How to Analyze a Joke
Break it down to the leading line and punch line., Swap a few words around to give it more detail and direction., Create an image., "What would happen if you gave a suicidal person a jug of gasoline and you asked them to fill up your car?", Now we...
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Break it down to the leading line and punch line.
For the sake of the article, we're going to use: "Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side." "Why did the chicken cross the road?" is a leading line.
It directs and points the joke.
The more detailed the leading line is, the more velocity it actually gives to the joke.
This particular leading line can go to a lot of places in the punch line. "To get to the other side." is the punch line to the joke.
This is where the joke explodes.
This part needs to be timed right, have relativity to the leading line, and shouldn't be too literal.
This particular joke isn't very funny, but many people don't get why.
Well, there could be multiple reasons a chicken would want to cross the road, and why on earth does it want to get to the other side? Maybe it saw another chicken and wanted to hang out, or maybe the chicken was near a chicken farm and wanted to run away.
Or, just maybe the chicken got shot in the butt with a B.B gun.
Who knows, but the thing we will always know, is that the chicken crossed the road for the same reason everything else wants to cross the road, which is to get to the other side.
The reason it isn't funny is that there is no reason to get to the other side.
We get to the other side for a reason, and that is not defined.
How can we make this joke more powerful and thus, funny? -
Step 2: Swap a few words around to give it more detail and direction.
This will make it your own.
Change "Why did the " to "Why did the " That sounds a lot better already! It's narrowed down to grandmas and Heimlich.
It now has more direction because there's only one reason to get a Heimlich.
Obviously, if one were to guess, she was choking on something.
But there is NO way to guess just what exactly she is choking on, and that's where the funny power can come in.
Now look here, she can't just choke on any old thing, right? If it were an apple she was choking on, it wouldn't be funny. (It would be funny if johnny apple seed choked on an apple.
That's relevant to an apple.
Or maybe a pig with an apple shoved in its mouth, but you'd have to make sure the audience knows the cook forgot to kill the pig first!) The punch line has to have a relativity to the main nouns and verbs of the leading line(s).
Therefore, we will do this... "To get to the other side" changes to "she swallowed her dentures." Now we have: "Why did the grandma get a Heimlich? She swallowed her dentures." Notice something, here, if you would please.
What makes it funny is that she is choking on the dentures.
The word "choking" is nowhere to be found in the joke.
The word Heimlich takes care of that.
If the punch line were "she was choking on her dentures" people probably wouldn't find it funny, because HOW the dentures got there in the first place is missing, and people could think, "Well, that's stupid! I've never heard of a granny choking on her dentures! That just can't happen.
It's improbable." That's why the joke needs to force down the fact that yes, the grandma did swallow her dentures.
How did she swallow her dentures? We'll save that for later. , The secret part is the third part, and it is the most important part even though it isn't the main part.
The secret part is the idea or image put into the audience's head that is not actually said verbally, like the fact that grandma was choking.
You don't have to choke to get a Heimlich, now, do you? An idiot could just walk up and give you one! BUT, the word Heimlich had relativity to the third part of the joke.
It pointed out that the grandma was probably choking.
The fact that she was choking was confirmed with the punch line, and what she was choking on exactly made it a lot funnier because it added the idea of choking on dentures to the third part.
Punch lines usually bring up something unexpected without actually stating the unexpected thing verbally.
Let's look at some more. "What makes a strange grinding sound in a car when you turn the key?" "A stupid critter" Notice how detailed the leading line is.
It gives a lot of direction to the joke.
The word "strange" takes a big part of it, too.
This isn't any old grinding sound, it's the grinding sound of something caught in your engine.
It's strange.
The word strange gives the hint that it's not the vehicle making the noise on its own.
There's a little raccoon in there munching on a half eaten grilled cheese sandwich you threw out last night.
The word strange is an about averagely powerful word to use, which is perfect.
Abnormal would work too.
But if you were to use the word "morbid" it would be too powerful and give away the fact that there's an actual biological critter creature in the engine with its legs wrapped around the engine propeller and it's tail near the engine belt. (See how just enough detail puts funny images in your head and I don't even have to say them? The detail makes half of the third part of what actually happens but is not said.
That's the funny part.) The punch line, "A stupid critter" is short, simple, and powerful.
The word "stupid" lets the audience know that the stupid animal didn't know any better, therefore it would crawl up into the engine and hang around. "Critter" lets the audience know that it wasn't a dog, it was something smaller.
The word "canine" would work if it were a tractor you were starting up.
But in this case, it's just a car. , "Nothing.
They'd drink the gas." Analyze this one for yourself.
It's obvious. , The lead, the punch, and the indirect idea. -
Step 3: Create an image.
-
Step 4: "What would happen if you gave a suicidal person a jug of gasoline and you asked them to fill up your car?"
-
Step 5: Now we know that there are three parts to a joke.
Detailed Guide
For the sake of the article, we're going to use: "Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side." "Why did the chicken cross the road?" is a leading line.
It directs and points the joke.
The more detailed the leading line is, the more velocity it actually gives to the joke.
This particular leading line can go to a lot of places in the punch line. "To get to the other side." is the punch line to the joke.
This is where the joke explodes.
This part needs to be timed right, have relativity to the leading line, and shouldn't be too literal.
This particular joke isn't very funny, but many people don't get why.
Well, there could be multiple reasons a chicken would want to cross the road, and why on earth does it want to get to the other side? Maybe it saw another chicken and wanted to hang out, or maybe the chicken was near a chicken farm and wanted to run away.
Or, just maybe the chicken got shot in the butt with a B.B gun.
Who knows, but the thing we will always know, is that the chicken crossed the road for the same reason everything else wants to cross the road, which is to get to the other side.
The reason it isn't funny is that there is no reason to get to the other side.
We get to the other side for a reason, and that is not defined.
How can we make this joke more powerful and thus, funny?
This will make it your own.
Change "Why did the " to "Why did the " That sounds a lot better already! It's narrowed down to grandmas and Heimlich.
It now has more direction because there's only one reason to get a Heimlich.
Obviously, if one were to guess, she was choking on something.
But there is NO way to guess just what exactly she is choking on, and that's where the funny power can come in.
Now look here, she can't just choke on any old thing, right? If it were an apple she was choking on, it wouldn't be funny. (It would be funny if johnny apple seed choked on an apple.
That's relevant to an apple.
Or maybe a pig with an apple shoved in its mouth, but you'd have to make sure the audience knows the cook forgot to kill the pig first!) The punch line has to have a relativity to the main nouns and verbs of the leading line(s).
Therefore, we will do this... "To get to the other side" changes to "she swallowed her dentures." Now we have: "Why did the grandma get a Heimlich? She swallowed her dentures." Notice something, here, if you would please.
What makes it funny is that she is choking on the dentures.
The word "choking" is nowhere to be found in the joke.
The word Heimlich takes care of that.
If the punch line were "she was choking on her dentures" people probably wouldn't find it funny, because HOW the dentures got there in the first place is missing, and people could think, "Well, that's stupid! I've never heard of a granny choking on her dentures! That just can't happen.
It's improbable." That's why the joke needs to force down the fact that yes, the grandma did swallow her dentures.
How did she swallow her dentures? We'll save that for later. , The secret part is the third part, and it is the most important part even though it isn't the main part.
The secret part is the idea or image put into the audience's head that is not actually said verbally, like the fact that grandma was choking.
You don't have to choke to get a Heimlich, now, do you? An idiot could just walk up and give you one! BUT, the word Heimlich had relativity to the third part of the joke.
It pointed out that the grandma was probably choking.
The fact that she was choking was confirmed with the punch line, and what she was choking on exactly made it a lot funnier because it added the idea of choking on dentures to the third part.
Punch lines usually bring up something unexpected without actually stating the unexpected thing verbally.
Let's look at some more. "What makes a strange grinding sound in a car when you turn the key?" "A stupid critter" Notice how detailed the leading line is.
It gives a lot of direction to the joke.
The word "strange" takes a big part of it, too.
This isn't any old grinding sound, it's the grinding sound of something caught in your engine.
It's strange.
The word strange gives the hint that it's not the vehicle making the noise on its own.
There's a little raccoon in there munching on a half eaten grilled cheese sandwich you threw out last night.
The word strange is an about averagely powerful word to use, which is perfect.
Abnormal would work too.
But if you were to use the word "morbid" it would be too powerful and give away the fact that there's an actual biological critter creature in the engine with its legs wrapped around the engine propeller and it's tail near the engine belt. (See how just enough detail puts funny images in your head and I don't even have to say them? The detail makes half of the third part of what actually happens but is not said.
That's the funny part.) The punch line, "A stupid critter" is short, simple, and powerful.
The word "stupid" lets the audience know that the stupid animal didn't know any better, therefore it would crawl up into the engine and hang around. "Critter" lets the audience know that it wasn't a dog, it was something smaller.
The word "canine" would work if it were a tractor you were starting up.
But in this case, it's just a car. , "Nothing.
They'd drink the gas." Analyze this one for yourself.
It's obvious. , The lead, the punch, and the indirect idea.
About the Author
Alice Burns
Brings years of experience writing about pet care and related subjects.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: