First, the language that Nordan uses throughout the novel creates a humorous atmosphere; thus, lightening the connotation associated with the terms and slang that are used. Many characters in Wolf Whistle are depicted as racists; however, because of the humor associated with the novel many degrading terms are perceived as comical rather than demeaning. All characters demonstrate actions that are perceived as humorous; “another child had cut from different colors of construction paper flamelike shapes of red and yellow and orange and black. Behind the flames Glenn’s smiling face was visible. The caption said, “‘I’m fine,’ said Glenn, ‘but boy this fire is hot!’” (4). The terms used in the get-well cards are making fun of a serious situation; …show more content…
Body language is a vital part of survival for an African American in the south during the mid-nineteenth century. Bobo is depicted as a child who is not familiar with the social expectations of the deep south, which propel Bobo to commit actions that are unacceptable; “as the Cadillac pulled away, Solon turned back to the other men in the room. He said, ‘Settin up in that-air front seat like Cock-of-the-Roost’” (39). Although, Bobo did not intend to do anything wrong by sitting in the front seat, this action infuriates Solon, which further propels him to brutally kill Bobo. The action is so small and unintentional; thus, adding to the humor of the situation. Mathew Ward outlines how humor and body language is used as a coping mechanism, “my argument suggest ways for us to reconsider more broadly laughter’s function in… literature. Though there may of course be a difference between theory and praxis, there is ample evidence to suggest that the interest shown by the writers I discuss in this article strongly suggests a wider curiosity toward and use of laughter as a mode of sympathy” (1). Although, Bobo’s actions do not implicit laughter, Nordan uses body language in a way that forces readers to laugh to cope with the social injustices that …show more content…
Although, Alice means well by the actions she commits, many of her actions are viewed as humorous and trivial, they looked at Alice as if she had just escaped from the lunatic asylum at Whitfield. She might as well have been a witch in Salem. None of his bothered Alice at all. She waved her arm broadly so that Uncle might see her, the one person on earth she cared whether he saw her. She waved her arms, back and forth like a semaphore, as if from a desert island to a ship at sea. (231) Furthermore, her actions in the courtroom accomplish nothing but making her look foolish. Alice is one of the only white people in Wolf Whistle to recognize that African Americans were being mistreated; furthermore, because she is depicted as an imbecile her actions do not have a lasting effect on those around her. Additionally, because Alice is only characterized with silly, simplistic, characteristics, her brave action of standing up in a courtroom is not viewed as brave but rather is deemed unnecessary. Humor in this passage degrades the importance of standing up for the African American race and the severe racism they faced during this
Separate from her family Alice dragged her feet against the dark deathly street and saw death all around her, ghastly corpses piled up in heaps and strewn for miles. Houses were grime and gray, all boarded up tight, shunning away sunlight. Her blonde hair gently hitting her blank face, dancing with the wind, her dull blue eyes gazed at the faces of the dead bodies in front of her and saw an image of herself; helpless, desperate, and a puppet to the plague.
Let us put each other in the shoes of the jury, friends, and family observing in on a discrimination case. Jem and Scout the son and daughter of a lawyer named Atticus Finch get a taste of what the real world is like when, Tom Robinson a poor black man who is married and has kids is falsely accused of raping and assaulting a white woman named Mayella. Mayella Ewell is a young girl considered to be “white trash” who is all by herself to take on the role raising her little siblings while her father Bob Ewell, who is an alcoholic, abuses her. The question arises, is Mayella Ewell Powerful? Mayella Ewell is powerful in this discrimination case because of her race as white woman, her higher class than Tom Robinson, and her gender as a female.
One's identity is a very valuable part of their life, it affects the Day to day treatment others give them which can lead to how the individual feels emotionally. Atticus, defending Tom Robinson, who is an african american man from the plaintiff of the case, Mayella Ewell, who is a caucasian woman, accusing that Tom raped her is supposivly a lob sided case. During the great depression, any court session that contained a person of color against a caucasian would always contain the “white” individual winning the case. The cause of the bias outcome comes from the lawyer of the african american does not try to defend or the jury goes against the person of color simply because their black, this shows the effect of racism to anyone’s identity in the courtroom for a case simply because of race. Atticus, deciding to take Tom Robinson’s case seriously sacrifices his identity as the noble man he is, to being called many names for this action, such as “nigger lover”. He is questioned by
“Well, Alice, my father said, if it had to happen to one of you, I’m glad it was you and not your sister” (57). Even though Alice was the victim of the horrid crime, she had to stabilize her own emotions, so that she could help her sister cope with this tragedy. Throughout Alice’s childhood, Jane struggled with alcoholism and panic attacks. “I wished my mother were normal, like other moms, smiling and caring, seemingly, only for her family” (37).
One of the major events in Harper Lee’s award-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird is Tom Robinson’s trial. It is based on the Scottsboro Case that took place in 1931 in Alabama, in which several black men were accused of raping two white women. Both the Scottsboro Boys and Tom Robinson are unfairly judged, however, because of prejudice against colored people. The racial discrimination makes whites’ testimony more believable even when it contradicts itself. The same happens in To Kill a Mockingbird. As we delve deeper into the case and get increasingly closer to the truth, it is quite suprising to see that Mayella Ewell is the true villain rather than a victim. She shall and must bear full responsibility for her actions because she makes the decision to tempt Tom Robinson, gives false testimony in court that directly leads to Tom’s death, and has been well aware of the consequences of her behaviors.
The African American man by the name of Tom Robinson finds himself in a case against, Mayella Ewell, who identifies as a Caucasian woman, from the perspective of a skilled lawyer appointed to the case, Atticus, finds the case biased from the start. During the Great Depression, any court session that contained a person of color against a Caucasian would always contain the “white” individual winning the case. The cause of the biased outcome comes from when the lawyer of the African American does not give the effort to defend or the jury goes against the person of color simply because they are colored, this shows the effect of racism on anyone’s identity in the courtroom during the great depression. Biased racism limits the arguments a lawyer can appeal to the jury about defending the defendant to win the case, but can simultaneously limit the amount of voice the jury hears from both sides.
Steve Almond’s “Funny is the New Deep” talks of the role that comedy has in our current society, and most certainly, it plays a huge role here. Namely, through what Almond [Aristotle?] calls the “comic impulse”, we as a people can speak of topics that would otherwise make many of uncomfortable. Almond deems the comic impulse as the most surefire way to keep heavy situations from becoming too foreboding. The comic impulse itself stems from our ability and unconscious need to defend and thus contend with the feeling of tragedy. As such, instead of rather forcing out humor, he implies that humor is something that is not consciously forced out from an author, but instead is more of a subconscious entity, coming out on its own. Almond emphasizes
The world of Alice in Wonderland if chocked full of puns that are inserted in a somewhat confusing way, and in other areas is placed in a subversive way that foreshadow events to come. Author Lewis Carroll’s use of these puns provides a cushioning of relevance to the story as a whole. Lewis uses puns and wordplay throughout the story because it foreshadows events to come in the story, shows a mockery of ignorance of Victorian England, and overall wanted to bring a strong sense of his creativity through his diverse use of wording.
Green, Daniel. "A World Worth Laughing At: Catch-22 and the Humor of Black Humor." Studies
Black comedy discusses and integrates controversial and often taboo topics such as pain, loss, and grief providing a confronting and cathartic experience for the audience. Martin McDonagh’s ‘The Lieutenant of Inishmore’ is a play that humorously deals with the serious nature of the Irish struggle for independence. It juxtaposes the mundane with the extreme political violence, which is a common aspect of black comedy, presenting an issue in a new perspective. The act of pointless violence presented through characterisation, sharp dialogue and the symbol of the cat, is a strong mechanism for laughter. Similarly Neil Labute’s ‘The Shape of Things’ presents manipulation, superficiality and the nature of art in a humorous way. ‘The Shape of Things’
Personal characteristics, appearance, or natural physical function seem to be the manner in which the black girls view most of the other characters in the story. From Mrs. Margolin, the troop leader, to other characters in the story, the description includes outer personal characteristics or appearance rather than inner qualities to be admired. The description of the camp counselor is an example. “Mrs. Margolin even looks like a mother duck--she had hair cropped to a small ball of a head, almost no neck, and huge, miraculous breast” (357). The description of her attire is equally non-complementary as references to Mrs. Margolin as “Big Fat Mamma. The historical south, as the narrator describes shows white individuals in their segregated locations and blacks in theirs, with only chance meetings as both races conducted daily routines such as shopping or moving about through the streets. Therefore, having the white Brownie troop being a part of the camping trip is like being invaders as Arnetta describes--“with their long, shampoo-commercial hair, straight as Spaghetti from the box” (358). Thus, hair as well as complexion added fuel to the flame of envy and hatred, which is alive in Arnetta’s mind. A physical function such as a sneeze, which causes mucus to drip from her nose caused the narrator to wear the name “Snot” since first
This shows that scout has heard the word used at school and assumed that because other people use it, it is not wrong. This demonstrates how racism can be spread across generations. People with racist ideas might not realise that their beliefs are offensive because it is what they have been brought up with. The most obvious example of racism in the book is the trial of Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white girl. After hearing the evidence from both sides it is quite obvious that Tom Robinson is not guilty of th... ...
Paul Simon, the musician, once said, “If you can get humor and seriousness at the same time, you've created a special little thing, and that's what I'm looking for, because if you get pompous, you lose everything” (Simon 1). Racism in the 1930s and until the 1960s was a very serious issue. As stated, authors have taken this serious issue and turned it into great pieces of literature. Many of them have truly shown the seriousness of racism in society. Even though, criticism continues. Some critics have argued that Scout, in To Kill A Mockingbird, is an unreliable narrator. This is simply because Scout is a child. They suspect she is too innocent, naïve, and has an unbiased view. However, Scout as the narrator is a reliable choice because she allows the reader to concentrate more on the exterior of situations, she allows the reader to make his/her opinion, and she gives the reader direction of how to cover events and certain actions in the novel. Scout, as a child narrator, helps the reader ‘read between the lines’.
Her family life is depicted with contradictions of order and chaos, love and animosity, conventionality and avant-garde. Although the underlying story of her father’s dark secret was troubling, it lends itself to a better understanding of the family dynamics and what was normal for her family. The author doesn’t seem to suggest that her father’s behavior was acceptable or even tolerable. However, the ending of this excerpt leaves the reader with an undeniable sense that the author felt a connection to her father even if it wasn’t one that was desirable. This is best understood with her reaction to his suicide when she states, “But his absence resonated retroactively, echoing back through all the time I knew him. Maybe it was the converse of the way amputees feel pain in a missing limb.” (pg. 399)
“On Being Cautioned against Walking on an Headland Overlooking the Sea, Because it was Frequented by a Lunatic,” Charlotte Smith’s sonnet, comments on the poet’s feelings toward this lunatic and the thought process he instigates in her mind. By using different syntax to describe her two characters, Smith draws the attention of the reader to the message in the sonnet instead of the scene on the surface. The structure of the English sonnet also lends to the poem’s power, giving Smith a perfect avenue to deliver her message.