7-7:10pm: Has anyone laughed lately? At a certain point, don’t you just have to laugh? And notice, this is a QUESTION. Not a judgment or statement.
7:10-7:30pm: Let’s talk about humor in Composition. How is humor part of composition? How can humor be literature? What is the value to humor? Has anyone heard of David Sedaris? If so, what do you know?
7:30-7:50pm: Analyzing humor, comedy, anything that makes us laugh. What does it do to the writing? Just make it entertaining, or something else?
7:50-8pm: Finding funny in everything…. Can it be done?
8-8:20pm: Humor in our lives, in our families, in some of the dumb stuff we do…. What do you think? Me, I have to laugh at myself when I f/ck up, otherwise it poisons my mood and vibe.
8:20-8:40: David Sedaris…. Someone who writes differently. In a diary then to a formal essay. He teaches us not just about comedy, but about writing an essay. To enjoy the liberated writing in a diary or journal first, then organize. To make writing yours!
8:40-8:50: Close…. What do you have in your notes/on tonight’s page?
ASSIGNMENT: 1, Research David Sedaris. 2, type and EMAIL ME a 2-page reaction to your findings on Sedaris…. What do you think of him? What is he like? What sources did you find useful? (HINT: Watch his videos on YouTube, to start!). 3, write out your goals for this semester, not just for this class but all-encompassing, and write how you plan to satisfy them. Be prepared to discuss next meeting.
Also, I will be starting my Zoom office hours next week, by appointment. Stay tuned!
#professormikey 
I think I started doing it when I began to realize how other peoples opinion of me didn’t define me. I struggled with that in my mid to late teens which I’m sure many do at that age, considering how confusing being a teen is! Once I moved out, made new friends, and spent more time with my self, I realized I was actually really funny and that I really enjoy my own company. I’d say it definitely has to to with having a positive opinion about yourself that helps being able to make fun of yourself and not take it in a negative manner!
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So true. Be a fan of you.
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Humor in writing not only helps connect the reader to a story, but it also makes it feel real.If the writer can incorporate a sense of realism into their work the reader can identify more easily with the characters. And doing so it can bring about real emotions during tense scenes and have a person hooked on their work.
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Yes, I do think you can find funny in everything but to do so one would have to have an optimistic approach towards life and only through this perspective we can find good humor in almost anything.
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SO agree.
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7:50 Definitely, you could find funny in everything but there are times where you had to be serious!
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There should be boundaries, humor shouldnt be used as a reason to be an a-hole.
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Yeah… but sometimes being an a//hole is fun.
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Yes, To an extent. People find ways to make serious scenarios seem funny. Such as clips we all know we shouldn’t laugh at but we still do. After we think to ourselves “I’m going to hell for laughing at that.” I do not know if this is relatable but I know i have said this to myself multiple times.
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100% agree
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Boundaries with humor are difficult, but yeah anything can be found funny.
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A note for your notes….. In order to write humor, you have to be a fan of YOU.
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love that!
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Enjoy!!
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Yes, there can be humor found in almost everything, I say “almost” because as someone said above, there are certain topics/situations where there is no humor to them.
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I would like to think so, so long as the person isn’t being disrespectful and the timing is appropriate.
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Yes.
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I absolutely think humor can be found anywhere and in all kinds of situations! Whether it should or not is another story; definitely some situation that should remain serious even if humor is giving you the death stare.
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I love the death-stare, and the uncomfortable silence in the classroom on that first day of class. I think that sh/t is f/cking hilarious.
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I believe you can find fun in anything, it is a matter on how open you are to find something funny out of something terrible
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I think humor can be found in everything, but it really depends on the point of view of whoever is looking at it. Some may find certain humor funny. while others don’t. It is all in the perspective
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So true.
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I believe that everything can be funny at the right time!
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Timing is imperative.
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Where is the humor in YOUR life? Your family? Tell us a story…. 🙂
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I feel like you can find humor in most situations. There’s a lot of things that we don’t find funny but then later on laugh about and I feel like this generation also has a lot of dark humor so we tend to find humor in non humorous things. But I also feel that there are certain things that are just so sad or traumatizing and just overall not cool.
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Yes…. there are boundaries. But in terms of perspective, if it helps you feel better….? I don’t know, interesting…
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I think humor can be found in anything depending on the way your perceive it so in a way “anything can be funny” but at the same time there are certain issues or scenarios that be because of its individual impact or impact on society viewing it with the perspective of humor can be hurtful or devaluing to others or the subject. But as a general statement there are far less topics humor can’t be used in than there are that can be.
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I think there are no boundaries in whats funny and whats not as long as you are directly affected by the subject at hand instead of say someone else.
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I think what i’m trying to say is funny must also respect others.
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YES.
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Speaking from personal experience, yes you can defitnely find humor in everything.
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I just told my punk-ass 8 year-old to wrap up playing with his sister and get ready for bed. That little sh/t straight up said, “No, SON.” And I laughed. There’s my comedy, where I am, who I am, my family…. So valuable, such moments.
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HAHAHAHA
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AHAHAHAHAHA too funny!
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LOL!!!
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My friends and family definitely. I feel like whats funny to my family wouldnt be funny to my friends and vice versa.
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Humor is an everyday thing. We laugh at ourselves and each other in any situation.
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Good!! Write some of it down!!
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Humor in my life comes through my friends, being with them is always fun espceially because we have our inside jokes and get along really well.
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That’s great. So healthy.
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Family funny is the best I have a 14 year old son and so often he say stuff that I say all the time. Especially the smart ass things. Like just the other day he was grabbing a cookie and I gave hime my stern voice,”did you ask for that”. He looked straight at me and said “better to ask forgiveness than beg for permission”, and just walked off. I just started laughing and walked the other way.
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Love it!!!! Thank you for sharing!!
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A note for your notes….. Learn from people. Love people more. That will lead you to write, more healthy comedic consideration of life, and more time for you. More love of YOUR life.
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I have always used laughter to cover-up the embracing stupid thing that I do.
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Yes! I do the same!
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Note for your notes….. Comedic writing demands freewriting. Don’t think, just write.
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In my family we laugh about everything even when it started sad. And we always try to leave drama from our homes there.
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Nice!
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Yes, humor could be anything even if it’s bad because one time my husband got hurt and it was funny but I didn’t want to laugh because he will get mad but I couldn’t hold it in and I started laughing.
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Besides me just being such the comedian and cracking myself up, humor also comes in my life through my sister and friends. Especially my sister though. When we are together, I always end up with my face tried from all the smiling and eye squinting as well as my lungs begging me to chill out from all the laughing. She’s really funny.
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Like I said, I am the type of person that can make any situation into a good laughable moment. In my family, my older brother and myself are the clowns and its because the way we connect to someone is by making you laugh, by making you come out of your shell. Laughing to some I feel is a voulnerable thing, almost as if, they laugh with you, you get to see more of who they truly are. If that makes any sense. It’s like when someone sees you cry, your seeing their true emotions and what can make them come out.
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I live in Coffey Park, and was displaced after the ’17 fires. We were in a hotel for like 6 weeks. That sh/t was hella funny… All of it written. Just re-read my notes the other day. Priceless. My son asked me if he could get a drink with me at the bar. I responded, “Naw homie…”
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I feel like that makes for the best relationships! LOL
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He’s awesome. I’m sure you guys will see him in one of my videos…
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I try to make the humor in my life meaning usually i’m the one trying to get the people around me to laugh
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In my life there is humor within my family and friends. Whenever I’m around my family we make fun of each other all the time and it makes my day. When I’m around my friends we tell each other jokes or we tell each talk about the situation we were in.
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My brothers are very funny. Sometimes if I’m having a bad day, they say things in a way that makes me laugh. I will have to write them down sometime
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A note for your notes….. Since this is an English class, take note of where Sedaris places his humor. Where is it in the argument he’s making, the observations he’s sharing. If you want to be a stronger reader, this will help.
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The other day my cousins and I were talking and we decided that we should start a podcast with all of our random conversations. We are constantly laughing when we’re together and we feel like we can make other people laugh. Some of the stuff we talk about is pretty insignificant like Oreo’s or buffalo wings, but we literally had an hour long conversation about those two things on Saturday and we were constantly laughing.
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I also agree with what you said on the class notes for today, that you have to laugh at yourself when you mess up because no one is perfect so there is no point in being bitter over a situation that you can just laugh off.
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Just something I’ve found helpful. Thanks Noah!
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Mood is such a severe strand to writing humor, as Sedaris shows us. 🙂
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Sedaris sounds hilarious
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He’s great. And, he relives his life comedically and shares it with such intention and generosity. You’ll love him. If you haven’t already, watch some or all of his YouTube videos.
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My little sister and her friend found a frog and decided they were going to secretly keep it as a pet without anyone knowing. We shortly all found out after they were frantically running through the house and tore apart her room when the frog went missing. They never found it until a week later when we heard my dad scream from the shower! We all laughed pretty hard at dinner.
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A note for your notes….. When you find yourself stressed, anxious or depressed, try making fun of yourself. But, IN WRITING. This is something I do, and it really does help. Have a comical conversation with self. And, enjoy. 🙂
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Very true
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I usually do all the “deep”stuff in my journal. Definitely going to give this a try in my notes!
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Enjoy!!!
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When are we officially reading Sedaris?
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Over the coming weekend, my friend!!
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Me and my younger sister take nothing seriously. We laugh at anything and everything. It makes life very enjoyable when you can take stuff less seriously and laugh.
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I’m hungry. And getting cranky. And I find it hilarious. Much of comedy is a series of inward jots, conversations with self… Just a note I’m sharing, like Sedaris.
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I’m hungry too…
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I am also hungry. I missed dinner, now i’m opening and closing my fridge as if it is the microwave from the first spy kids movie and food will magically appear already made.
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I want to learn how to cook. That was one of my quarantine projects. So was having a pet dragon.
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You too? I think most of us had wanted a pet dragon at some point in our life. The idea of owning a pet the size of your house was amazing. Until later in life you realize you would be in charge of cleaning up after it, then its not so appealing
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I actually don’t want a pet dragon. I already have two pet dragons. My kids. One of them actually breathes fire, or speaks it at least.
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I was starving earlier today cause I didn’t get to eat lunch. but as soon as I got home i made an egg and ham sandwich, and just finished a bowl of Frosted Flakes and now I’m super full.
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Why do my neighbors have so many big-a/s trucks? Are they invading a country soon? (Something I just wrote in my journal…)
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That is what I’m asking about my neighbors and they have newspaper on their windows..creepy.
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I’m sure they’ve killed people. Stay safe.
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Let’s talk Sedaris…. What do you know? Go to YouTube really quick… like a minute or two.. tell us what you think, what’s your first impression?
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I always laugh at myself when I mess up or accidentally hurt myself because I do it all the time. The best thing about it is I see it as a learning experience or a sign of growth.
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Even at the young age that i’m at i’ve grown to realize that if you can’t laugh at a loss and learn from it that you”ll never be able to progress from it. Even if it means accepting that you failed laughing at a situation and progressing is way better then denying the f?ck up.
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Yep. And when you write it, and share it, it’s an act of kindness.
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Sedaris is FEARLESS, but as well compassionate and generous. Great human…
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A note for your notes….. USE YOUR GODD/MN JOURNAL!!! Teach yourself, learn from YOU… be a wild and ravenous fan of your days.
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I listened to a few minutes of Sedaris talking on a podcast and I learned he likes to write things down in his diary rather than type on a computer. I also love writing freely on a piece of paper rather than typing onto a document. I will probably listen to the whole thing after this. My first impression is that he is genuine and funny.
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