Treasures in jokes and cartoons: You really must be joking!

Humour has been practically neglected in the teaching of English in Malaysia and Asia as well, perhaps due to the conservative nature of its people. Yet, we go through cartoons in the dailies, enjoy jokes over the radio and try by all means not to miss humorous sitcoms like Friends or Seinfield. Mr Bean is a hit though he hardly speaks a word. Humour, undeniably is a health provider. It is also a relationship builder. However, much more can be gleamed from jokes and cartoons, especially for educational purposes. Jokes and cartoons are not simply written. A review of many cartoons and jokes in the dailies and books has shown that there are hardly any flaws in the words and phrases used in them. However, some are culturally biased, thus making comprehension difficult. In this paper I have highlighted some of the rich treasures or resources found in cartoons and jokes, especially that of the words, sounds, colours and have suggested ways they can help the English language teachers in the classroom

The Glory of the World

A series of toasts to Thomas Merton on the occasion of his 100th birthday erupts into a raucous party. 17 men in party hats toast Merton’s many facets, asking: What makes a man? What makes a saint? What if nothing is sacred and everything is? As the night devolves, each facet of Merton’s contested image—silent monk, poet, spiritual anarchist, Buddhist thinker—inspires more speeches, slow dances, makeouts, fist fights, and silent reflections, and considers how we can live fully in all our contradictions, and leap into the unknown. A layered portrait of what it is to be a human being, full of contradictions and life. [14 actors

University High Highlights 1/21/1959

This is the student newspaper from University High School, the high school that was on the campus of Western Michigan University, then called University High Highlights, in 1959