Closed Reading: "If You're Happy and You Know It, Must I Know, Too?"

If You’re Happy and You Know It, Must I Know, Too?

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/fashion/emoticons-move-to-the-business-world-cultural-studies.html?ref=technology

Emoticons are often overused by teenagers, for reasons that are yet to be determined, but it is not too commonplace for professional adults to do this. However, this article states that professional adults are starting to use emoticons, such as “☺” and “☹” to communicate as well. Using details, syntax, and diction, this article brings out the humor in this topic.
This article uses details, such as quotes, to create a humorous tone to capture the interest of readers. One example is the use of Dr. Bates’ quote about the misconception of his “big hug” emoticon. If that quote had not been there, the reader would have had a lot less amused by the article. Similarly, the ending phrases about The Great Gatsby is equally humorous. Readers know the last lines of The Great Gatsby to be quite melancholy, but with the addition of the smiley face from Ms. Farinet, the lines actually loose their sense of seriousness. Even though her point was not to mock The Great Gatsby, the addition of the “☹” was definitely quite humorous!
Syntax is also used to create humor in this article, starting with the use of italics to emphasize words. When the author of this passage italicizes the word “actual” in the second paragraph, it causes the reader to chuckle because it is ironic how a person does not smile in real life, but while communicating via e-mail or chat, that person puts a smiley face, creating a sense of humor. Similarly, the third paragraph is more or less a run-on sentence. This sentence creates a sense of humor because the entire sentence could have been summarized into a much smaller sentence, but in order to give the feel that the text-talk of teenagers has really ‘migrated’ to business people, it was extended. This extension causes readers to really question why professionals are now using the text-talk of teenagers, also giving readers quite the chuckle.
Diction in the passage is also an important factor that creates a sense of humor. Many of the vocabulary used in this passage is higher level, such as “gravitas” and “prestigious”, but due to the topic of this article, instead of sounding more sophisticated, it sounds more humorous. Also helping to create the sense of humor is the contrasting low level of vocabulary. Including words such as “perv” make the reader laugh; it’s not everyday when you see words like that in a New York Times article!
In the article If You’re Happy and You Know It, Must I Know, Too, Judith Newman helps to create a sense of humor Through the use of details, syntax, and diction.