"Jesus Shaves" - Sedaris understanding of Humor

 Katie West 

February 8, 2020 


David Sedaris's collection, The Best of Me, creates, what I believe to be, a more common and neutral sense of humor (especially when in comparison to Ibry). Sedaris also uses many of the foundational philosophical elements of humor which we discussed last week within his writing. A perfect example that focuses on many aspects of humor is Sedaris’s essay, “Jesus Shaves”. This essay uses many tactics seen from philosophy; however, it is also on a very neutral level, it is appealing to everyone and is not too boring or too grotesque.

David Sedaris opens this essay with a simple question, yet this question creates and builds into the description of a classroom setting. Sedaris immediately sets the tone for his mediocre care for French, and France, by stating that he will be “home and cleaning my oven” (69) on Bastille Day, the national French holiday to celebrate their country. He even later states that it was his “habit to tune out my fellow students” (Sedaris, 69). This statement begins Sedaris's certain appeal to humor in which he is tapping into the common grounds of many people since many people understand the feeling of drifting off in class. And he expands on this humor which so many can relate to by sharing his feeling towards that one particular classmate, “and took every opportunity to demonstrate her superiority” (Sedaris, 70). This is compelling to me here because this statement is funny because most Americans understand this feeling. Sedaris is not too harsh or grotesque—he is appealing to a simple feeling we have all felt before and no matter what age. 

“Jesus Shaves” is an interesting essay because it contains a very cultural intriguing point, along with making a statement. Sedaris shifts the narrative to something more worldly as he expands this essay into topics of religion (yet, doing it in a very nonchalant manner) while also emphasizing a cultural focus. Sedaris also uses dialogue between his fellow students and teacher to create humor. We see this idea and philosophy in Traditional Theories of Laughter and Humor when Plato and Socrates discuss how we laugh at our friends and peers when one slips up. Or better known as finding pleasure in other's pain. Sedaris shows an example of this as he pokes fun at the lostness, confusion, and awful way his classmates describe the holiday Easter. Sedaris shares their dialogue stating, 

“The rest of the class jumped in, offering bits of information that would have given the pope an aneurysm.”

“He nice, the Jesus.”

“He make good things, and on the easter, we be sad because somebody makes him die today” (71). 

This dialogue highlights Plato’s understanding of finding pleasure in your friends’ pain, or in Sedaris’s case—finding pleasure in your classmate’s confusion. 

        Sedaris expands this essay into a humorous account of the description, purpose, and explanation of the American Easter bunny describing it as “everything that is wrong with my country” (71) while comparing to France’s Easter bell. This humor account not only causes the reader to laugh at the pure absurdity of some American traditions and holidays but also see it from a broader view. 

        “Jesus Shaves” ends with Sedaris weaving in a lesson into his humorous essay. He states that “nothing we said was any help to the Moroccan student” (72) highlighting how his classmate's dialogue was pure comedy and not helpful or informational. However, the way this essay concludes is the most interesting part; Sedaris writes, “my heart expanded to encompass all the wonders and possibilities of the universe. A bell, though—that’s fucked” (73). Sedaris concludes this piece by clearly juxtaposing a meaningful life lesson to concise humor. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sedaris' hyperbolism in "The incomplete Quad"

  When I began reading David Sedaris’ collection of essays in The Best of Me, I was turned off by the apparent smugness that came through the narrator. Even though it is apparent through his over-the-top hyperbolic style and tone, I left feeling unamused and a bit disgusted. Plainly, I felt as though the themes and motifs that Sedaris incorporates into these short anecdotes were muddled by the writer’s constant proclivity towards the antithetical virtues of a naive narrator. That being said, there is one particular essay that I did admire for its succinct message. In “The Incomplete Quad”, I was struck by the selfishness of the narrator and his inability to understand the nature of kindness. Sedaris weaves his narrative through his time at Kent State University where he took care of a paraplegic named Peg with Muscular Dystrophy. Throughout the short essay, Sedaris recalls the delinquent activities Peg and him engaged in from shoplifting to hitchhiking home to North Carolina from Ohi
Read more

Nuance is the Key to Sarcasm

Anyone with a lick of a sense of humor understands the benefits that  “The Surprising Benefits of Sarcasm” proffers. In fact, as I was reading the introductory remarks, in which the author puts forth straw man arguments about the potentially detrimental side effects of sarcasm, I found myself repeating one word whenever a new study was introduced: nuance. The benefits of sarcasm get past the surface level of the conversation and force participants to think critically at the moment to understand what the sarcastic comment articulates through context clues. Moreover, it is the nuance of the form that unveils its power and benefits.  In recognizing this fact, and being a part of the first generation to grow up on the internet, it became evidently apparent how off-base some of the studies being presented were. For instance, the study observing the recognition of sarcasm in text and in vocal portrayal began with hypotheses that are not based on any understanding of human behavior and comm
Read more