Re: "Humor" as used in the book?"

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Re: Re: "Humor" as used in the book?"

Post by Ferdinand_Otieno »

BrittaniDJ wrote: 01 Jul 2019, 19:28 I found it kind of funny when little Frank was at the market looking at the crabs who tried and tried to get out of the baskets but could not, then he says that he is sure ants would have solved the problem. I found it such a funny comment. It absolutely makes sense, but just to even think that way, is not something I would have been able to come up with. I wonder what the difference is between ants and crabs. Are ants brains more developed? Or is it the team work? Or their ability to stick to surfaces they walk on?
I think crabs lack the team work inherent in ants and would never create a crab-ladder in order to get out. Ants would have definitely gotten out of the barrel, but the entire observation by little Frank was funny and inspired.
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Post by Ferdinand_Otieno »

Kibetious wrote: 02 Jul 2019, 10:35
BrittaniDJ wrote: 01 Jul 2019, 19:28 I found it kind of funny when little Frank was at the market looking at the crabs who tried and tried to get out of the baskets but could not, then he says that he is sure ants would have solved the problem. I found it such a funny comment. It absolutely makes sense, but just to even think that way, is not something I would have been able to come up with. I wonder what the difference is between ants and crabs. Are ants brains more developed? Or is it the team work? Or their ability to stick to surfaces they walk on?
This is absolutely humorous. I wonder what might have evoked such a comment.
The comparison is not an obvious one to make and considering the entire scenario, I did not think he would be so cavalier about it. Like the observation of ants being more cooperating than crabs is very common. It would not surprise me that the author had prior knowledge of this in some book he had read.
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Post by Ferdinand_Otieno »

Kibetious wrote: 02 Jul 2019, 10:35
BrittaniDJ wrote: 01 Jul 2019, 19:28 I found it kind of funny when little Frank was at the market looking at the crabs who tried and tried to get out of the baskets but could not, then he says that he is sure ants would have solved the problem. I found it such a funny comment. It absolutely makes sense, but just to even think that way, is not something I would have been able to come up with. I wonder what the difference is between ants and crabs. Are ants brains more developed? Or is it the team work? Or their ability to stick to surfaces they walk on?
This is absolutely humorous. I wonder what might have evoked such a comment.
It just goes to show the many unique ways the author viewed the world as a child, the humour was unforseen which made it even more original.
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Post by Ferdinand_Otieno »

Ferdinand_otieno wrote: 20 Jul 2019, 12:00
Kibetious wrote: 02 Jul 2019, 10:35
BrittaniDJ wrote: 01 Jul 2019, 19:28 I found it kind of funny when little Frank was at the market looking at the crabs who tried and tried to get out of the baskets but could not, then he says that he is sure ants would have solved the problem. I found it such a funny comment. It absolutely makes sense, but just to even think that way, is not something I would have been able to come up with. I wonder what the difference is between ants and crabs. Are ants brains more developed? Or is it the team work? Or their ability to stick to surfaces they walk on?
This is absolutely humorous. I wonder what might have evoked such a comment.
It just goes to show the many unique ways the author viewed the world as a child, the humour was unforseen which made it even more original.
I think its about all the above; ants exhibit teamwork plus they can walk on surfaces like the side of a barrel. That the author thought of ants is quite brilliant considering the entire array of animals that he could have selected. That ants and crabs vary hugely in size was comical.
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Post by Ferdinand_Otieno »

Wriley wrote: 14 Jul 2019, 09:02 My take on Frank is that even at a young age his mind was going a million miles a minute. When he used logic to talk himself out of suicide, that's what his mind was doing. Seeing humor in the mundane or depressing is a way to laugh if even only on the inside. I do that and recognized that in Frank. Most people don't get my humor and Frank has the same qualities.
I found it interesting that he had all this specific knowledge concerning drowning, and where it us best done. It was quite humourous how his mind worked to disuade his suicidal attempt.
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Post by Ferdinand_Otieno »

Wriley wrote: 14 Jul 2019, 09:02 My take on Frank is that even at a young age his mind was going a million miles a minute. When he used logic to talk himself out of suicide, that's what his mind was doing. Seeing humor in the mundane or depressing is a way to laugh if even only on the inside. I do that and recognized that in Frank. Most people don't get my humor and Frank has the same qualities.
It was humorous how he kept finding things wrong with his suicide plan and how he finally decided to find a new way to resolve his problems. I kept wondering how much infomation he kept on hand for such situations. The entire scenario made me appreciate not only his original sense of humor but also his intelligence.
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Post by Czolly23 »

BrittaniDJ wrote: 01 Jul 2019, 19:28 I found it kind of funny when little Frank was at the market looking at the crabs who tried and tried to get out of the baskets but could not, then he says that he is sure ants would have solved the problem. I found it such a funny comment. It absolutely makes sense, but just to even think that way, is not something I would have been able to come up with. I wonder what the difference is between ants and crabs. Are ants brains more developed? Or is it the team work? Or their ability to stick to surfaces they walk on?
I found it humorous that most have his humor stemmed from logic in some way. Things that seemed logical to him, but may not seem logical to others.
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Post by Ferdinand_Otieno »

Czolly23 wrote: 27 Jul 2019, 07:43
BrittaniDJ wrote: 01 Jul 2019, 19:28 I found it kind of funny when little Frank was at the market looking at the crabs who tried and tried to get out of the baskets but could not, then he says that he is sure ants would have solved the problem. I found it such a funny comment. It absolutely makes sense, but just to even think that way, is not something I would have been able to come up with. I wonder what the difference is between ants and crabs. Are ants brains more developed? Or is it the team work? Or their ability to stick to surfaces they walk on?
I found it humorous that most have his humor stemmed from logic in some way. Things that seemed logical to him, but may not seem logical to others.
It is humorous how things that are completely logical to the author come off as funny. His way of convincing himself from committing suicide, however logical, comes off as comedic. His observation on ants not having the same problem after he saw crabs struggling to get out of a barrel is very logical, but it comes of as unintentional and original humor.
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Ferdinand_otieno wrote: 02 Jul 2019, 00:20
BrittaniDJ wrote: 01 Jul 2019, 19:28 I found it kind of funny when little Frank was at the market looking at the crabs who tried and tried to get out of the baskets but could not, then he says that he is sure ants would have solved the problem. I found it such a funny comment. It absolutely makes sense, but just to even think that way, is not something I would have been able to come up with. I wonder what the difference is between ants and crabs. Are ants brains more developed? Or is it the team work? Or their ability to stick to surfaces they walk on?
Think he figured that for ants, the anthill must have been made going up meaning that ants would have used team workvto get out of the barrel. It was funny his mind quickly jumped to ants on seeing the crabs in the bucket.
I thought the same thing! What a quick mind to have come up with that analogy.
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Post by Ferdinand_Otieno »

allbooked+ wrote: 27 Jul 2019, 15:44
Ferdinand_otieno wrote: 02 Jul 2019, 00:20
BrittaniDJ wrote: 01 Jul 2019, 19:28 I found it kind of funny when little Frank was at the market looking at the crabs who tried and tried to get out of the baskets but could not, then he says that he is sure ants would have solved the problem. I found it such a funny comment. It absolutely makes sense, but just to even think that way, is not something I would have been able to come up with. I wonder what the difference is between ants and crabs. Are ants brains more developed? Or is it the team work? Or their ability to stick to surfaces they walk on?
Think he figured that for ants, the anthill must have been made going up meaning that ants would have used team workvto get out of the barrel. It was funny his mind quickly jumped to ants on seeing the crabs in the bucket.
I thought the same thing! What a quick mind to have come up with that analogy.
I agree with that assessment and more so at how cavalier he presented it. It showed a quick mind with humorous undertones.
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Post by Ferdinand_Otieno »

Ferdinand_otieno wrote: 22 Jul 2019, 01:39
Ferdinand_otieno wrote: 20 Jul 2019, 12:00
Kibetious wrote: 02 Jul 2019, 10:35

This is absolutely humorous. I wonder what might have evoked such a comment.
It just goes to show the many unique ways the author viewed the world as a child, the humour was unforseen which made it even more original.
I think its about all the above; ants exhibit teamwork plus they can walk on surfaces like the side of a barrel. That the author thought of ants is quite brilliant considering the entire array of animals that he could have selected. That ants and crabs vary hugely in size was comical.
However humorous the author may appear in a given situation, It does not take away from his unique intellect and brilliance even as a child.
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I enjoyed Franks's reaction to Frau Stoeber's month-long vacation! I also had to smile with his struggle to learn German. His method of practicing his speech with Liane made me chuckle.
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Post by Ferdinand_Otieno »

allbooked+ wrote: 27 Jul 2019, 15:44
Ferdinand_otieno wrote: 02 Jul 2019, 00:20
BrittaniDJ wrote: 01 Jul 2019, 19:28 I found it kind of funny when little Frank was at the market looking at the crabs who tried and tried to get out of the baskets but could not, then he says that he is sure ants would have solved the problem. I found it such a funny comment. It absolutely makes sense, but just to even think that way, is not something I would have been able to come up with. I wonder what the difference is between ants and crabs. Are ants brains more developed? Or is it the team work? Or their ability to stick to surfaces they walk on?
Think he figured that for ants, the anthill must have been made going up meaning that ants would have used team workvto get out of the barrel. It was funny his mind quickly jumped to ants on seeing the crabs in the bucket.
I thought the same thing! What a quick mind to have come up with that analogy.
I found it even more humorous how it did it in such a cavalier way. This was a clear indication of how unique the author's mind worked, even as a child.
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Post by Ferdinand_Otieno »

kdstrack wrote: 29 Jul 2019, 20:52 I enjoyed Franks's reaction to Frau Stoeber's month-long vacation! I also had to smile with his struggle to learn German. His method of practicing his speech with Liane made me chuckle.
Another instance of original humour in the book, Frank practising a new language was funny. I found his reaction to a month-long vacation to be situational humor.
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Post by briellejee »

BrittaniDJ wrote: 01 Jul 2019, 19:28 I found it kind of funny when little Frank was at the market looking at the crabs who tried and tried to get out of the baskets but could not, then he says that he is sure ants would have solved the problem. I found it such a funny comment. It absolutely makes sense, but just to even think that way, is not something I would have been able to come up with. I wonder what the difference is between ants and crabs. Are ants brains more developed? Or is it the team work? Or their ability to stick to surfaces they walk on?
There is this term "crab mentality" in which coined from crabs' behavior that when they are inside a pail or hole with other crabs, they tend to grab one at the top, not letting it escape. So eventually, no one escapes from the basket. They just continue to pull each other down. He thought ants would have solved the problem because they tend to follow the one in front of them, making them escape rather orderly. :tiphat:
"All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost"
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