Laughter: The Gateway to the Future

A detailed Summary of Laughter: The Gateway to the Future


Rabelais presents laughter through its historical progression and its everlasting affect on the people living in the Middle Ages. Laughter, which once represented evil and the devil, now was transformed into a means of fighting evil and the devil. Even more importantly, after its universal acceptance, laughter provided a bridge between the social gaps of society. During the debauched and decadent feasts and carnivals, parodies that linked religious saints with sexual connotations, became beacons of these events. There was no exception for anything during these events, social classes or esteemed figures, which were what united everyone. "Laughter celebrates its masses..." - (p.88) The most significant affect laughter had and still has on society, is the freedom it instills in everyone. Laughter freed people from the fear of the unknown and allowed them to experience what was prohibited. For the first time in history mockery of such


Freedom as Rabelais stated, can be, and in some respects is obtained through laughter. Howard Stern, the most controversial radio talk show host of our time, is the living example of Rabelais's freedom through laughter. Howard Stern started roughly twenty years ago, and had to fight his way through many legal battles and is still fighting new battles as he opens new doors and explores new frontiers. Much like the feasts and carnivals of the Middle Ages, Stern represents decadence and debauchery at their pinnacle. What he dared to say twenty years ago shocked the nation, but now would not even be considered offensive. Because of this, various artist, musicians, and performers have been able to explore and free their creativity without fear of consequence. Instead of restricting laws that create barriers and fear, the laws have become malleable because of our constant fight for exploring new frontiers and going against what is morall

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Approximate Word count = 630
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

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