Black Humor in America - 2112 Words

Black Humor One of the most underappreciated and unrecognized forms of comedy is black humor. Black humor often deals with events that are not often associated with other forms of comedy, such as war, murder, insanity and death. The main reason that this form of comedy is so underappreciated is that it requires some thinking on the part of the audience and many people are not willing to do that. The types of humor that are popular today do not require much thinking and can be characterized as one-liners. However, black humor has been used as an effective means of satire usually towards a tragic event. One of the biggest misconceptions about black humor is that it involves race. Black humor is not a form of African American humor†¦show more content†¦Even though this is such a great model of black comedy, Joseph Heller said that he was not aware that it would be funny when he wrote it (Catch-22, Computer). In the story, Catch-22 is a military rule that employs circular logic. An e xample of this is the rule that deals with avoiding combat missions: One may only be excused from flying bombing missions on the grounds of insanity; one must assert ones insanity to be excused on this basis; one who requests to be excused is presumably in fear for his life. This is taken to be proof of his sanity, and he is therefore obliged to continue flying missions; one who is truly insane presumably would not make the request. He therefore would continue flying missions, even though as an insane person he could of course be excused from them simply by asking. (Catch-22, Computer) The main themes in Hellers novel are paradox and contradiction. He used his novel as a way to show the absurdity of war and to protest World War II. Another author, Kurt Vonnegut wrote Slaughterhouse Five in 1969 as an analysis of the human condition from an uncommon perspective, using time travel as a plot device and the bombing of Dresden in World War II, which Vonnegut witnessed, as a starting point (Slaughter, wikipedia). The humor in this book comes from Vonneguts downplay of human mortality. He uses the phrase so it goes whenever dying is mentioned. Much ofShow MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeare s A Raisin Of The Sun1683 Words   |  7 Pagescollection of her plays, Ntozake Shange criticized black dramatists for â€Å"integrat[ing] the notion that a drama must be words...cuz we all remember too well/the chuckles scoffs† (63).The fear of being laughed at has steered black artists away from embracing humor. This fear stems from the distortion of blackness in minstrel sho ws and racist tropes . Tragically, black dramatists have overlooked the usage of humor in African traditions. While in the past humor has been often used for ridicule, it has alsoRead MoreAnalysis Of Humor In Angel Puss1299 Words   |  6 Pagesghosts and begins to antagonize poor Sambo all over again. Humor from the episode Angel Puss is founded in African-American racial stereotypes involving behavior and appearance, which eventually led to the episode’s censorship. The most apparent racist feature is Sambo’s depiction; he is drawn in blackface style. Blackface is a highly offensive theatrical make-up style popular in comedy shows, where non-black performers coat their face in black paint to play African-American roles. Jenee Desmond-HarrisRead MoreThe Importance of Doing and Turning Your Work in on Time1444 Words   |  6 Pagesmost side-spitting, razor-sharp humor on this side of a cable box. The show concepts that constitute the Adult Swim block of programming on CN has drawn its fair share of rave reviews and harsh criticism from anybody willing to offer an opinion. For Afro-American viewers, no show represents that aforementioned razors edge quite like Aaron McGruders comic strip creation, The Boondocks. The first season of the weekly series found every way p ossible to poke humor at many of the events, individualsRead MoreEssay on Explication of Poem for Black Boys835 Words   |  4 PagesNikki Giovannis Poem for Black Boys is a poignant literary work that addresses several issues concerning the young black male in America and the conflicting views taken by members of the African-American community during the Civil Rights Movement with an inclination towards the peaceful movement perpetuated by the likes of Dr. Martin Luther king, Jr. and his non-violent contemporaries. Giovannis use of allusion, imagery and the sardonic humor of the speaker blend effortlessly to denounce allRead MoreRacism Is The Product Of Ignorance And Fear1334 Words   |  6 Pagesthe video nothing is accomplished to remove these stereotypes. Chappelle plays Clayton Bigsby, the â€Å"black white supremacist†, in the sketch Frontline. Bigsby bluntly characterizes African Americans as â€Å"lazy good for nothing†, â€Å"wide nose breathers† and accuses them of eating all the chicken. These stereotypes are prevalent in today’s culture. When one thinks of racism, one may atomically assume black and white but according to the National Coalition for Health Professionals Education in Genetics inRead MoreSlaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut Essay1288 Words   |  6 Pageshis own horrific war experiences. To depict the horrors of war, Vonnegut made use of a straightforward style as well as black humor to show the absurdity of war. By using this straightforward style, Vonnegut pushed his readers to see war for what it is, with no embellishments or romanticism. Black or dark humor was widely used, which refers to an authors deliberate use of humor in describing what would ordinarily be considered a situation too violent, grim, or tragic to laugh at. In so doing, theRead MorePostmodernism: The Movement in Life Essay1263 Words   |  6 PagesAlthough the postmodern movement was not started in America, its many effects have influenced the culture of this nation. Postmodernism took America from a place where it held strong values of right and wrong, to a place where any idea has been given validity and merit. By presenting new world views, postmodernism has affected American literature, for both the writer and the reader, and American culture on a vast scale. Explaining postmodernism is v ery challenging because it does not have a realRead MoreThe Controversy Over Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn610 Words   |  3 PagesThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is a controversial book that has raised heated debates across America for the past century. It was ranked fifth most challenging books out of one hundred in the 1990s (Chadwick 2). Although this book is a hot topic, it should remain on shelves, and still be taught in schools. While Huck Finn seems to be only a book of satire, most want this book banned because it is seen as highly racial. â€Å"The reading of Huck Finn is humiliating to back studentsRead MoreRush Hour Two: Through an American Perspective1062 Words   |  4 Pagesconstraints, such as, racial stereotypes, gender connotations, and cultural references, are components that comedies use in order to achieve humor at its maximum effect. The override of these constraints, however, has detrimental effects on entire ethnic and gender populations that go unnoticed at the expense of laughter. The 2001 film comedy, Rush Hour 2, uses humor as a vehicle to propagate active stereotypes that render the Asian female as an objective commodity that through an American lens devaluesRead MoreMedia s Influence On The Media1538 Words   |  7 Pagespublic. From Disney movies on up to horror films there’s a plot that each film is trying to accomplish. The controversial issue comes into play based on ho w the film messages are portrayed. Films that use racial humor harm the particular race that the films are depicting. Films with racial humor that is enhanced to be seen as acceptable creates prejudge mental labels for certain races. The viewers of these films are more likely to view these stereotypes portrayed in the media as facts about whatever

William Shakespeare s Macbeth Draft - 1040 Words

Stuart Wodzro Honours English 9, Block 2 Shakespeare Essay February 26, 2016 MacBeth Draft No. 3 The strive for power is a human impulse, perhaps even a primitive compulsion. And, in the case of human beings at least, the impulse is not restricted solely to the necessities of life. Beings are devoted to gaining raw power itself and, through it, they loses themselves. As one may know, the lust for power is a mode of selfishness, where at one attempts to gratify every passion, but alas pleonexia proves to taint the ones of potential. One instance where unrelenting desire for power dominated the human psyche is WWII, Adolf Hitler. Adolf Hitler, the tyrant of Germany, can often be compared to the protagonist, Macbeth. Both Hitler and Macbeth are similar in many ways, their ambition for gaining power, their ignorance of the means to achieve goals and equally their tyrannical style of gaining power. In parallelity, William Shakespeare, a prolific writer of the 16th century widely known for his contribution to the English language and his literary works articulates this notion into o ne of his most gripping masterpieces, MacBeth. A tale of a Scottish nobleman who encounters a prophecy that foretells him that he will gain great power but must earn it through blood. Not only is the plot intriguing, but furthermore Shakespeare s poetic tone that creates a stark contrast of light and dark imagery in order to convey a theme that circumstances are the result of an individual’sShow MoreRelatedMacbeth and Picture of Dorian Gray Essay1821 Words   |  6 Pagesnature. Hint of homosexuality Faustian Bargain – (decay of living standard) Cultural Values/Context: Values of humanity (fear of losing humanity/identity) Macbeth – Elizabethan Era Macbeth goes under manipulation by the witches, and is seen to swap his soul due to his pride and ambition, which eventually leads to his destruction. Quote: Macbeth says, The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step On which I must fall down, or else o erleap, For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires; Let not lightRead MorePyramus And Thisbe Vs. Romeo And Juliet1220 Words   |  5 PagesPaper/Final Draft August 15, 2014 Pyramus Thisbe vs. Romeo Juliet Tragic love stories have always been appealing to the literary world. This would be seen in Ovid s Pyramus and Thisbe and William Shakespeare s Romeo and Juliet. Ovid, one of Rome’s greatest poets, was famous for The Metamorphoses. His love stories were deeply emotional, yet very tragic. The story of Pyramus and Thisbe is the most emotional story in The Metamorphoses and the most referenced in love tragedy. William ShakespeareRead MoreHow to Write a Research Paper11497 Words   |  46 Pagespaper topic: The training a meteorologist needs Evaluative paper topic: A contrast of the training a meteorologist needed in l940 to what he/she needs in 2000 Informational paper topic: Benjamin Franklin s political life Evaluative paper topic: The effect of Benjamin Franklin s writing style upon his career 3. Working Bibliography The first step in researching a topic is to compile a working bibliography of potential sources of information, both primary and secondary. The subjectRead MoreDiscursive essay2703 Words   |  11 Pagesthemselves correctly in writing. On balance, I believe that text messaging does not represent an advance in communication. ~MultiROM WRITING Introductions and conclusions In an essay it is important that the introduction engages the reader s attention. It should introduce the topic, but should not include the specific points that you are going to mention in the body of the text. A good introductory paragraph describes the present situation and gives supporting evidence. It should referRead MoreGoal Movie Review10720 Words   |  43 Pagessuch films as â€Å"The Commitments† and â€Å"Still Crazy† and the HBO television series â€Å"Tracey Takes On†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The duo came aboard relatively late in preproduction. â€Å"We met with Mike Jefferies and Danny Cannon,† recalls Clement. â€Å"We got the go-ahead to write a draft not long after that.† La Frenais is originally from the City of Newcastle, and both writers live in L.A., so they were well educated about their subject. â€Å"We understand the city where it’s set,† says La Frenais. â€Å"We understand what football means in

Malaria Issue Report Free Essays

The issue I am going to be talking about in my report is about how to prevent the transmission of malaria around the world. Malaria is a mosquito-borne, climate sensitive disease caused by the parasite Plasmodium.[1] Malaria is caused by one of four species of the protoctist Plasmodium[2]. We will write a custom essay sample on Malaria Issue Report or any similar topic only for you Order Now The Plasmodium parasites multiply in red blood cells; this can cause symptoms such as fever and headache, but in severe cases the disease can lead to death. Transmission Malaria is transmitted through the bite of an infected female (Anopheles) mosquito; although it can be transmitted through contact of infected blood but this is very uncommon.[3] The cycle of malaria is an Anopheles mosquito bites an infected person; a small amount of infected blood is taken. The plasmodium parasite grows and matures in the mosquito’s gut for approximately a week before it then travels to the mosquito’s salivary glands. When the mosquito next bites someone, these parasites mix with the saliva, are then injected with the bite, and the transmission of malaria is complete.[4] Cycle in the Body Once in the blood, the parasites travel to the liver and enter liver cells, to grow and multiply. After some time, the parasites leave the liver cells and enter red blood cells. In the red blood cells the malaria parasites continues to grow and multiply. After they mature, the infected red blood cells rupture, freeing the parasites to attack and enter other red blood cells.[5] Symptoms Toxins released when the red cells burst, these are what cause the common symptoms of malaria, these are: 1. Fever 2. Chills 3. Flu like symptoms Statistics According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) malaria report 2011, there were 216 million cases of malaria and an estimated 655,000 deaths in 2010. Malaria mortality rates have fallen by more than 25% globally since 2000. Most deaths occur amongst children living in Africa where a child dies every minute of malaria and the disease accounts for approximately 22% of all childhood deaths.[6] Malaria is a disease that only occurs in certain climates, due to the fact that malaria is passed on through mosquito bites so only certain countries and regions have the conditions that mosquitos can survive in are affected by the disease; this includes sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Latin America as shown in the picture below: [7] This picture shows that malaria affects countries mainly in the Southern Hemisphere, especially South America (but north of Argentina) Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia. Malaria has been on the rise since the 1970s and constitutes a serious risk to health in many tropical countries.[8] The Problem with malaria is that it mainly affects people who live in LEDCs (Less Economically Developed Countries) the problem with this is that they cannot afford to get the healthcare to treat the disease unlike with MEDCs (More Economically Developed Countries) where they don’t get diseases of this kind commonly but are able to afford the healthcare. Malaria also causes a number of deaths and illnesses every year, especially in countries which suffer from a lot of poverty. This means that if parents catch the diseases then their children will be orphaned and left to fend for themselves. Solutions to the Problem There are several methods of treating malaria and these are some of the best methods to protect us from the disease: Nets A mosquito net protects against mosquitos, flies, and other airborne insects. Mosquito nets are the first line of defence against the deadly bite of mosquitos. The fine, see-through mesh stops insects from biting or affecting the person using the net. The mesh is fine enough to stop these insects entering the sleeping area of the person. Research has found that the latest Long Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs) save lives; they have been proven to cut malaria cases in children by half as well as reducing child deaths by 20%[9]. The use of these nets can also help protect other people sleeping nearby who are not sleeping under a net. It’s estimated that when 80% of people sleep under a net, the entire community is protected.[10] Although it is vital that the people using the mosquito nets regularly check the nets for any holes big enough for insects to get through. Scientists in Senegal have been researching the success rate of mosquito nets after six million nets were distributed over five years. Within three weeks of the nets being introduced, the scientists found that the number of malaria attacks had started to fall – it had fell by 13 times since before the nets had come in. The researchers also collected specimens of Anopheles gambiae, which is the type of mosquito species responsible for transmitting malaria to humans in Africa. Between 2007 and 2010 the proportion of the insects with a genetic resistance rose from 8% to 48%. By 2010 the proportion of mosquitoes resistant to Deltamethrin was 37%.[11] Testing Malaria parasites in the blood can best be detected under a microscope, but, when this is not available malaria cases can also be quickly and accurately identified using a Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT). RDTs are disposable blood testing kits which can be used anywhere and provide a quick result, they measure the amount of plasmodium in the blood; therefore showing if you have malaria or not. RDTs mean that a potentially life-saving diagnosis of malaria, which usually could only be possible in hospitals, can now be made available anywhere.[12] The reliability of RDTs is a successful diagnostic reading of 80% or in other words; 4 out of 5 people tested for malaria get a correct result back.[13] Implications of the solutions to the problem There are a number of solutions to malaria, although they do have economic and environmental implications. The solutions include: Nets The economic problem with nets is that malaria is mainly affecting LEDCs; therefore people are unable to afford the cost of buying drugs nets as they can be expensive. Environmental issues with mosquito nets are that mosquitos are possibly starting to get immune to the chemical Deltamethrin which is used in the bed nets; this means that they are no longer being useful by stopping the female mosquito from biting and killing harmless insects instead. The social implications of using nets are that nets prevent people being bitten by malaria carrying mosquitos, this means that less access to health services are needed; therefore less time is lost from work because of malaria. Medicines Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies (ACTs) are therapies made by combining an extract of the Artemisia plant and another medicine. They are the most effective and advance treatments for malaria, and are strongly recommended for the treatment of malaria in Africa.[14] The implication to this method is that they are highly expensive to produce and take around 15 years to research and develop. And seeing as malaria mainly affects LEDCs it wouldn’t be much use to them, as they will not be able to afford to buy them. Also the problem with using drugs is that a lot of testing takes place on animals which have ethical implications along with it. Benefits/Risks of solutions to the Problem Medicines In the table below there is a list of advantages and disadvantages for using different medicines for treating malaria: Chemoprophylaxis drug Presentation Advantages Disadvantages Proguanil Paludrine tablets 1. Low cost 2. Well tolerated 3. Suitable for pregnant or breastfeeding women 1. Increasing resistance of P. falciparum to chloroquine 2. Large number of tablets required if taken in combination Chloroquine Nivaquine syrup Avloclor tablets 1. Mefloquine Lariam tablets 1. Weekly dose 2. Effective for most areas of the world 3. Can be used in the last 2 trimesters of pregnancy 1. Needs to be commenced 2 to 3 weeks prior to departure 2. May cause neuro-psychiatric adverse events Doxycycline Capsule 1. Low cost 2. Generally well tolerated 3. Can be commenced close to departure date 1. May cause photosensitivity 2. May cause vaginal yeast infections in women 3. Unsuitable for children under 12 years Atovaquone/proguanil Malarone tablets 1. Well tolerated 2. Can be commenced close to departure date 3. Short course 1. Expensive [15] According to the table above the advantages outweigh the disadvantages in the five different medicines, although with Doxycycline the advantages and disadvantages are in the same proportion. This would suggest that Doxycycline may not as effective anti-malarial medicine as some of the others. Testing Another solution to the problem could be to use malaria testing kits such as the Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDT). The benefit of this is that it can create a diagnosis in fraction of the time that a standard test takes. This means that people who have malaria can be treated a lot quicker than they usually could be by the standard method, which involves looking at a blood sample under a microscope to detect plasmodium. An issue with RDTs is that they can be expensive for people living in LEDCs as they can range from $1.20 – $13.50 per test.[16] The risks of RDT is that, although it is a quick test, it is not always effective at identify the plasmodium in the blood. The danger is that you may get inaccurate result, leading to you being quite unaware of having the disease, therefore getting the treatment early enough to take effect. Alternative Solutions to the Problem Quinine Another solution to the problem which was used up until the 1930s as the only cure for malaria is quinine. It is found in the Andes Mountain range of Peru and Ecuador[17]. The medicinal properties to quinine has been around since the 17th century, but back then people used to chew the bark off of the cinchona tree as it was believed to be a useful treatment for malaria. Although people didn’t have medicinal knowledge, due to the positive result, they thought it was an effective method of malaria treatment. The active ingredient is quinine which is found in the cinchona tree. Quinine works by lowering the body’s core temperature, thereby killing the plasmodium parasites that cause malaria in the red blood cells. Quinine can also be found in tonic water; some doctors/ GPs may recommend drinking tonic water when going to a high risk country. Vaccine A vaccination involves injecting a small harmless amount of infection into you. Finding a vaccine to protect people from malaria would be the best possible defence[18]. Around the world scientists are working on this important research.[19] However, malaria parasite, plasmodium has proven to be adapting to the different cures and vaccines that scientists have been creating. This means that they change their characteristics as antibodies are developed. This adaptability has made finding a vaccine especially challenging.[20] Currently there is no vaccine, but there are several being developed. Several potential malaria vaccines are already being tested in clinical trials; although no vaccine has been licensed for use.[21] It will be a long wait before a vaccine is available to prevent the spread of malaria.[22] Dr Sandy Douglas (Welcome Trust Clinical Research Training) at the University of Oxford said â€Å"We have found a way of making antibodies that kill all different strains of malaria parasites. This is still in an early research phase; the next step is to do clinical trials in people.†[23] How to cite Malaria Issue Report, Papers