Tricia Adams Blog #5 Performance of satire function as an effective catalyst for social change

Can the performance of satire function as an effective catalyst for social change? If so, how? If not, what factors hamper comedy’s subversive efficacy?

Performance of satire can serve as an effective catalyst for social change. The performance of satire can generate this reification and idealization of the subject, specifically within cultural stereotypes where everyone thrives to be included in this feeling of communitas. In addition, there is this element of reification of subversion introduced within the performance of satire. The way the performer articulates the language can alter or change the recipients’ ideologies or outlooks. With an instance of satire, shock waves on the particular subject can provoke critical thought for recipients. It is a subversive function and it intends to have an effect on the status quo to bring about social transformation. Therefore, I believe the manipulation of satire is an instrument of change and produces social awareness in popular traditions.


For example, E! Entertainment television weekly series, Talk Soup hosted by Joel McHale, focuses on recaps of popular culture television show moments of the week. The host provides a satire performance of sarcastic and biting commentary of various clips of television that viewers watch on a daily basis. The television content he evaluates on the show is dealing with a variety of topics, such as politics, gender values, cultures, reality television, etc. and he introduces a different perspective for the viewer. This type of performance creates social awareness and social change on popular culture reality television because it brings a critique of a microcosm on American culture. Although, Joel McHale the satirist provokes humor, his performance purpose for his recipients often is not so much humor, but for a sake of an attack on something strongly disapproved. Therefore, he is using his wit as a weapon against popular television clips with high ratings and inviting recipients to have a different outlook on television clips they may have seen in the past, but may not interpreted the clip in that manner. Specifically, he wants to generate critical thought for his viewers based on the television content he evaluates because there is somewhat disapproval in the content and his humor creates a comfortable discourse for his performance.


Therefore, satire often creates a safe space and it entails this feeling of comfort for the performer and recipient. The efficacy of performance unnoticeably fuels power to the recipient enjoying the performance, recipient a part of the culture, or who inspire to be involved in the culture. In addition, the notion of performance satire efficacy works solely for the recipient depending on the openness of accepting alternate solutions and if they will continue to accept the satire discourse of reification and idealization of the culture. Therefore, the artifact evaluated in the essay represents an effective catalyst of performance satire for social change because Joel McHale takes a normalizing function of popular television and promotes critical thought on social awareness and introducing alternate solutions on the subject.

Tricia Adams Blog#4 Teachers of Expression..suitable career for a lady

Although the article draws no attention to the fact all of the teachers of “expression” and most of the students mentioned in “Expression in the Popular Culture of Dallas” were women. What made the teaching of “expression” a suitable career for a lady of this time period? How was learning “expression” supposed to prepare girls to become suitable young women? And suitable for what? What does this reveal about the state of gender-based prejudice during this time period in America?



Teaching “expression” was a suitable career for a lady during this time because it was all about the connection of expression with art. The manifestation of expression showed soul and spirit, which created this hierarchy of intellectual ability of making art look effortless, but still obtained authenticity of the individual. This career for women also demonstrated a rhetorical message towards younger women because the purpose of teaching expression helped with the notion of individuality with the utilization of ethos and pathos during public communication. In addition, by obtaining expression it was inherently subjective for women, where they are able to express their own personal feeling towards the audience to show their soul and sensitivity. In essence, this career taught women the skills on how to appropriately express themselves in front of others.


Learning expression during this time was a discipline. Expression was supposed to prepare girls to become poised, obedient, graceful, and how to listen and follow direction. During this time young women wanted and needed to find marriage and it was important for women to learn how to be sensitive and have a good soul. By practicing and learning expression, this trait was in their favor for how men viewed them. In today’s world, the teaching of expression is highly present in popular culture. For example, many young women are enrolled in extra curricular activities, such as dance, ballet, cheerleading, acting, musical instrument lessons, etc. These activities teach young women certain feminine characteristics at an early age and how to express one’s self based on these traits they learn to inherit.


Teaching of expression reified this state of gender-based prejudice because young women during this time were in this constant process of finding approval. Therefore, learning the discipline of expression demonstrated this consistent mirror of self, where women evaluated themselves in order to become a part of this mold. In retrospect to teaching of expression during this time, my parents enrolled me in dance classes to obtain feminine qualities, but also to benefit me as a woman and I found interest in the activity. I was fascinated by young dancers using expression to demonstrate to their intended audience their feelings of emotion and soul. Further, I have found that I have this mirror of self because I was raised on receiving many positive and negative critiques by my dance instructors and parents. This type of education pushed me to excel in many areas of my life because receiving this type of criticism taught me how to understand the comments and the comments I received only benefited me as a woman in today’s society.


I believe learning expression during this time in America revealed a major gender-based prejudice because these women were then viewed suitable due to the qualities and traits learned, such as being nurturing and sweet. This means they were then a suitable future wife and were viewed as more attractive by the men. There were these constant expectations of how the men wanted women to entail these feminine characteristics, so the women would take these expression classes in order to become a good wife and contribute to society. Learning expression also created this hierarchy of intellectual ability for them because they maintained individuality. Further, I believe this discipline has been transmitted into popular culture because young women are still practicing the teaching of expression and how to entail these feminine characteristics to be suitable for the status quo.

Tricia Adams Blog #3 Chambers of Rhetoric

3. How “rhetorical” were the Chambers of Rhetoric? What groups were free to use this performance venue as a medium for social critique and self-expression? Were these organizations capable of true subversion of dominant contemporary values and institutions?

The Dutch Cambers of Rhetoric was a phenomenon that escalated during the fourteenth, fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth centuries. Members of the societies were usually middle class merchants, professionals, and more affluent members of the artisan class. The Chambers of Rhetoric were vital and dynamic in their theatre, where they entertained their audiences with a focus on publicly examining the important moral, philosophical, and offer insights on social issues during their time. The members were rhetorical because they took on leadership roles, where they represented and reified the social status quo. For example, the purpose of the organization made efforts in teaching one another on critical skills, such as reading, writing, and public speaking. With this social support of helping one another learn these valuable abilities, created and established camaraderie within the Chambers and benefited the individual’s status making them a more functional person during this time. This also inspired other patrons on the importance of these skills.
Landjuweels, were formal competitive performance festivals where the Chambers of Rhetoric performed. These performance festivals were open to the public, where everyone was enthusiastically willing to attend. These functions were very competitive, where Chamber contestants competed for prizes including: best play, the best farcical entertainment, the most beautiful blazon, the best acting, the best poem, the best reader of a poem, the best orator, the best song, the best singing, and the fool who entertained the best. Performances took place on platforms and backed with an elaborate architectural façade. The façade typically served as a throne for the figure in whose honor the contest was held. The throne might be occupied by figures representing the Virgin, the Holy Trinity, Honor, Wisdom, or Lady Rhetoric.
During these festivals, the organizations were capable of true subversion of the dominant contemporary values and institutions because the Chambers of Rhetoric’s goals were to make all members literate, encourage creativity, and their plots were often metaphorical discussions on controversial issues of the day, which may have pushed limits. In addition, the Church and the State even funded costumes, permanent buildings, stage machinery, and props for the Chambers. Therefore, the Chambers knew they had to be careful during their performances because they did not want to completely alienate the powerful dominant patrons that helped fund their entertainment.
The Chambers of Rhetoric performance festivals during this period really created this sense of communitas among the patrons and the dominant institutions, where majority looked up to them for their talent and skills. This was a chance for them to watch performances about controversial issues and “theme plays.” The “theme plays” were performances that were categorized and set by the hosting Chamber. For example, “Which people of the world show the most foolishness?” Or, “What was the greatest miracle which God wrought for the saving of mankind?” These “theme plays” were “plays of the mind,” which always had a didactic message for their heart. These plays also approached the audiences either seriously or humorously. I believe this gave the patrons opportunities to watch insightful performances on controversial issues and base their own implications on whether to form their own opinion, agree, or disagree with the content. Further, the creativity of these performances allowed performers to think outside of the box and go against the social norm of this period and successfully deliver a rhetorical message.

Tricia Adams Blog #2 The feast of Corpus Christi

1. What was the socio-cultural function of the feasts of Corpus Christi? How did these festivals serve as celebrations of “the body”? What socio-political groups interests were served by the festivities?

Corpus Christi was a day set aside for the host, where society celebrates the concept of Christ’s body. The function provided urban societies with a mythology and ritual for a social bond. The host (bread) was symbolic to the body of Christ, where this feast was to celebrate a time of social integration and to express a creative role of religious rite and ideology in urban societies. Literally and metaphorically the festival represented Jesus, where symbolically Jesus is giving a part of his body (the host) to all the other socio-political groups involved. The function served as a unified message to the people because this was their unity with Jesus and the performances and festivals demonstrated a solid relationship as whole with the psychosomatic body.
The socio-political groups involved in the festivities were the Gilds, where they dressed in gold uniforms. In addition, the mayor, aldermen, councilors, and other municipal officials took a prominent part in the festivities. The socio-political groups had a defined order of precedence, where the humbler crafts went first, and the wealthier or more important coming behind them. Then came the aldermen, councilors, sheriffs: the town magistracy, and last of all, the host with its attendant clergy came the mayor.
The Corpus Christi day was a celebration and a point in reference in relation to which the structure of precedence and authority in the town is visually present. This was a chance for middle classes to move up because they were able to demonstrate their abilities of performing. This also gave the middle class a chance to prove their abilities and skills of performance to the upper class. In addition, Corpus Christi was the birth of advertisement, where each Gild performed on their wagon platform, which gave them an opportunity to advertise for themselves. Therefore, the performers became known and popular throughout the function. The stories conveyed the meaning of the birth, death and resurrection of Christ, or the lives of saints. These plays were very elaborate and communal activities as they provided a place to gather as a community, a place to be seen, and a place where all classes could gather to have fun. The festivities were also focused on areas of the countryside where unison was lacking in order to gain more communitas.
Today, classes are still distinguished and noticeable in society. I think it is neat that the Corpus Christi festivals allowed the middle class to prove themselves to the upper class based on their talent, knowledge, and skill through performance. I also liked how this function gave the middle class opportunities and opened doors for them to be accepted and successful within the upper classes customs. Furthermore, these festivals allowed the people to be open minded in other regions and appreciate or learn from others talents by coming together as a whole and to create this feeling of communitas.

Tricia Adams Blog #1 Discussion Question #2 from Week 1-2

2. The Rhapsodes were the oral publishers and professional interpreters of classical epic poetry who recited their own works or works of a poet. They were born of oral tradition, performed in oral tradition, and were shaped and preserved via a written story. Their works of Homeric Hymns were accompanied by music. Therefore, it is logical to use the term "sing" to describe the method of recitation employed in the Odyssey. Although, the singing was not in a context we would understand today and it also did not have the same meaning. The mode of recitation was singing in contemporary terms and by the time of Homer it may have been a patterned "chant" with inflections and modulations determined by the text.
The term Rhapsodes meant "song-stitcher," which implied that they took various poetic lays and sewed them together into a continuous whole to create a story. Thus, they only strung the greatest part of an epic together to create a continuous recital. In essence, it had some resemblance to the characteristics of the "talk-song," which is common on a contemporary musical comedy stage.
By "singing" rather than "speaking" their texts helped and created emphasis to certain areas of the performance. In addition, when reciting these texts in a specific tone of voice, this initially helped with the memorization during delivery and practice. Hargis and Bahn emphasized the difference on whether the Rhapsodes sang or spoke their texts because this facilitated and reified unison and harmony of speech. Thus, singing rather than speaking delivered reifying messages to the people during performance. This easily persuaded the people because singing gives the sensory impression of empowerment to their culture generating the pleasure and feeling of communitas.