Gender and Stereotype in Sitcom Essay Example for Free

Gender and Stereotype in Sitcom Essay In both sitcoms, Black Books and Men Behaving Badly, comedy is generated and dependant on the representation of stereotypes shown through characters. Some follow stereotypes and others dont, but throughout both sitcoms, this is where the humor comes from, and this is extremely visible in the two episodes chosen for each sitcom. In Men Behaving Badly, the two main characters, Tong and Gary have fixed views on gender and couldnt be closer to the modern day stereotype of a youngish male. They are two men who are lager swilling and football crazy, and even though both in their thirties, adult life hasnt dawned on either just quite yet. The mise en scene of their flat is very boyish and the pub is dark and dingy. They never change throughout the sitcom and seem extremely content with their laidback lifestyles. Much of the humor is generated from this because the middle aged male audience can relate, and wish they were in that situation. The audience will understand their jokes and think of the times when they were probably the same. This behavior also allows them to get away with much more, for example in this episode neither gets back from the pub until the early hours and Gary misses Dorothy specially prepared romantic meal but avoids confrontation. They also both have female companions. Dorothy is Garys on/off girlfriend who is always extremely forgiving, and could be considered as the female stereotype in many aspects. She says she wants a proper relationship, but knows its unlikely with Gary. She cooks him romantic meals and is always working hard to please him. Deborah on the other hand is not in a relationship with Tony, but knows she can use him for a bit of fun whenever she likes. An example is at the end of this episode when she tells him to wait outside for her naked in the shed in the early hours of the morning, for the second time in a matter of weeks. Tony obviously falls for it, with him being the sex crazed stereotypical man that he is portrayed to be, and comedy is generated from this. Deborah on the other hand, is the stereotype of the attractive and sophisticated girl upstairs, the one who is definitely most likely to take advantage of men. Women can relate to these characters, with the struggles they go through and the laughs they have mocking their men, and this is how the audience is formed. The whole audience is able to relate through the portrayal of stereotype in this sitcom, and humor is generated along the way. Men will find the parts played by the men funny, and the women watching vice versa, but it can be viewed by all in confidence that laughs will arise from any episode. The women mock the men, but the men get their own back with their loutish, get away with anything attitudes, and by the end everyone is satisfied. On the other hand, in Black Books, most of the comedy is generated due to characters deviating from their stereotypes. Bernard is the only main character who does not. He is a stereotypical Irishman, who is an incredibly easygoing, drinking smoking lout, whose witty humor generates from him ordering about his only employee and best friend Manny. Manny is the other half to this relationship, and the much more the feminine personality wise. His appearance is of a hippy, and for much of the time he is acting as the forgiving wife to Bernards demanding husband role. Bernard tells Manny that he hasnt washed his things, and Manny replies politely, I want a herb garden. In their relationship though they both conform to stereotypes, Bernard of the bad husband and Manny of the forgiving wife. Bernard is forever ungrateful for Mannys effort for example he says after Manny has spent time cooking a meal, What kind of filth is spewing out of your hatch tonight?. Manny is used to it though, and just ignores his petulance. Bernard also mocks Mannys female ways in saying that, Ill wait until you put your teeth in dear, before speaking to Manny. In the episode watched, much of the comedy derives from this repeated bickering between the two, and contrasting stereotypes. They both eventually go and see a psychiatrist who almost changes roles a round, but eventually, as with every episode, the equilibrium is restored by the end, and Mannys subordinate role is re-established. The third main character in the sitcom is Fran, and she is much the glue between the two males as she can relate to both ways of life and confront their problems. She derives greatly from her stereotype though, and acts as an extremely masculine female, smoking and drinking, and is told by her friend she smells. In this particular episode Fran even tries to make a menz to her ways by stopping drinking and smoking and taking up yoga, but this vision is not long lived. When her friend Eva and she are together the mise en scene is bright, light and modern, but by the end of the episode she is back as being considered one of the boys in the way. She returns to the dingy bookshop and has the last line in this particular episode, a belch, which sums her up in a way. By the end of the episode the unity of the group is definitely restored, and so are all normal ways of living. Manny and Frans deviations from stereotype are back in place and Bernards was never in doubt. This particular sitcom provides a different type of comedy to Men Behaving Badly; in that stereotypes do not have to be adhered to in order to produce comedy. A different type of humor is created, whereby the audience is laughing at the characters rather than relating to them. All in all, the humor created by both situation comedies comes back to the portrayal of stereotype, or deviation of it by characters, but Black Books just shows a different edge to how it can depend on the stereotypical representation of gender in situation comedies.

Racism and Sexism in Toni Morrisons Sula Essay -- Toni Morrison Sula

Racism and Sexism in Toni Morrison's Sula Racism and sexism are both themes that are developed throughout the novel Sula, by Toni Morrison. The book is based around the black community of "The Bottom," which itself was established on a racist act. Later the characters in this town become racist as well. This internalized racism that develops may well be a survival tactic developed by the people over years, which still exists even at the end of the novel. The two main characters of this novel are Nel Wright and Sula Peace. They are both female characters and are often disadvantaged due to their gender. Nel and Sula are depicted as complete opposites that come together to almost complete one another through their once balanced friendship. Nel is shown to be a good character because she plays a socially acceptable role as a woman, submissive wife and mother, while Sula conforms to no social stereotypes and lets almost nothing hold her back, thus she is viewed as evil by the people in her community. Both women are judged b y how well they fit into the preconceived social conventions and stereotypes that exist in "the Bottom." The social conventions that are set up in this book play out in a small black community in Ohio called "the Bottom." The community itself formed when a white slave owner tricked his naà ¯ve black slave into accepting hilly mountainous land that would be hard to farm and very troublesome instead of the actual bottom (fertile valley) land that he was promised. The slave was told "when God looks down, it's the bottom. That's why we call it so. It's the bottom of heaven-best land there is" (4), and on the basis of this lie a community was formed. Its almost as if the towns misfortune is passed down ... ... what happened as a turn in life and does not feel like she is the cause of Chicken Little's death. She mourns his death and then moves on. Sula has a feminist spirit and refuses to melt into the typical mold of a woman. She "discovered years before that [she was] neither white nor male, and that all freedom and triumph was forbidden to [her]" (52). Because of this she decides to lead her life on her own terms. Sula encounters both racism and sexism and is placed in a situation in which she has no release for her wild spirit. She cannot live out in the world with the freedoms of a man, but doesn't want to live as a stereotypically sheltered woman either. In attempting to break these boundaries she is hated by the town and viewed as an "evil" person by the community in which she lives. Works Cited: Morrison, Toni. Sula. Plume. New York: 1973.

Is It True That Acting Quickly and Instinctively Is the Best Response to a Crisis Essay

â€Å"A man who waits to believe in action before acting is anything you like, but he is not a man of action. It is as if a tennis player before returning the ball stopped to think about his views of the physical and mental advantages of tennis. You must act as you breathe.† – Georges Clemenceau Is it true that acting quickly and instinctively is the best response to a crisis? Or are there times when an urgent situation requires a more careful consideration and a slower response? Differentiating circumstances determine the best course of action to take whether it is a carefully constructed and slower response or a quick instinctive reaction to a crisis; it all depends on the level of urgency and time and resources available. Literature and history have shown how different responses may have a positive or negative outcome. Events of the past illustrate what type of response is the best for certain situations such as the carrying out cardiopulmonary resuscitation or the planned escape of Romeo and Juliet in the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare or the response to America’s division in 1860 over the possession of African American slaves resulting in the American Civil War of 1861-1865. Situations which may determine life or death with a very short time span available always need a quick, urgent and instinctive response. A response like one to perform CPR on a stranger suffering a cardiac arrest, this response is initiated by the natural human instinct to protect and save another’s life. An urgent situation such as this one has only one response method and that is one of action as acclaimed by Georges Clemenceau as every second wasted adds to the possibility of death of the patient. Many situations especially those involving relationships need an objectively assessed response planned, a response with an absence of subjective emotion. The play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare exemplifies this notion. The two lovers act passionately out of emotion and adoration for the other that they do not fully consider the outcomes and results of their actions. In this scenario either an objective observer or a rational decision from an insider needs to occur to determine their paths of action. Because they both acted irrationally and emotionally influenced it resulted in the eventual heartbreaking demise of both Romeo and Juliet. History proves the embody the ideals of planned responses as a course of action to an urgent situation like one of divided nationalism and prospective anarchy. Close to the start of the American Civil War in 1861, America was divided between the southern states defending their right to slavery of African Americans and the rest of the country. The southern states in general rebelled against Lincoln’s leadership and denied his authority over them leading to imminent anarchy that he was forced to go to war in order to reassert that authority and leadership and unite the country. Up until this present day it is still debatable whether he should or should not have gone to war but it opens up the questions and the possibilities of a calmer planned response. The atrocities of the American Civil War shed light on the ideals of a slower planned reaction to the crisis. However it is undeniable that either response, instinctive or planned, would have both effective and detrimental effects on the country but to what extent is the question. History, literature and day to day tales of crises and solutions have taught us that the time of response to a catastrophe required is entirely dependent on that certain circumstance and its own level of urgency and time and resources accessible.

Honor Killing The Massie Case - 898 Words

Honor Killing The Massie case is a very important case historically, where we can learn from out mistakes and hope that the injustices would not be repeated. One of the most important aspects of the case is its location, Hawai i. Described as an American playground for the wealthy Hawai i was a paradise controlled by wealthy Americans (Stannard 23). Even though it was not yet a U.S. state, at the time of the case, the ideas and influence of Americans overruled that of the native Hawaiians. This is shown especially when the alleged rape of Thalia Massie became public. Even before a trial was held, most people believed the six men to be guilty just because of their race and who the victim was, a white woman and the wife of a navy officer. David Stannard reinforces the idea that the alleged rape, murder of Joseph Kahahawai, and the outcome of both trials could have only happened in Hawai i during the 1930s in his book Honor Killing. The three reasons for this are that all of the suspects were either Hawaiian or Asian, most Americans living in Hawai i at the time were wealthy, and Hawai i was not a U.S. state until 1950. When Thalia Massie was describing her attackers, she said she had been kiddnapped and beaten by a gang of Hawaiians (Stannard 101). When people heard that the alleged attackers were Hawaiian they immediately believed Thalia s story. At the time, in 1931, there was extreme prejudice against the native Hawaiians and the people in control were moreShow MoreRelatedLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 Pages......................................................................................... 488 The Scientific Method ........................................................................................................................ 490 Some Case Studies ............................................................................................................................. 491 Review of Major Points .....................................................................................