14 essence as jokes, but riddles are commonly applied in a question-and-answer kind
of conversations. There is an example Shade, 1996: Matt
: How do you keep fish from smelling? Jenny
: Cut off their noses.
In this example, Jenny delivers a straightforward answer to Matt’s question.
The answer is still plausible, but it slipped from the expected response and generates a comical sense.
d. Satire
This is a combination of humor and criticism, but still functions to provoke laughter. “A literary composition to ridicule vice of folly of the times, use of
irony, sarcasm, invective, or wit” Shade, 1996. Satire often used to show criticisms toward the government of their bad governing, corruptions, power
abuse, or the likes. In the practice, the humorous load of satire is generated by exaggerating or understating facts. Here is the example
of satire, “an old lady was sent on a 10-day cruise paid for by her son. She wrote to complain: The food on
this ship is absolutely awful. And such small portions ” Shade, 1996. There is
an ironic criticism lies in the example that the food in a cruise ship could be awful and such small portions.
e. Limerick
A limerick is a humorous verse that has five lines with AABBA rhyme. Its name is derived from a place called Limerick, Ireland. This comical verse is
actually taken from a song
Limerick,
but comedians often change the original lyric
15 to create humorous effect. This is an example of humorous version of a limerick
Shade, 1996: There was a young lady called Bright,
Who could travel far faster than light, She set off one day,
In a relative way, And returned home the previous night.
The humorous effect resides in last line of the song which depicts impossibility. When Bright sets off one day, since she could travel faster than
light, she could return home the previous night.
f. Parody
Parody is a humorous reworking of a song, story, speech, poem, movie, play, or any work but still preserving the style and framework. It is frequently
used for criticizing, mocking, or making fun of the original product. A popular example from the field of movies is the one entitled
Meet the Spartans
2008, which is the humorous version of a kill-them-all film,
300
2007.
g. Irony
Irony uses words to express something that totally distinct from the actual intention or meaning. It is usually used when one speaks the opposite thing to
what the one means and the hearer comprehend what the speaker says. Here is a line to exemplify an irony, “
the procrastinator
’
s meeting has been postponed
”
Shade, 1996
.
It is ironic when a group of procrastinators postpone a meeting, it could be painful just to wait for the meeting to finally happen.
16
h. Wit
