My Analysis

Creating and Communication

Learning about ‘The Simpsons’ helped me better understand irony, satire, and allusions. Irony, satire, and allusion are all literary devices that we learned about in class. As we watched ‘The Simpsons’, I saw how these devices were used and this allowed me to better understand what they were and how to use them. I expressed my ideas in my in-class write ‘The Secret to the Simpson’s Success’. In this write I structured my paragraphs correctly and included a thesis statement that summed up my thoughts. I also made a draft of my ideas and cut out any sentences or words that weren’t necessary and avoided phrases like, “I think…” or “I believe…”. I attempted to use smooth transitions to make my writing more interesting to read. I provided evidence in my writing by referring to the show and how each device was used. I did this using the sheet where I had written down specific examples from each episode that we watched. Watching “The Simpsons” and doing the write allowed me to display my knowledge of both literary devices and writing paragraphs.

Core Competency Reflection

I can describe how satire, irony and/or allusion relates to “The Simpsons”. “The Simpsons” use these literary devices to add more layers and deeper meaning to their comedy. These literary devices are effectively used and have made “The Simpsons” the great show that it is. Many shows like “Family Guy” have taken this same kind of comedy and have also been very successful.

I compile and synthesize information to draw reasoned conclusions, such as when I learned about the literary devices irony, satire, and allusion and using this information, learned about how shows like “The Simpsons” use those literary devices to deliver messages to their audience. As we went through this unit I also learned that what makes those so powerful is letting the audience discover the meanings for themselves.

I use evidence to make judgements or decisions as demonstrated when I collected examples of each literary device being used in “The Simpsons”. When I found something funny I would try to question why it was funny and what device was being used. This helped me to better understand the devices that were being used and the thought that must go into writing a show like “The Simpsons”.