These are my professors instructions:
In part 4—the Civil Rights era through the early 2000s—comedy becomes a political tool, both reflecting and promoting civil rights ideals. Comics like Dick Gregory and Richard Pryor carefully crafted their jokes to have specific political effects. The comedy of the 1960s and 70s addresses issues of race both directly and indirectly; at the same time, comedians are using their comedy to attack taboos like sex. By the 1990s, African American comedy has entered the mainstream, and comedians like Chris Rock directly confront racial issues while other comics entertain with yo mama jokes and observational humor.
Prompt: Picking one of the texts we have read from parts 3 and 4 of African American Humor, discuss how its humor reflects the politics of its audience and its era. This means more than just telling us what politics are reflected: what does the humor tell us about those politics?
I am leaving the question of the prompt fairly open to allow you to adapt it to whatever interested you in parts 3 or 4. I expect your essay to focus on the relationship between the text and the political moment; beyond that, I want you to find a topic that interests you (as much as that is possible). There is a historical aspect to this assignment, so be warned that a textual analysis may not be the best way to approach your topic. Then again it may be: you should be able to determine the political context of the joke from the joke itself, without needing too much research. It depends on your topic. Obviously.
This is a simple, open-ended question; as a result, you may find it hard to whittle down a specific answer. Your essay should go beyond summary. Comedians like Chris Rock, Richard Pryor, and Dick Gregory are overtly political. Don’t spend three pages summarizing their politics. Similarly, I don’t want to read three pages of “Chris Rock is funny” or “Redd Foxx talks about dirty butts.”
Formal Requirements: Your essay should be no fewer than three full pages (i.e. it should go onto the fourth page). It must be typed in 12 point Times New Roman font, with 1” margins. Because this is a formal assignment, I will require both properly-cited direct quotations and a Works Cited page.
I will provide a list of the texts you can choose from and the book. As stated in his instructions, you only need one text from either part 3 or 4. The texts are pretty short, some are only 2 or 3 pages long. I would prefer if you choose a story that is 4 or more pages long. Please provide quotes in the essay.
Thank you!
