Just a post to welcome you to the class!  This, by the way, is where you'll be posting your weekly writing assignments.  Hope y'all have had a relaxing break, and are ready to roll... See you Wednesday!

Best,
Dr. Hughes