THEORETICAL APPROACH Laughing at life, learning through laughters : a study of stand-up comedy.

Chapter 1 as the opener of the thesis hosts all the basics of the study, inviting readers to pay a bit more attention to stand-up comedy shows which, as the writer will analyze in depth later, does not only offer verbal entertainment but deeper than that, such shows are pregnant with sensitive issues which can smoothly be communicated when using comedy as the outlet. The very chapter furthermore also states the goals of this thesis as well as exposing some limitations conceded by the writer in his attempt to provide strong backups to the thesis. The following chapter is the home to theories. General theories about comedy and more specifically about stand-up comedy occupy a bigger part in the said chapter; it is so for an obvious reason, because the thesis is revolving around stand-up comedy. The vehicle through which stand-up comedy shows are presented, television, however, is also given a reasonable portion of the chapter as the data of this thesis are taken from recorded stand-up shows broadcasted on television. Chapters three and four are where the two research questions find their answers with one chapter hosts thorough analysis of each question. Finally, to the fifth chapter conclusions of the thesis and suggestions will go. Upon the completion of this thesis, the writer is hoping that results of the study will open more eyes to the seemingly-hidden importance of comedy as presented in stand-up comedy shows as well as call for other researches to be conducted on comedy-related issues for comedy to be acknowledged for its potential power.

H. DEFINITION OF TERMS

1. Stand-up Comedy: A form of entertainment performed by a single comedian, usually referred to as a „comic‟, whose topics usually portray everyday-life events. Different from story-telling, a Stand-up Comedy show does not only focus on a certain topic, rather it covers a very wide range of topics, random, at many times. However, a show‟s random delivery does not mean that the way a topic is delivered, in a joking manner, does not follow a certain structure. A typical scheme applied in most Stand-up Comedy shows are best described in the following three terms related to Stand-up Comedy shows. 2. Setup: As briefly stated above, there is a certain structure in how jokes are delivered, and in so doing, Dean explained that jokes in Stand-up Comedy shows are usually begun with a „setup‟ which according to Dean is „the first part of a jokes used to misdirect audience into making a preliminary conclusion based on what they heard from a setup‟. 3. Punch: A punch is what follows a setup. Dean wrote that a punch, as the second part of joke, is where the funny part lies. This is the part of a joke where audience‟s assumption, based on what was previously said in the setup, often finds a completely unpredictable continuation. A „Punch‟ is synonymous to „Punch Line‟. 4. Riffing: This technical term refers to an activity in which a comic tries to make sure that there is a connection between himher and hisher audience. It can be done by asking questions to audience. Besides that, riffing is also a common strategy to rejuvenate the mood of a performance whenever a comic, in the middle of hisher show, senses a wane in the mood. 5. Butt of jokes: Objects of certain jokes. Understanding the nature of Stand-up Comedy will lead one to understand that there are certain points people or everyday events comics will try to criticize or simply offer their opinions about them. The term „butt of jokes‟, therefore, refers to who or what is being put as an object of scrutiny through jokes delivered by comics.

CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW: THE SOCIAL SCOPE OF STAND-UP COMEDY