Family Guy Rhetorical Analysis
Composition II
19 March 2015
To Watch or Not Watch Family Guy
In recent discussions of the show Family Guy, a controversial issue has been whether it should be watched or not. Family Guy is a television show that has been on air for over a dozen seasons, but it has been criticized greatly over the years and has gained media controversy due to its inappropriate and distasteful jokes. The show does in fact make jokes about celebrities and situations in a manner that causes serious conflict amongst some viewers. Family Guy is a comedy intended for adult viewers that enjoy this type of humor, so if it is not appealing to you, you should just refrain from watching the show. Despite the negative aspect of the jokes and the language being used, …show more content…
Pathos is incorporated by her sense of humor through diction. Peacocke uses ethos by introducing Sigmund Freud, a famous psychologist of the 20th century, and his book, Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious. “…the joke appears to be a wrongly constructed word, something unintelligible, and puzzling. [We] realize that this meaningless word has bewildered us and has then shown us its true meaning” (Freud 28). The idea of using satires to make the jokes in Family Guy are not meant to be hurtful and offensive, but its addressing American Culture and the stereotypes that people create amongst each …show more content…
One piece of dialogue involved a commercial set that was taken place in the 1950’s displaying women in the workplace. It shows a businessman speaking into the camera describing how to make sure women feel comfortable in the workplace. Seth McFarlane complicates matters further when he includes in the skit “And remember, nothing says “Good job!” like a firm open-palm slap on the behind” (Peacocke 302). In making this comment, it’s obvious that some people are going to find this skit sexist, given its view on female workers. However, when increasing our perception and thinking outside the box, it’s clear that this skit is not putting women down, but rather mocking how women were once treated in the workplace during that specific era. The second piece of dialogue she pulls from the show involves Brian, the dog, and Stewie. This dialogue demonstrates how Stewie is obsessed with the Oprah Winfrey Book Club. Some may consider this to be just dumb senseless humor, but Peacocke again displays the true satirical humor behind it. “Brian and Stewie demonstrate insightfully and comically how Americans are willing to follow the instructions of a celebrity blindly – and less willing to admit that they are doing so” (Peacocke 304). In this episode, they were merely just putting out America’s obsession of celebrities and television. This shows how Peacocke uses logical
19 March 2015
To Watch or Not Watch Family Guy
In recent discussions of the show Family Guy, a controversial issue has been whether it should be watched or not. Family Guy is a television show that has been on air for over a dozen seasons, but it has been criticized greatly over the years and has gained media controversy due to its inappropriate and distasteful jokes. The show does in fact make jokes about celebrities and situations in a manner that causes serious conflict amongst some viewers. Family Guy is a comedy intended for adult viewers that enjoy this type of humor, so if it is not appealing to you, you should just refrain from watching the show. Despite the negative aspect of the jokes and the language being used, …show more content…
Pathos is incorporated by her sense of humor through diction. Peacocke uses ethos by introducing Sigmund Freud, a famous psychologist of the 20th century, and his book, Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious. “…the joke appears to be a wrongly constructed word, something unintelligible, and puzzling. [We] realize that this meaningless word has bewildered us and has then shown us its true meaning” (Freud 28). The idea of using satires to make the jokes in Family Guy are not meant to be hurtful and offensive, but its addressing American Culture and the stereotypes that people create amongst each …show more content…
One piece of dialogue involved a commercial set that was taken place in the 1950’s displaying women in the workplace. It shows a businessman speaking into the camera describing how to make sure women feel comfortable in the workplace. Seth McFarlane complicates matters further when he includes in the skit “And remember, nothing says “Good job!” like a firm open-palm slap on the behind” (Peacocke 302). In making this comment, it’s obvious that some people are going to find this skit sexist, given its view on female workers. However, when increasing our perception and thinking outside the box, it’s clear that this skit is not putting women down, but rather mocking how women were once treated in the workplace during that specific era. The second piece of dialogue she pulls from the show involves Brian, the dog, and Stewie. This dialogue demonstrates how Stewie is obsessed with the Oprah Winfrey Book Club. Some may consider this to be just dumb senseless humor, but Peacocke again displays the true satirical humor behind it. “Brian and Stewie demonstrate insightfully and comically how Americans are willing to follow the instructions of a celebrity blindly – and less willing to admit that they are doing so” (Peacocke 304). In this episode, they were merely just putting out America’s obsession of celebrities and television. This shows how Peacocke uses logical