Definition and Examples of Humorous Essays

A humorous essay is a type of personal  or familiar essay that has the primary aim of amusing readers rather than informing or persuading them. Also called a comic essay or light essay. Humorous essays often rely on narration and description as  dominant rhetorical and  organizational strategies. Notable writers of humorous essays in English include Dave Barry, Max Beerbohm, Robert Benchley, Ian Frazier, Garrison Keillor, Stephen Leacock,  Fran Lebowitz,  Dorothy Parker, David Sedaris, James Thurber, Mark Twain, and  E.B. White—among countless others. (Many of these comic writers are represented in our collection of  Classic British and American Essays and Speeches.) Observations What makes the humorous essay different from other forms of essay writing is . . . well . . . its the humor. There must be something in it that prompts the readers to smile, chuckle, guffaw, or choke on their own laughter. In addition to organizing your material, you must search out the fun in your topic.(Gene Perret, Damn! Thats Funny!: Writing Humor You Can Sell. Quill Driver Books, 2005)On the basis of a long view of the history of the humorous essay, one could, if reducing the form to its essentials, say that while it can be aphoristic, quick, and witty, it more often harks back to the 17th-century characters slower, fuller descriptions of eccentricities and foibles—sometimes anothers, sometimes the essayists, but usually both.(Ned Stuckey-French, Humorous Essay. Encyclopedia of the Essay, ed. by Tracy Chevalier. Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, 1997)Because of fewer constraints, humorous essays allow for genuine feelings of joy, anger, sorrow and delight to be expressed. In s hort, in Western literature the humorous essay is by and large the most ingenious type of literary essay. Every person who writes humorous essays, in addition to having a lively writing style, must first possess a unique understanding that comes from observing life.(Lin Yutang, On Humour, 1932. Joseph C. Sample, Contextualizing Lin Yutangs Essay On Humour: Introduction and Translation. Humour in Chinese Life and Letters, ed. by J.M. Davis and J. Chey. Hong Kong University Press, 2011)Three Quick Tips for Composing a Humorous Essay1. You need a story, not just jokes. If your goal is to write compelling nonfiction, the story must always come first—what is it you are meaning to show us, and why should the reader care? It is when the humor takes a backseat to the story being told that the humorous essay is most effective and the finest writing is done.2. The humorous essay is no place to be mean or spiteful. You can probably skewer a politician or personal injury lawyer with aban don, but you should be gentle when mocking the common man. If you seem mean-spirited, if you take cheap shots, we arent so willing to laugh.3. The funniest people dont guffaw at their own jokes or wave big look at how funny I am banners over their heads. Nothing kills a joke more than the joke teller slamming a bony elbow into your ribs, winking, and shouting, Was that funny, or what? Subtlety is your most effective tool.(Dinty W. Moore, Crafting the Personal Essay: A Guide for Writing and Publishing Creative Nonfiction. Writers Digest Books, 2010)Finding a Title for a Humorous EssayWhenever Ive written, say, a humorous essay (or what I think passes as a humorous essay), and I cant come up with any title at all that seems to fit the piece, it usually means the piece hasnt really congealed as it should have. The more I unsuccessfully cast about for a title that speaks to the point of the piece, the more I realize that maybe, just maybe, the piece doesnt have a single, clear point. Ma ybe its grown too diffuse, or it rambles around over too much ground. What did I think was so funny in the first place?(Robert Masello, Roberts Rules of Writing. Writers Digest Books, 2005)

The Ghost of Hamlet Essay - 1760 Words

The Ghost of the previous Danish king in Hamlet is a potent element that causes Prince Hamlet variety of reactions toward the world around him and the unexpected killer, King Claudius. Besides, the ghost is the tool of knowledge that lights Hamlets heart with the love of insisting on searching the credibility of the crime. The Ghost of Hamlets father commanded his son to do the act of revenge from his uncle the King of Denmark the killer of his father and the husband of his mother. Hamlet has been affected by the Ghosts command and his situation has been shifted from the psychological disorder situation before discovering the truth of the crime to accept the reality of the world around him, and from the hesitation and fear situation to†¦show more content†¦It is in William Shakespeare that the created individual (Hamlet), created out of that very space of meaninglessness, enters for the first time into a genuine conflictual relationship; the genuine in the sense that the opp onents are equal of power. Prince Hamlet materializes as an individual who has a miserable and weak identity, this kind of complex identity has a sense of hopeless and out of health condition affected by the psychological problem. For example, when Hamlet pretends to be a weird person while he is reading the book and talking with Polonius sarcastically, he actually has that sense of weirdness outside and inside himself, but at the same time he is in full mental power that contradicts himself. So, even when he pretends that he is mad and foolish, they affect his psychology thus it seems to be true. The character of Hamlet would appear to be no character at all because a name cannot be found for it, or – which is the same thing – because too many can be found. That means that Hamlet identity has been wiped out as he is so singular, unspeakable person because he cannot find and present himself in one place whereas he has the power to do react and revenge directly but th e hesitation prohibited him to any such action. A powerful vagueness invests the plays treatment of inheritance. This statement means that Hamlet is recognized as unlucky son who yearsShow MoreRelatedThere is No Ghost in Hamlet Essay753 Words   |  4 Pagesapplication of ghosts in his plays, Hamlet is no exception. Scholars argue that the ghost in Hamlet is only a figment of Hamlet’s imagination, but how does that explain others witnessing the apparition. Hamlet’s mental state is declining throughout the play, but what is the true cause? From an external view Hamlet appears insane, whether or not he is insane is left ambiguous. If he is insane, is the traumatic loss of his father causing Hamlet to see a ghost or is the ghost real indeed? The ghost firstRead MoreThe Ghost Of Old Hamlet1466 Words   |  6 PagesThe ghost of Old Hamlet is an important part of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, but the ghost does not appear to all of the characters. The audience first sees the ghost when it appears before Horatio and the watchmen, Bernardo and Marcellus, who are both minor characters who do not play a major role in the play. Hamlet also sees the ghost later, and the audience only hears the ghost speak in interactions between him and Hamlet. However, because the ghost’s words are not real, it also brings forth the questionRead MoreThe Importance Of Ghost In Hamlet761 Words   |  4 Pagesstories, ghosts play an important part in the plot, as they enhance the reader’s view of the characters and the events that take place. The play, Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, in 1609, explores the theme of ghosts and real people living around them. The play is about Prince Hamlet, whose father was murdered during his sleep by his brother, Claudius, who later became the king and married Prince Hamlet’s mother. Throughout the play, Hamlet wants to take revenge, and the ghost guides Hamlet toRead MoreThe Ghost of King Hamlet661 Words   |  3 Pages In the play Hamlet, the deceased King Hamlet comes back as a ghost to tell his son the truth about the events surrounding his death. He then proceeds to ask Hamlet to get revenge for his death. In Hamlet, the king is a character who appears briefly throughout the play; however, his character serves to further the action and theme of the play and the development of his sons character. The King serves to further the plays actions by asking his son to get revenge for his unjust death. He tellsRead MoreEssay The Hamlet Ghost3184 Words   |  13 PagesThe Hamlet Ghost  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   Does the ghost in Shakespeare’s Hamlet conform to the standards for ghosts in the days of the dramatist? This essay will answer this and other questions about the ghost in the drama.    Cumberland Clark says in â€Å"The Supernatural in Hamlet† that:    The Hamlet Ghost fulfils all the demands of popular superstitition. In the first place it comes in strange and creepy circumstances, at dead of night, when it is cold and still and lonely.    Read More Shakespeares Hamlet - Hamlet and the Ghost Essay2495 Words   |  10 PagesHamlet and the Ghost      Ã‚  Ã‚   This essay will analyze a very important, non-human character in Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet. This is, of course, a reference to the supernatural creature, or Ghost.    A.C. Bradley in Shakespearean Tragedy discusses the quandary into which the Ghost put the protagonist:    What, it may be asked, was hamlet to do when the Ghost had left him with its commission of vengeance? The King was surrounded not merely by courtiers but by a Swiss bodyguard: howRead MoreThe Ghost Of The Late King Hamlet1374 Words   |  6 PagesAlthough some may think the ghost of the late King Hamlet in William Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet is a demon, but the truth is that Hamlet’s father didn t reveal himself to anyone besides Hamlet because he knew his son would avenge his death allowing him to receive divine in Heaven. Throughout the Elizabethan Era no one in that time period knew how much of an influence they would have on all of the world. In Caffery’s words, â€Å"[The] Elizabethan Era was a period of time from 1558 to 1603 known asRead MoreThe Ghost Of Hamlet By William Shakespeare929 Words   |  4 PagesIn William Shakespeare s Hamlet, the ghost appears very little but causes Hamlet to think abnormally and act unlike his normal self. He is accused of madness and hallucinating in one scene, and it can be traced back to the ghost causing it. 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They are something that most people fear, don’t believe in, or think they are an evil being. Different religions have different views on ghosts and along with those views come different stories. One story that involves a ghost is Hamlet. Hamlet has recently lost his father and thinks he is being surrounded by his father’s ghost. However, Hamlet is at first unsure about the ghost’s state. He does

How does Shakespeare make this passage from Act 3 Scene 1 dramatic and powerful for the audience Essay Example For Students

How does Shakespeare make this passage from Act 3 Scene 1 dramatic and powerful for the audience Essay Shakespeare creates a very powerful and dramatic for the audience in this passage. By using repetition, tri-colons and rhetorical question Shakespeare is able to make this passage both striking and intense for the audience. Shakespeare is able to convey Shylock’s emotions about what he is feeling when he is abused by Salarino and Solanio but also is able to show the first showings of his feelings about his daughter’s elopement and the destruction of Antonio’s fleet. The opening to the passage immediately begins with a deadly and angry serious point made by Shylock which immediately draws the attention of the audience and creates the beginnings of a build-up to Shylock’s dramatic speech by using repetition to reinforce Shylocks anger. â€Å"I say my daughter is my flesh and my blood† and Salarino in response to this says, â€Å"There is more difference between thy flesh and hers than between jet and ivory; more between your bloods that there is between red wine and Rhenish.† Shylock here argues that â€Å"flesh and blood† are the true measure of kinship. Shakespeare emphasises the word â€Å"my† and repeats it three times in this short section again to try to reinforce the ownership Shylock has over her but also perhaps the feelings of love and dependence Shylock has for her as well. However Salarino and Solanio next reply with an insult, that says Shylock is completely unlike Jessica by comparing them by using the metaphor â€Å"red wine and Rhenish (white). It indicates that the two Christians believe that one’s manners, or ones willingness to be Christian, define relatedness instead of â€Å"flesh and blood†. It shows the audience again the attitude Salarino and Solanio have towards Jews and gives the audience a further insight into the relationship between Jews and Christians. Shakespeare here uses Solanio and Salarino as a way of provoking and further enraging Shylock; the audience is able to see Shylocks fury through the use of repetition, creating a dramatic and powerful start for the audience. Salarino and Solanio completely disregarding Shylock’s problems and sorrow at the loss of his daughter, begin talking about the obviously more important Antonio. It aggravates Shylock into another angry response in how he will take revenge on Antonio; Shakespeare use of repetition again which creates a somewhat dark atmosphere for the audience. â€Å"There I have another bad match.† It is interesting how Shylock makes an association between Jessica and Antonio on an emotional level as they have both taken money from him, even though in Solanio and Salarino eyes the two issues are completely different. However, the audience will make that connection between Christians and Jews. â€Å"Let him look to his bond. He was wont to call me a usurer, let him look to his bond† Shylock mentions the word â€Å"bond† thrice, when he says, â€Å"Let him look to his bond†. The tri colon that Shakespeare uses creates a powerful and threatening image of Shylock. The repetition of the phrase â€Å"Let him look to his bond† gives an impression of an almost manic Shylock who is pleased at the chance for revenge but angry at how Antonio has humiliated him in past. In turn creates a more villainous Shylock who creates a more dramatic and striking image for the audience. Next, again Salarino expresses his complete ignorance to Shylocks feelings or his want for revenge. â€Å"I am sure if he forfeit thou wilt not take his flesh. What’s that good for?† It shows the complete lack of genuine understanding the two men possess about how Shylock is feeling. Moreover, they are in-able to see that if a Christian wrongs a Jew several times then a Jew will in turn want revenge. The comment he makes is dramatic in the sense it is quite a shocking thing to say and leaves the audience quite stunned. In the days of Shakespeare when this play was showing I’m sure this comment would not of have had a bearing on the audience however now-a-days certainly the comment made by Salarino is quite disconcerting. This fact that he asks the question leaves the audience wandering what Shylock response will be, creating tension and further dramatizing this part of the scene. .ubabb60c8b7fabc25d0be235aaccb5f9f , .ubabb60c8b7fabc25d0be235aaccb5f9f .postImageUrl , .ubabb60c8b7fabc25d0be235aaccb5f9f .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ubabb60c8b7fabc25d0be235aaccb5f9f , .ubabb60c8b7fabc25d0be235aaccb5f9f:hover , .ubabb60c8b7fabc25d0be235aaccb5f9f:visited , .ubabb60c8b7fabc25d0be235aaccb5f9f:active { border:0!important; } .ubabb60c8b7fabc25d0be235aaccb5f9f .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ubabb60c8b7fabc25d0be235aaccb5f9f { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ubabb60c8b7fabc25d0be235aaccb5f9f:active , .ubabb60c8b7fabc25d0be235aaccb5f9f:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ubabb60c8b7fabc25d0be235aaccb5f9f .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ubabb60c8b7fabc25d0be235aaccb5f9f .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ubabb60c8b7fabc25d0be235aaccb5f9f .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ubabb60c8b7fabc25d0be235aaccb5f9f .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ubabb60c8b7fabc25d0be235aaccb5f9f:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ubabb60c8b7fabc25d0be235aaccb5f9f .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ubabb60c8b7fabc25d0be235aaccb5f9f .ubabb60c8b7fabc25d0be235aaccb5f9f-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ubabb60c8b7fabc25d0be235aaccb5f9f:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: How far do Walton's letters prepare us for the tale which is about to unfold? EssayShylock begins his speech by reminding the audience of the pain Antonio has caused him. Shakespeare starts by listing how and what pain Antonio has inflicted up him. â€Å"He hath disgraced me, and hindered me half a million; laughed at my losses, mocked at my gains, scorned my nation, thwarted my bargains, cooled my friends, heated mine enemies; and what’s his reason? I am a Jew†. Shakespeare allows the audience to sympathise, with how Shylock is feeling, they also able hear the anger and fury in Shylock’s voice. Shakespeare uses powerful words like â€Å"mocked†, â€Å"scorned† and â€Å"thwarted† which all have dark connotations to convey Shylock anger, creating powerful and dramatic atmosphere around Shylock. In his effort to justify his planned revenge on Antonio, Shylock reminds his fellow Venetians that a Jew has the same capacities as a Christian, and is therefore allowed to succumb to the same emotions as a Christian. â€Å"Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions; fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases.† Probably the most famous line in the â€Å"Merchant of Venice, Shylock begins to elaborate on the point that everyone is human. Shakespeare uses an extended metaphor to show how Jews are the same as Christians. Furthermore, the use of lists by Shakespeare suggest an emotional out pour from Shylock, as though he wishes to spit it out. In this section, Shakespeare uses ten rhetorical questions to emphasise and create an even more dramatic and powerful argument. However as the speech moves on, Shylock’s pledge to carry out his revenge, more or less changes the audiences view of Shylock as to being villainous; this stereotypical view of a Jew, moreover causes the audience to feel less sympathetic than before. Shakespeare use of the word â€Å"you† seven times in this section of the scene directs the attention even further upon Salarino and Solanio who until this point are speechless as they yet have not interrupted Shylock. But similarly the use of the words â€Å"my† and â€Å"mine† several times emphasises to the audience and Salarino and Solanio that it is Shylock who is feeling this pain but also at the same time assists Shylock’s justification for his revenge. The speech ends with somewhat awkward silence, Shakespeare’s use of this silence allows the speech to ring around the audience and sink into the stunned Solanio and Salarino. It creates a dramatic and tense atmosphere which if finally broken by the entrance of a serving man. Solanio and Salarino never give a direct response to Shylocks’ dramatic speech, although when Tubal another Jew enters Solanio says, â€Å"Here come another of the tribe; a third cannot be matched, unless the devil himself turn Jew.† This is another reference and association made between Jews and the devil but the response may suggest Shylock’s speech didn’t change their view. However, before Shylock can reply they quickly leave perhaps implying they are afraid of being accused and being put in the spot light again. Shylock is somewhat consoled by Tubal, they both share a camaraderie that is also seen in Venetian Christians. Shylock is able to speak more openly about his feeling without being ridiculed. â€Å"A diamond gone cost me 2000 ducats in Frankfurt! The curse never fell upon our nation till now, I never felt it now† Shakespeare makes it Shylock seems more anxious and emotional as this section of the scene is less ordered unlike before. Shylock seems to care more suggesting he now hates his daughter and does not now wish to have her back. Shakespeare next poses a rather grotesque image when Shylock says, â€Å"I would my daughter were dead at my food, and the jewels in her ear.† This is a very powerful and shocking comment, at this point the audience would be quite taken aback. The comment emphasises the anger Shylock is feeling but also gives the audience the sense that he is in fact quite villainous. Having said that, Shylock says he feels cursed (bad luck) and thinks bad things happens to him which casts him into a different light and makes the audience feel somewhat more sympathetic. .udf220c5dc8d491c2cbd8719b7f5aac14 , .udf220c5dc8d491c2cbd8719b7f5aac14 .postImageUrl , .udf220c5dc8d491c2cbd8719b7f5aac14 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .udf220c5dc8d491c2cbd8719b7f5aac14 , .udf220c5dc8d491c2cbd8719b7f5aac14:hover , .udf220c5dc8d491c2cbd8719b7f5aac14:visited , .udf220c5dc8d491c2cbd8719b7f5aac14:active { border:0!important; } .udf220c5dc8d491c2cbd8719b7f5aac14 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .udf220c5dc8d491c2cbd8719b7f5aac14 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .udf220c5dc8d491c2cbd8719b7f5aac14:active , .udf220c5dc8d491c2cbd8719b7f5aac14:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .udf220c5dc8d491c2cbd8719b7f5aac14 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .udf220c5dc8d491c2cbd8719b7f5aac14 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .udf220c5dc8d491c2cbd8719b7f5aac14 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .udf220c5dc8d491c2cbd8719b7f5aac14 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .udf220c5dc8d491c2cbd8719b7f5aac14:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .udf220c5dc8d491c2cbd8719b7f5aac14 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .udf220c5dc8d491c2cbd8719b7f5aac14 .udf220c5dc8d491c2cbd8719b7f5aac14-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .udf220c5dc8d491c2cbd8719b7f5aac14:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The novel represents cycle EssayShylock again insist he will carry out and have his planned revenge. Shakespeare uses only repetition in Shylock’s last two lines of the scene. â€Å"What, what, what? Ill luck, ill luck.† And â€Å"I thank God, I thank God. Is it true, is it true?† Shakespeare uses repetition to show Shylock’s excitement at hearing the news of Antonio’s disaster; here the audience see him somewhat pleased at a chance to carry out his revenge. It again plays on the idea that Shylock is a villain. The insistence that he will get his revenge ends the scene powerfully but also dramatically with a sense of darkness. Overall, Shakespeare is able to create a dramatic and powerful scene for the audience; through the use of imagery, metaphors, repletion, rhetorical questions and tri-colons he successfully is able convey Shylock’s emotions effectively and give us a further insight in how he is really feeling as well as show us how some Christians interact with Jews creating further a compelling and dramatic scene.