Ken Burns “Humor must not professedly teach, and it must not professedly preach, but it must do both if it would live forever.”
– Mark Twain
Overview
Under the pen name of Mark Twain, Samuel Clemens found the inspiration for humor in the everyday and in real-life situations that weren’t intended to be humorous.
Objective
In this activity, students will identify different types of humor, such as irony, satire, farce, and parody. They will research and identify examples of humor that appeals to them, and explain why they enjoy it. Next, students will choose a passage by Mark Twain and determine the type of humor used.
A. When he was a young reporter in Virginia City, Nevada, Twain encountered a stranger at a billiard parlor who proposed a game for half a dollar–even offered to play left-handed after watching Twain warm-up.
“I determined,” Twain wrote later, “to teach him a lesson.” But the stranger won the first shot, cleared the table, took Twain’s money, “and all I got was the opportunity to chalk my cue.”
“If you can play like that with your left hand,” Twain said, “I’d like to see you play with your right.”
“I can’t,” the stranger answered. “I’m left-handed.”
B. On another occasion, after burglars had broken into his house and stolen the silverware, Clemens scribbled out and illustrated the following notice and tacked it to the front door:
NOTICE
To the Next Burglar
There is nothing but plated ware in this house now and henceforth. You will find it in that brass thing in the dining room over in the corner by the basket of kittens.
If you want the basket put the kittens in the brass thing. Do not make a noise – it disturbs the family…Please close the door when you go away! Very truly yours,
— S. L. Clemens
C. Share some other examples of notable Twain quotations, such as the following:
- “‘Classic.’ A book which people praise and don’t read.”
- “Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example.”
- “Always do right. This will gratify some people & astonish the rest.”
- “One of the most striking differences between a cat and a lie is that a cat has only nine lives.”
Activity
- Find some current examples of articles or columns in newspapers or magazines or from the Internet that contain humor that appeals to you.\
- Bring these examples to class and explain what it is about them that you like– the topic, the writing style, the use of language, etc.
- Identify the type of humor you find. Here are some types to consider:
- Farce–an exaggerated, broadly improbable scenario using characters for humorous effect
- Parody–an imitation of someone else’s style for comic effect
- Satire–the use of ridicule or sarcasm to expose or attack vices or follies
- Irony–a play on words in which the intended meaning of the words used is directly opposite their usual sense (i.e., calling a stupid plan “clever”)
- Choose a passage from Twain’s writing and identify the type of humor he used. How different or similar are the types of humor?
National Standards
This activity fulfills the following standards established by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE):
- Students read a wide range of print and non-print texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
- Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience.
- Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts.
- Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
This activity fulfills the following standards established by the Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL). Language Arts: Writing
- Uses the stylistic and rhetorical aspects of writing.
- Gathers and uses information for research purposes.
