Body Switch

I was watching the movie Freaky Friday a few days ago, and I was thinking to myself how cool it would be to switch bodies with someone.  The mother and daughter in the movie read a fortune at a Chinese resteraunt and the next day they were in each others bodies.  The whole movie is focused on the two of them living in the other person's life, and finally realizing what it's really like to be the other person.  I would like to switch bodies with one of my friends or family memebers to see life through their eyes.  Knowing that I would be switching bodies would make it less interesting because then I would know what was going on. 

Switching bodies with someone else would be kind of scary at first, not knowing what was going on, but after being in the body for a while it would be an adventure.  I would do things that the other person normally wouldn't do just to confuse people. The movie was obviously stretched out to be funny, and the actual body switching would not be that unrealistic.  I feel like funny things would happen in someone elses body, like making a fool out of the other person or doing something to their actual bodies that they would not enjoy, such as a tattoo or a piercing. 

When I am back in my own body, I will be sure to find a surprise on my body from whoever was in my body before.  Once after switching bodies, depending on my expericence, I will maybe want to go through that process again, but this time actually knowing about it. 

Modern Family Character Analysis

Amelia Maloney

Comic Spirit E

Character Analysis

            In the popular sitcom Modern Family, Phil Dunphy, played by Ty Burell, adds to the comic effect of the series by providing humorous actions, a tendency to over react, and qualities that foil other characters in order to show what goes on in a dysfunctional family. 

            Phil Dunphy is an adult, but in most episodes he can act like his son, Luke, by making lame jokes, such as “Quick, what's my favorite hospital food? Jellooo.”  He makes the show very funny and entertaining and is probably one of the most laid back characters in the series.  His jokes are lame, but that is what makes his personality so goofy and pleasant.  Without Phil being who he was or his puns, “It's Leap Day, not sleep day!” the show would be really boring and would really have no comic effect to it.  In one of the episodes, Phil is planning to go trapezing with his family, and when talking about it, he says it’s “easy trapezy.”  All of Phil’s lame jokes and funny puns are what makes the show worthwhile to watch and they are a really important part of the comic effect of the show. 

            Phil is also known to over react to little things that are really not that big of a deal.  When his wife and two daughters are on the same “cycle,” on Leap Day, Phil expresses his feelings, “It happened. Satan's trifecta. The day I most dreaded had fallen on the day I most loved.” He obviously does not need to react this way, but his emotions in this situation are what make the show enjoyable and funny.  In one of the episodes, he is determined on getting an iPad, and his excitement shows, “Who's ready for the first day of the rest of their lives?”  This line is funny because he is looking forward to getting a new piece of technology, something that not everyone gets this hyped up for.  Whenever Phil overreacts to something small, the episode is more enjoyable to watch and usually can get a few laughs.

            Compared to other characters in the show, Phil is sometimes seen as the complete opposite of someone in his family.  His father-in-law, Jay, is more of a masculine figure than Phil is, and their conversation about something that Phil is wearing shows this foil, “Jay asks what he is wearing and Phil says, “Onion goggles. No more tears. Welcome to the 21st Century. You should get a pair.” "I was just about to suggest the same thing” is what Jay responds with, which shows the jokes  between the two characters.  Jay sometimes jokes around with Phil, such as when Phil says “Who is your son-in-law?” and Jay responds with “Phyllis!” and this is what makes the show funny because Phil and Jay are family and their jokes add to the comic effect.  The differences between characters, especially Phil and Jay add to the funny part of the show.  The viewers of the show obviously find their jokes to be funny, and that is another important part to the show. 

            With all of his funny, opposite, and over exaggerated qualities, Phil Dunphy is what makes Modern Family an entertaining show.  Without the help of his presence, the show would not be as funny or enjoyable to watch.  He would be considered as a round character because he is always expressing different feelings.  He can also be considered as a foil to jay because Jay is more protective and at times more masculine.  Phil is a great addition to the show and he can make any episode funny.

My Modest Proposal

The Problem with Population

Amelia Maloney

Comic Spirit  E

            The world population is constantly growing and is just going to keep growing because so many people are being added to the world.  The problem with population is that there are not enough resources to go around for the growing population, as well as the number of jobs not matching up with the number of people.  There are different ideas to solve the growing population, but do not seem to be working, such as trying to expand the number of resources, educating adults on family planning, and keeping the population numbers to be at a sustainable number.  My idea of solving the population problem is to make sure that the maximum number that adults have is three children, and if they have more, the extra child or children will be sent to a bio dome in Antarctica where they can will take part in a challenging contest.  This seems like a cruel idea, but this will help decrease the population in increments by sending away the extra children. 

            Some families are having more than three children and that is just adding to the growth of the population.  With this idea of sending the extra children away to a less populated location, the families will have less stress as well as decreasing the population.  China was strict about the one child rule, but is now considering relaxing that rule and allowing families to have two children.  This is being considered because the population is becoming unbalanced and this rule has been in effect for three decades.  My environmental science class learned about population control and China was a country of discussion.  Having only two children in China will keep the population in balance; and having the three child rule in America will have the same results. 

            Having too many children will result in economical problems for families.  A family with more than three children will have problems with money and will their children will be forced to suffer.  You would not want to be a fourth or fifth child born into a poor family and have to suffer.  That child would have to walk to school barefoot and would not have anything to enjoy because they are the last child into that family.  That child would wish that they had never been born because of how much they are suffering through, and with this proposal, that child would never have to suffer because of their poor conditions.  There would be no suffering children, and the population would be decreased, or at least stay in balance.

            I learned about the problem with population growth in depth as a part of my environment class.  I learned that mostly developing countries suffer because of population issues and there are many effects due to the problem.  With a large population, resources are becoming scarce and there will not be enough to support the growing number of people at some point in time.  This is a reasonable proposal because after learning about population issues, I realized that the number of people is going to continue to grow, causing more problems. 

            Once the children are in the bio dome, they will be introduced to the contest that they will be taking part in.  The contest, which will include singing and dancing, and also televised, will determine whether or not they will be returning back to their families.  The number of contestants will be decreased every week, leaving the final number of contestants to be three.  Those three will then compete to be in the top two, and then those two people will return back to their families.  The judges will be the adults who are in charge of running the bio dome, and they will be the ones choosing the fate of the top two members.  The losing members will be considered as unimportant and will be forced to stay in the bio dome, where they will live controlled lives until their deaths.

            This contest is branching off of my proposal and will be an entertaining way of decreasing the population.  The extra children of the population will be sent away, and only one child will be sent back every few years.  This will help the population be decreased, or at least stay in balance, which will stabilize the number of resources.  Sending the children away may seem cruel, but there is an entertaining part to this modest proposal.  I think that this is a good idea because it will be decreasing the population as well as providing entertainment to fellow viewers.

A Modest Proposal Analysis

Amelia Maloney

A Modest Proposal for the Devastating Problems in Ireland

            Jonathan Swift uses helpful logos, a dreary tone, and detailed imagery in A Modest Proposal in order to propose the idea that eating babies would solve the problem of famine throughout Ireland.

            This proposal is backed up by different facts that the author has provided from his research.  Swift uses facts such as “I calculate there may be about two hundred thousand couple whose wives are breeders.”  This clearly proves that the author looked deep into the facts about Ireland’s population.  The facts that Swift uses shows the problems in Ireland and when he proposes his idea, the quote “that a child just born will weigh 12 pounds, and in a solar year, if tolerably nursed, encreaseth to 28 pounds” backs up his proposal by explaining how babies will provide as a food source.  The author’s facts and logic are very detailed, “I have already computed the charge of nursing a beggar’s child ( in which list I reckon all cottagers, labourers, and four-fifths if the farmers) to be about two shillings per annum, rags included.”  Without using facts in this proposal, it would not have made any sense and would not have been read by many people.

            The entire mood of the proposal is dark and dreary, but that is what makes it work out in an odd way.  The tone suggests that all families in Ireland are poor and the infants, “at a certain age, who are born of parents in effect as little able to support them, as those who demand our charity in the streets.”  Some of the tone has a hint of dark humor in it, which makes the story somewhat light and funny.  The author chooses his words properly, which makes the story humorous; “I grant this food will be somewhat dear, and therefore very proper for landlords, who, as they have already devoured most of the parents, seem to have the best title to the children.”  The tone of the proposal is mostly dark, and the author shows that in some of the words he chooses; “that a young healthy child well nursed, is at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food.”  Tone helps convey the message of the proposal better and it helps make sense of the story for the reader.    

            Any well written story is able to provide certain examples that paint a picture for the reader.   The author uses very detailed imagery, such as “it is a melancholy object to those, who walk through this great town, or travel in the country, when they see the streets, the roads, and cabin-doors.”  The reader can picture any street or any road with the word choosing that the author uses.  This imagery is somewhat vague, but there is some help as to what the author is trying to describe.  There is more imagery about the children and the families in Ireland, which can convey emotion for the readers, such as “ These mothers instead of being able to work for their honest livelihood are forced to employ all their time in strolling to beg sustenance for their helpless infants…”   Imagery provides examples for the reader and shows that the author put time into writing this piece.

            All three devices help tell the story in a well thought out manner.  Swift uses a dreary tone, detailed imagery, and helpful logos to show what kind of problems is present in Ireland.  Without the help of these devices, the story would not convey any emotion and would not make any sense to the reader.  Swift presented a strange proposal, but with the help of the three devices, it made sense and even seemed reasonable because he backed it up with facts and examples.

"Kiss and Tell" theis and response

Through the comic telling of a night at the theater in "Kiss and Tell", Alain de Botton uses detailed imagery, first person point of view, and one demensional characterization in order to highlight the awkward encountering of one's parents.  One demensional characterization is a well chosen device in telling this story because it helps highlight certain aspects and traits of a certain characters. The mother, Mrs. Rogers, is a well characterized character because there are many aspects to describe her. She seems to be defensive when her daughter asks what she is doing at the play. She also assumes that she is allowed to go as well, "Why shouldn't I be here? You're not the only one who does fancy things with your evenings."  This proves that she is upset that her daughter is asking her why she is her because she is allowed to do as she pleases. Mrs. Rogers is not only defensive, but overbearing as well. When she comments on her daughter's dress, she is using a somewhat sarcastic tone when saying, "Oh well, it's very nice, pity you don't have more of a cleavage for it, but that's your father's fault." She is hiding her tone by saying it's a nice dress, but there is somewhat of an overbearance.  Mrs. Rogers also has a tendency to find the smallest things and create a problem with them when it really isn't that big of a deal. She gets angry at her husband because he accidentally threw away their parking pass. She snaps at him, " My day would be fine if I wasn't lumbered with someone who kept losing tickets to the car park." This isn't that big of a deal, but Mrs. Roger's thinks it is because that's how her personality is. She seems to have problems with every little thing, and that's why she has a defensive and overbearing personality. All of these examples prove the negativity in her personality and what she does to make an issue out of everything.

"Suburban" Thesis

Through a humerous encounter of neighbors, John Ciardi expresses stereotypical behavior through subtle sarcasm, comedy of manner, and numerous entendres to illustrate a humerous manner of thinking for suboratory women.

" Naked Lunch" Thesis

Through the story of a reuntitng couple in "Naked Lunch" Michael Hollinger utilizes detailed imagery, satrical irony, and abusive tone in order to highlight what happens when someone in a former realtionship is clearly unhappy when the realtionship is "locked in a struggle" and there is a large amount of tension.