Paper 2- Humor on Gabriel Iglesias
XXL Comedy
The extra extra-large Hawaiian shirts might not even size up to the comedic revolution Gabriel Iglesias is spreading worldwide. Great lead in! The stereotypical Mexican, white people, and redneck content are easy targets for Iglesias’ acts. "Caucasian" sounds more legit than "white people." But something else sets him apart from a majority of famous comedians. “You’re not fat, you’re fluffy,” his mother told him when he was a child. Unlike most children, he accepted it, and ran with it. Expand on this family dynamic. The extreme universalism of his content and acts is revolutionizing stand-up as we know it today by making his surprisingly non-offensive clean material hilarious.
In reference to all the cake he had brought home one night, Iglesias says “Well, eventually, I’m not going to eat it all in one hit. You know freaking two days later…... CLEAR (Thud)!” Post video clip of this... somewhat confusing. His crude reference to his own obesity and a heart attack in Chocolate cake Made Me Late capitalize cake is a creative way of allowing his mockery of obesity to the public. It would not have the same effect if a 100 pound man stood up on stage and poked fun at the obese; there would be quite a bit of hostility. For most, especially women, weight is a sensitive subject. Perhaps Iglesias’ ability to joke with the matter comes from a blend of his gender and his mother telling him young. Why is it funny when the 6XL man jokes about being fat though? Obesity and being overweight are issues that everyone knows Americans struggle with today. So when the 6XL man jokes about the struggle, it feels acceptable for the audience to react by laughing. Weight being an extremely relatable topic for many Americans is one causal factor to Iglesias’ act that constantly rivets his audience. Consider using a comma in the sentence above. Iglesias ran with his mother’s fluffy idea and based his entire unit of comedy on being Hot and Fluffy. Possessing the ability to joke about your own obesity in front of millions of viewers says something about a person. Iglesias retains a constant light heartedness about his weight and always has. Perhaps coming from his loving mother at a young age transformed his views on being overweight. -- fragment. Good family dynamics could surely be a firm root of his hilarity.
In Chocolate Cake Made Me Late, Iglesias’ act is based upon his girlfriend and his son. Not once does he mention brothers, sisters, or parents. After reading his interview with Marc Cabrera, it then becomes apparent that Iglesias struggles with a split life because of his comedy. The reason for his content lacking jokes about his parents and siblings is because his relationships with them are not joking matters. Because of his recent fame, Iglesias’ relationships with his immediate family have diminished. Explain. In the interview Iglesias vents by saying “Don't get me wrong, with my girl and my kid it's okay, but with my mom and siblings and other members of the family, it kind of sucks bro. Because they see me as something else now. I got a brother who calls me ‘Hollywood.’ Sisters kind of keep their distance. Even my mom is kind of like ‘ahhh’ with me. Yeah dude, it really sucks. And I wish things were different. Unfortunately, they don't understand everything I go through on a day to day basis to be able to maintain what I'm doing.” With a comedian, the audience is under the notion that everything in the comedian’s life is flawless because of his or her ability to be happy and hilarious on stage. With Gabriel Iglesias, it becomes apparent that a split life might actually be common and that struggle could also be a source of his joviality on stage. Great analysis.
Another component to Iglesias’ persona on stage stems from his universal content. What does that mean? In contrast to the majority of comedians, Iglesias promises that all of his content actually comes from personal experience either by himself or by observing friends. When pondered, that is actually an incredible gift. He takes his everyday life and is able to twist it and make millions of people laugh with a common narrative of his life experiences. Iglesias calls his content the embellished truth. "I hang out with funny, eccentric people. Then throw in a little alcohol, and you get some great stories," he says. Nice use of quote! His style of comedy and the way in which he obtains his material are key elements as to why his stereotypical impersonations are generally not offensive. His stereotypical Mexican and white woman impersonations are utilized in a way in which they cause laughter but not hostility among the audience. Is this because of his persona/looks? Elaborate... The majority of the content from other comedians such as Katt Williams, Dane Cook, and Chris Rock is developed from absurdities. Example? Gabriel Iglesias on the other hand creates his impersonations all from experience. In the clip, Iglesias portrays the conventional Mexican man not understanding where to drop off his son, which in reality, if A Mexican man does not speak English, he is not going to know where to drop off his son. In addition, the white woman impersonation could be viewed as accurate and non-offensive as well. Iglesias depicts the white principal with broken Spanish as a typical American probably would have. Video clip! If anything, Iglesias gives credit to the white woman for understanding the Mexican man and his fluent Spanish. When Gabriel Iglesias actually experiences all of the content he jokes about, it is very difficult to be offended by his work on stage.
The universalism to his content makes it possible to keep a loyal fan base. “That's why you have to take care of people on your way up, because if you take care of people on the way up, when you're on your way out, they'll make your landing a little bit softer,” Iglesias commented on his loyal fans. Iglesias makes it very easy for a fan to enjoy listening and watching an act of his. When the generally clean content is hilarious yet respectful, it is generally impossible to dislike. That's a matter of opinon... elaborate why clean content/ Iglesias's morals lead to amiable emotions. In the selected clip Chocolate cake Made Me Late, only two minor derogatory words are used; damn and hell, both in a playful context. Clean content is often funnier than content with a curse word every 3 or 4 seconds in the act. When a curse word is utilized properly in comedy, it throws off the audience which results in roaring laughter. Gabriel Iglesias does just that with his 1 to 2 curse word acts.
Gabriel Iglesias’ humor and content stems from many components. His universal content allows him to perform in Saliinas, Jordan and still receive roaring laughter in return. His split family and family dynamics give him part of his content and allows him to be aware of what he can write jokes about. His clean content sets him apart from a majority of comedians. His style of “funny reporting” from experience as he calls it, allows him to provide the audience with clean and non-offensive content. Finally, his ability to joke about his obesity creates a mood within the audience and viewers that leaves them wanting more. Don't just sum up your paper... more analysis!
MY PEER REVIEW:
Structure:
Shana's title attracted my interest because it tactfully revealed the topic of her paper. However, she definitely could have used an epigraph to introduce the content. I suggested using a quote of Iglesias's to kickstart the essay. The first line of her paper was memorable; it definitely made me want to keep reading. Shana's thesis wasn't completely developed or as narrow as it could be. However, the great thing about doing an essay on a stand up comedian, is that there's so much material build a thesis on. I told Shana that she should expand upon the idea of Iglesias's lack of vulgarity. She needed to insert some video clips of Iglesias's family friendly material! Shana's flow between paragraphs is well done–her transition sentences allow the paragraphs to meld together. I especially like the transition between the second and third paragraphs: Shana went from talking about his family to analyzing how he talks about his family.
The sentences included in the essay portion are concise and easy to read and there were no vague antecedents. Shana should, however, include some more visuals. I think that the essay would really benefit by incorporating some visuals of Iglesias on stage. These images would also add to the comedic tone of the paper. Shana carries the humorous tone throughout the paper which is perfect considering that the paper is about a stand up comedian. Shana does a great job of keeping the energy up throughout the piece, and her use of adjectives and describing words really keeps the audience's attention.
Mechanics:
Shana's tense use is consistent. The entire essay stays in present tense the whole time. Shana's use of punctuation is correct and she uses some great short sentences to pack a punch. However, Shana could use more vivid, active verbs in her paper in order to really convey the comedic tone.
No comments:
Post a Comment