The Simpsons
By Feng Li (Vicki)
ENG 1430
Many television shows are a waste of time. But one is good for relaxation and its portrayal of American Culture: “The Simpsons.” It has been on television for about sixteen years, with many famous guest stars, which include NSync, Michael Jackson, Dustin Hoffman, Bob Hope, William H. Macy, Kathleen Turner, Johnny Carson, Paul McCartney and the Rolling Stones. It has won numerous awards including “21 Emmy Awards, 21 Annie Awards, Peabody Award, three Genesis Awards, and five Environmental media Awards and eight International Monitor Awards.” The current play series has the title of “Longest-running Primetime Animated Series” and “Most Celebrities Featured in an Animation Series.” Also, the Oxford Dictionary added the word “D’oh!” in their dictionary, which is Homer Simpson’s word for annoyance. One of the best things about this show was their humorous satire.
“The Simpsons” satirizes the roles of parent and children. Homer plays a father with a bad influence on his children. All he does is eat, drink, work and watch television all day long. Homer has the image of the real American dad. Mother Marge is totally opposite her husband Homer because she is a smart, good wife that takes good care of her children. An example of satire is a conversation between Homer and his daughter Lisa:
Homer: Are you saying you’re never going to eat any animal again? What about bacon?
Lisa: No.
Homer: Ham?
Lisa: No.
Homer: Pork chops?
Lisa: Dad, those all come from the same animal.
Homer: Heh heh heh. Ooh, yeah, right, Lisa. A wonderful, magical animal.
This conversation was funny because there are many people who do not know that ham, pork chops and bacon come from the same animal, a pig. Homer does not feel embarrassed. Instead, he feels that it is amazing that one pig could make so many kinds of food. Aren’t dads supposed to know more than their kids? But Homer is the opposite of what parent should teach their kids.
Another example that contrasts male and females is Bart’s car accident. Marge being the good parent and daughter Lisa do not want Homer and Bart to lie in court to sue Homer’s boss Mr. Burn for a million dollars. In the show, all the females are smart and talented. Lisa is an excellent student and plays saxophone. Marge is a good housewife and Maggie is an innocent baby. In contrast, Bart acts as troublemaker who performs poorly at school. Homer acts as dumb as you could imagine.
“The Simpsons” satirize religion. Homer always makes fun of his neighbor Ned. Ned always prays for things that they do. Also, Homer sleeps on Sunday morning rather than go to church. He also sleeps at church. He uses glasses that have fake eyes on it, so others will not see that his eyes are closed. Every time, he got caught.
Homer also makes fun of goody-goodies by copying the way they wear glasses and talk. He wears the glasses and pretends that he is one of them. For example, Homer makes fun of one of Bart’s friends by taking his glasses off him. He can’t see when he takes his eyeglasses off.
Different people have different points of view. Some people might think “The Simpsons” is a stupid animated show. They think the way Homer acts is stupid and not funny. But some will think that Homer is funny because of his stupidity—the stupidity that the show could reflect real life because in real life, many American dads are like Homer who chases the American dream of living an easy life.
In conclusion, I think that the show “The Simpsons” is a successful show that deals with satire. The best areas that the show satired were the religious people and Goody-goody. Because of the many areas of Satire, people still love to watch “The Simpsons.”