Jewish comedy and humor Essays

  • Use of Humor by Woody Allen and Sigmund Freud

    2499 Words  | 5 Pages

    The concept of humor is an incredibly complicated one, having undergone complex analyses and innumerable manners of usage from the times of the ancient Greeks through the modern era. Masters of comedy and their works have become part of the human experience, widely ranging from Shakespeare’s masterful Much Ado About Nothing to the much-loved television series I Love Lucy. Humor, although in many ways considered to be largely mass-market and tailored to the popular majority, has not escaped the realm

  • Humor In Elie Wiesel's Night

    1558 Words  | 4 Pages

    million non- Jewish victims, including gypsies, homosexuals, and handicapped, were inhumanely murdered by the Nazis. There was no escape from the brutality of the German dictator, Adolf Hitler. The Holocaust was Hitler’s effort to exterminate any person he believed to be inferior. Anyone deemed fit for the title was lugged away to concentration camps, then sentenced to obligatory labor or demise. Now, imagine this as a comedy. The notion that such an event could be portrayed as a comedy seems unfathomable

  • Why We Must Laugh

    1217 Words  | 3 Pages

    character offers with his entertaining and spontaneous personality. His creativity helped keep the story light when it was in reality a grueling subject. The success of Benigni's Life Is Beautiful seemed to mark the beginning of a new trend: holocaust comedies. The comedic aspect of Life is Beautiful brought out a different perspective of the holocaust that could make interpreting the holocaust in a less biased form. It was followed by Jacob the Liar with Robin Williams, the remake of the old GDR Cinema

  • Life Is Beautiful Holocaust

    1539 Words  | 4 Pages

    In 1997, the tragic comedy Life is Beautiful was published which narrates the life of a Jewish-Italian man named Guido Orefice. Throughout the movie, it shows the developments of his life, where he eventually meets a lady named Dora. They both get married as they fall in love with one another and along with that, they have a son named Joshua. However, this all takes place during the rule of Fascist leader Mussolini in Italy. Eventually, Guido's peaceful life was quickly torn apart as Dora was split

  • Seinfeld's Impact on American Culture

    2263 Words  | 5 Pages

    show, which was derived from Jerry Seinfeld's observational humor, was voted as the "Greatest Show of All Time" by TV Guide in 2002. According to the show's official website, the ratings for the syndicated version of Seinfeld are ahead of many of the current primetime comedies ("Seinfeld" 2/5). "Seinfeld" was always present in my home during its nine-year run on Thursday nights as "Must See TV," and the social commentary was welcome humor. However, not everyone was thrilled by Seinfeld's prominence

  • Comedy Analysis

    1989 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Complexity of Defining Limits on Comedy in the Context of Religion and Race In the modern world where restless events happen every day, it is essential to have a device to help cope with difficult situations. Whilst “freedom of expression is an absolute principle in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights found in Article 19”, comedians must remember that offence is taken rather than given and everyone has their own threshold (Sturges, 2010). However, there is a growing feeling that comedians

  • Roberto Benigni's Life Is Beautiful

    737 Words  | 2 Pages

    grab my attention and got me wondering what is happening next. Roberto Benigni started the movie with his great sense of humor making viewers laugh every time he opens his mouth. Sadly, the movie ended in a horrible sadness as he was shot in the concentration camp because he was trying to save his wife and son. I totally recommend this movie to viewers who like watching comedy, romantic or drama films. Although the movie is old, it has a great meaning and draws the viewer’s attention. The movie is

  • In Ellen Galford's 'The Dyke And The Dybbuk'

    1427 Words  | 3 Pages

    the acceptability of not only discussing feminist issues, but satirizing them. The feminist movement of the 20th century marked a distinct shift from women serving as the objects of humor, to women becoming the creators and subjects of comedy. In the 1993 novel The Dyke and The Dybbuk, Ellen Galford used the mode of comedy as a progressive way of discussing the inherently serious subject matter of gender norms. Through the parody and manipulation of conventional gender roles and gender stereotypes,

  • The Chimera of Ethnic Humour

    1312 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ethnic humour is one of the categories that was created decades ago and continues to be widely used in present day comedy. The concept of ethnic, racial, and gender humour is as sensitive a subject today as it has ever been; and yet there has never been such a prolific quantity of this humour as there is in current day society. It manifests in American culture's films and stand-up comedy routines, as well as on popular TV sitcoms. Ethnic humour is one of the only types of humour that can bring laughter

  • Film Analysis: Movie Review Of The West Bank Story

    1249 Words  | 3 Pages

    Review of West Bank Story West Bank Story is a short musical comedy movie. Online dictionary explains musical comedy that is a comedic play or movie in which dialogue is interspersed with songs, especially one with a focus on musical numbers and a simple plot. In addition, in 2007, at the 79th Academy Awards, West Bank Story won the Oscar in the category Best Live Action Short Film (Wikipedia "West Bank"). This short movie talks about a love story between a Palestinian woman and an Israeli soldier

  • How Does Trevor Noah Use Humor In Born A Crime

    555 Words  | 2 Pages

    filled with hardships, struggles, and racism, they usually don’t describe it in a carefree, comic way. In Born a Crime, by Trevor Noah, he chronicles virtually everything unfortunate, embarrassing, and hurtful that has ever happened to him, utilizing humor to engage and connect with his readers. A perfect example of this was in his story of relieving himself in his living room. Trevor grew up very poor in South Africa under the Apartheid, which meant that he did not have many necessities. His family

  • Critical Analysis Of Life Is Beautiful

    966 Words  | 2 Pages

    but about sacrifice Besides being a source of entertainment many films carry a message for the public. The 1997 film, Life Is Beautiful is a tragic comedy directed by and starring Roberto Benigni and is set during the holocaust. This film received several laurels including three Academy Awards. Roberto plays the role of Guido Orefice, a young Jewish who along with his family falls pray to the Nazi death camps. The film is divided into two parts, the first is entirely comic, the second, a bittersweet

  • Adam Sandler And Chevy Chase Essay

    1492 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout the history of comedy, many actors and actresses have come and gone and left behind their hilarious movies and stand-up shows. Adam Sandler and Chevy Chase are good examples of how comedy has helped shape the face of acting. Comedy is very important in today’s society, with famous actors and blockbuster hits. Comedy is fun for the whole family, and it is the most watched form of movie out there. Most people find enjoyment out of a good laugh with their friends and family. It is a form

  • Saturday Night Live

    1258 Words  | 3 Pages

    When thinking of sketch comedy on television, there aren’t many shows to choose from, but there are two shows that have definitely made an impact. The beginning of sketch comedy as we know it came from Your Show of Shows, and the modern sketch comedy that everyone knows now comes from Saturday Night Live. There have been a handful of other sketch comedy shows, but if it weren’t for these 2, they wouldn’t exist. Your Show of Shows was on the air from 1950-1954 during TV’s first Golden Age. Saturday

  • The Wise Fools Of Chelm Analysis

    2015 Words  | 5 Pages

    Chelm. In the Jewish tradition, this is the origin story of how the folkloric town of Chelm came to be populated entirely by fools, who are sometimes facetiously referred to as the “wise fools of Chelm.” Unsurprisingly, the town founded by mishap became the folkloric site of many ridiculous tales in which its inhabitants fumble and flounder their way through life. The roots of the Chelm stories reach back into the Middle Ages, but the

  • Similarities Between Seinfeld And Friends

    527 Words  | 2 Pages

    “knock-off Seinfeld.” Although there were significant similarities between the two shows, there were also vast differences. Seinfeld and Friends were targeted to two very different audiences, and they represented the relatively new idea of “friendship comedies” in different ways. When Seinfeld first aired in 1989, it was simultaneously revolutionary and traditional. Like many sitcoms before it, Seinfeld featured a three-camera set up and a laugh track, and it was built around a standup comedian. However

  • Joan Rivers Research Paper

    1715 Words  | 4 Pages

    She performed in more plays, movies, comedy clubs, and television (T.V.). One of her first national appearances was on the Tonight Show, hosted by Jack Parr. Her tough-talking and straightforward style of satirical humor was both praised and criticized. Women were not favorably seen as comedians ad as a survivor of sexism, she was a victim and a rebel. Outspoken and displaying

  • John Stewart Satire

    721 Words  | 2 Pages

    He was born in New Jersey in 1962. By 1989, Stewart was hosting the clip show Short Attention Span Theater, in which the hosts presented short segments of stand-up comedy acts based on various popular films. Jon Stewart’s performances earned him recognition in the field of comedy. In 1999, Stewart took over as anchorman for Comedy Central’s the Daily Show (Later renamed the Daily show with Jon Stewart). Since the show’s debut with Stewart as a host, it received high ratings of viewers and positive

  • Analysis Of The Movie Jack And Jill

    815 Words  | 2 Pages

    The film Jack and Jill primary ideas throughout the film evolves around the conflicts and differences between both siblings. The conflict between siblings was the primary reason why I did not find this film funny or saw any humor to it. Firstly, the film’s cheap humor is portrayed through Jill where the standards of a female persona were lowered. This is evident as Jill is often needy, helpless, likes to be the center of attention, and has no filter in which she speaks her mind out. I did not agree

  • The Night Before Analysis

    605 Words  | 2 Pages

    Jonathon Levine’s The Night Before is a raunchy holiday comedy headed by Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Anthony Mackie. The film opens with the funeral of the parents of Gordon-Levitt’s Ethan, where he’s surrounded by his two best friends: Rogen’s Isaac and Mackie’s Chris. The grief over losing both his parents gives way to a new holiday tradition: for the next fourteen years, the three go out every Christmas Eve and party it up by performing karaoke, playing a Kanye song on a giant piano