A Rhetorical Analysis Of Caricatures

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This clip most clearly exemplifies caricature. A caricature can be understood as a mode of humor that ridicules things or people – usually public figures or distinctive social types (stereotypes) – by distorting / exaggerating oddities or appearance and mannerisms. Caricatures are typically done in a playful and good-humored tone rather than a critical or corrective one; but they also can be an essential ingredient in satire and other rhetorical works that do take critical and corrective tones and intend to ridicule. The characters in this clip are caricatures for numerous reason, they make fun of Minnesotan (their accents and easy-going, friendly nature – portrayed as unintelligent) and incompetent police officers. b. The theories present …show more content…
Rat Race

a. This clip illustrates a few comedy tendencies, such as hyperbolic egocentricism, imposture, and cosmic coincidence. Most of the actions in Rat Race are driven by hyperbolic egocentricism and these scenes are no exception. Both scenes are driven by the competitors’ extreme selfishness and fixation on money, and in the garage scene the mechanic is also driven by hyperbolic egocentricism. Moreover, in order to steal the rocket car, the women pretend as if they are part of the demonstration, an example of imposture and deception – a.k.a. using disguise, scheming and evasion of the truth for selfish purposes. But, most prominently this clip illustrates the comedic tendency of cosmic coincidence. Cosmic coincidence is ludicrous or impossible casual incidents converging with uncanny precision and aptness, which this clip is full of. From finding a speed test in the desert to the speed test creating a sonic boom and knocking down the mechanic’s garage after he sarcastically asks for a sign from God to the mechanic shooting his gun and the scientist believing it is the rocket breaking the sound barrier, this entire clip from Rat Race consists of one cosmic coincidence linking into …show more content…
The Kid illustrates a sight gag called mutual interference. This sight gag, originated by Bergson, occurs when a mishap results from the same situation being interpreted differently and these differing understandings coming into conflict. Mutual interference hinges on a difference in perspective between the characters (sometimes one character misconstrues the situation, other times both do), while the spectator observes from an omniscient perspective. This clip is an example of mutual interference because Charlie Chaplin’s character believes that the policeman’s wife is being forward and flirting aggressively with him, while in reality the spectator can see that the cop is trying to get his attention by putting his hand on his
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