A Comedy Story of the Duck on the Sea

Introduction

The Duck on the sea often found itself in absurd and whimsical situations, a recurring motif that lends itself well to comedic narratives. This exploration delves into the inherent humor derived from such scenarios, examining how the juxtaposition of a mundane creature like a duck with the vast, unpredictable ocean creates fertile ground for comedic exploits (Pramukti & Utomo, 2020, p. 155). The narrative often plays on the audience's preconceived notions of ducks and their typical habitats, subverting expectations to generate amusement. The inherent contradiction of a land-based fowl navigating the open sea, often with an air of unwarranted confidence, forms the bedrock of its comedic appeal (Hu et al., 2024, p. 2). Furthermore, the inherent challenges of marine life, from unpredictable weather to encounters with larger, more formidable creatures, provide ample opportunities for slapstick and situational comedy (Houghton et al., 2022, p. 840). This comedic framework is further enhanced by the duck's anthropomorphic qualities, allowing for relatable struggles and triumphs against an often-overwhelming backdrop (Mitelpunkt, 2022, p. 800). The comical elements are often amplified by the duck's unwavering resolve and persistent, albeit sometimes misguided, efforts to overcome these maritime adversities (Goeltzenleuchter et al., 2019, p. 2). This often manifests in humorous interactions with other marine inhabitants, who are frequently bewildered by the duck's presence and peculiar behaviors (Goeltzenleuchter et al., 2019, p. 3). For instance, a rubber duck's buoyancy and stability in a bathtub, though a controlled environment, offer a microcosm of the complex hydrodynamic behaviors that could be extrapolated to larger, more dynamic aquatic settings, thereby providing a basis for understanding the comical struggles of an actual duck at sea (Coauthor & Corresponding, 2024). This incongruity can be further explored through the lens of ecological displacement, where a terrestrial creature’s attempts to adapt to an alien marine environment invariably lead to humorous misadventures and unexpected outcomes. 

Literature Review

The study of humor, particularly in narratives involving anthropomorphic animals, reveals several theoretical underpinnings for the "Duck on the Sea" phenomenon (Franck, 2022, p. 1). One prominent theory suggests that comedy often arises from the expression of biological life's felt qualities, rhythms, and intensities, as well as the inherent cruelty of life feeding on life (Rousell & Diddams, 2020, p. 440). This aligns with the incongruity theory of humor, which posits that humor arises from the perception of something that violates expected patterns or logical relationships, such as a duck attempting to master the open ocean (Parovel & Guidi, 2015; Tschacher & Haken, 2023). Similarly, the benign violation theory proposes that humor emerges when a situation is perceived as a violation of norms, but simultaneously as harmless or acceptable (Warren et al., 2020). This concept is particularly relevant to the duck's aquatic misadventures, where its struggle against the sea is a violation of its natural terrestrial habitat, yet perceived as harmless due to its comical ineptitude (Sîrbu, 2016). This perspective can be extended to understanding how the duck's earnest, yet often futile, attempts at maritime navigation—like Moominpappa’s scientific methodology to understand the sea—can be perceived as both a violation of its natural capabilities and an amusing spectacle (Dymel‐Trzebiatowska, 2022, p. 322). Furthermore, the inherent duality of such comedic portrayals, where human-like movement is juxtaposed with mechanical, often clumsy, actions, further enhances the humorous effect, akin to slapstick (Martínez, 2023, p. 550). This often leads to a "double address" in storytelling, where humor is generated through exaggeration and the simultaneous appeal to both children and adults, allowing for multiple layers of interpretation (Dymel‐Trzebiatowska, 2022, p. 322). 

Methodology

This investigation employs a qualitative, literature-based research methodology, drawing upon established theories of humor and literary criticism to analyze the comedic potential of the "Duck on the Sea" narrative (Baharvand & Sadjadi, 2019, p. 58). Specifically, this approach examines how incongruity, exaggeration, and surprise contribute to the comedic effect within various textual and visual representations of ducks in aquatic settings (ERGÜL, 2017, p. 8). This includes analyzing instances where the duck's aquatic endeavors violate established norms and expectations, thereby eliciting laughter (Sîrbu, 2016). The analysis further considers how character design, particularly the anthropomorphic representation of ducks, plays a crucial role in amplifying these comedic elements, akin to how simplified yet recognizable cartoon figures like Uncle Scrooge maintain their identity even in reduced forms (Leinfelder et al., 2017, p. 24). Additionally, the methodology integrates semiotics to dissect how visual cues and symbolic representations contribute to the humorous portrayal of ducks navigating maritime environments, thereby enriching the comedic narrative. 

Results

The following results categorize and analyze recurring comedic tropes, such as personification and caricature, prevalent in "Duck on the Sea" narratives, demonstrating how these elements elicit an emotional response and maintain a primary humoristic function (Carbajal-Carrera & Sánchez-Castro, 2020, p. 43). This analysis reveals that the effectiveness of humor often relies on the reader's ability to identify with the animals, fostering a sense of familiarity despite their fantastical circumstances (S & Bhuvaneswari, 2022, p. 1812). Moreover, personification, by attributing human characteristics to the duck, significantly enhances the comedic impact by allowing for relatable struggles and emotional responses within an otherwise absurd scenario (Carbajal-Carrera & Sánchez-Castro, 2020, p. 30). 

This often involves the use of hyperbole and incongruity, where the duck's exaggerated reactions to its aquatic environment or its unexpected interactions with other marine life create amusing contrasts (Schneebeli, 2022, p. 20). Such narrative techniques are frequently employed to generate what is known as "political humor" in cartoons, where the interplay of speech acts and visual compositions creates a multifaceted comedic effect (Nugraha, 2022, p. 287). This blending of verbal and visual humor, often seen in multimodal cartoons, highlights the intricate relationship between image and text in constructing comedic meaning (Abdel-Raheem, 2018; Pedrazzini, 2024). 

Discussion

The discussion will delve into how these findings align with established theories of humor, particularly examining the role of shared ordinariness and positive values in eliciting empathic responses from audiences (Carbajal-Carrera & Sánchez-Castro, 2020, p. 37). This shared ordinariness often manifests through the relatable depiction of character struggles and triumphs, fostering a connection that transcends the fantastical elements of the narrative, much like how the relatability of characters triggers empathy in cartoon appreciation (Carbajal-Carrera & Sánchez-Castro, 2020, p. 43). The use of caricature, with its simplified yet expressive forms, plays a significant role in establishing this empathic connection, allowing for emotional allegiance and identification with the duck's predicament (Carbajal-Carrera & Sánchez-Castro, 2020, p. 40). Furthermore, the multimodal functioning of rhetorical resources, such as antithesis and irony, can become key elements in crafting the comedic narrative of the "Duck on the Sea," transferring meaning from the fictional scenario to the referenced situation (Pedrazzini & Scheuer, 2019). 

Conclusion

This comprehensive analysis of the "Duck on the Sea" narrative illuminates the intricate mechanisms through which humor is constructed and perceived, particularly emphasizing the interplay between theoretical frameworks and their practical application in storytelling. The findings underscore the importance of incongruity, exaggeration, and personification in crafting narratives that resonate with audiences, evoking both laughter and empathetic understanding. Ultimately, the study affirms that humor appreciation is a complex socio-cognitive process influenced by both individual and societal factors, requiring attention and cooperative intention for successful engagement with multimodal humor (Carbajal-Carrera & Sánchez-Castro, 2020, p. 41). 

Future research could explore the cross-cultural reception of such comedic narratives, examining how different cultural contexts influence the interpretation and appreciation of multimodal humor. This would involve investigating how linguistic and cultural scripts impact humor comprehension in diverse audiences (Carbajal-Carrera & Sánchez-Castro, 2020, p. 39). Additionally, further studies could delve into the specific impact of auditory elements, such as sound effects and voice acting, on the overall comedic effect and audience engagement within similar multimodal narratives (Nser et al., 2024, p. 154). 

References

Abdel-Raheem, A. (2018). Multimodal Humour: Integrating Blending Model, Relevance Theory, and Incongruity Theory. Multimodal Communication, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1515/mc-2017-0013

Baharvand, P. A., & Sadjadi, B. (2019). Anthropocentrism vs Biocentrism: The Treatment of the Natural World by Human Subjects in James A. Michener’s Chesapeake. Critical Language and Literary Studies, 16(23), 31. https://doi.org/10.29252/clls.16.23.31

Carbajal-Carrera, B., & Sánchez-Castro, O. (2020). The role of secondary incongruities in cartoon appreciation. European Journal of Humour Research, 8(2), 25. https://doi.org/10.7592/ejhr2020.8.2.carbajal-carrera

Coauthor, anon, & Corresponding, anon. (2024). [Nse Test Submission] How Quacking Influences Physics: A Deep Dive into the Aerodynamics of Rubber Ducks in Bathtubs. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5029003

Dymel‐Trzebiatowska, H. (2022). Moomins Take the Floor. Finnish Trolls in Contemporary Mass Social (Media) Events. Children s Literature in Education, 55(2), 313. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10583-022-09497-6

ERGÜL, A. (2017). Çocuklar için Yazılmış Resimli Öykü Kitaplarında Yer Alan  Mizahi Ögelerin İncelenmesi. DergiPark (Istanbul University). https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/jef/issue/28788/308228

Franck, A. K. (2022). Laughable borders: Making the case for the humorous in migration studies. Migration Politics, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.21468/migpol.1.1.004

Goeltzenleuchter, B., Suchtelen, A. van, Brown, K. L., & Grompone, G. (2019). The Value of Creativity for Enhancing Translational Ecologies, Insights, and Discoveries. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00951

Houghton, K. J., Poirier, R. C., & Klin, C. M. (2022). Credible narrators and misinformed readers. Memory & Cognition, 51(4), 825. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13421-022-01368-1

Hu, Z., Liang, T., Li, J., Lu, Y., Zhou, Y., Qiao, Y., Ma, J., & Yin, Y. (2024). Cracking the Code of Juxtaposition: Can AI Models Understand the  Humorous Contradictions. arXiv (Cornell University). https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2405.19088

Leinfelder, R., Hamann, A., Kirstein, J., Schleunitz, M., Habermann, T., Sousanis, N., Packard, S., Plank, L., Berndt, J., Mischitz, V., Meier, T., Huis, A. van, Kuhlemann, A.-K., & Teaiwa, K. (2017). Science Meets Comics. Proceedings of the Symposium on Communicating and Designing the Future of Food in the Anthropocene. Publication Server of Goethe University Frankfurt Am Main (Goethe University Frankfurt). https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.556383

Martínez, J. (2023). A general mechanism of humor: reformulating the semantic overlap. Humor - International Journal of Humor Research, 36(4), 529. https://doi.org/10.1515/humor-2023-0032

Mitelpunkt, S. (2022). Duck Fights: Walt Disney versus Dudu Geva and the Politics of Americanization in Late Twentieth-Century Israel. Journal of American Studies, 56(5), 783. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0021875822000093

Nser, K. K., Alhrahsheh, R., Alshalabi, N., Jarrah, H. Y., & Khasawneh, M. A. S. (2024). Multimodal Social Network Analysis: Exploring Language, Visual, and Audio Data in Online Communities. Studies in Media and Communication, 12(2), 148. https://doi.org/10.11114/smc.v12i2.6666

Nugraha, D. S. (2022). On Silent Laughter: The Political Humour Depicted in Indonesian Cartoons. Voices of English Language Education Society, 6(1), 283. https://doi.org/10.29408/veles.v6i1.5022

Parovel, G., & Guidi, S. (2015). The psychophysics of comic: Effects of incongruity in causality and animacy. Acta Psychologica, 159, 22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2015.05.002

Pedrazzini, A. (2024). The challenge of dissecting the frog: cartoonists analyze their creative process. Semiotica. https://doi.org/10.1515/sem-2023-0078

Pedrazzini, A., & Scheuer, N. (2019). Modal functioning of rhetorical resources in selected multimodal cartoons. Semiotica, 2019(230), 275. https://doi.org/10.1515/sem-2017-0116

Pramukti, D. I., & Utomo, A. P. Y. (2020). The implication of humor discourse in the Tonight Show television program. Journal of Social Studies (JSS), 15(2), 145. https://doi.org/10.21831/jss.v15i2.31939

Rousell, D., & Diddams, N. (2020). Fielding hilarity: sensing the affective intensities of comedy education and performance. Research in Drama Education The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance, 25(3), 422. https://doi.org/10.1080/13569783.2020.1766951

S, C. R. J., & Bhuvaneswari, R. (2022). Anthropomorphism in Indian Visual Narratives. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 12(9), 1811. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1209.14

Schneebeli, C. (2022). Multimodal tropes in academic Tumblrs: the case of metaphor and hyperbole. HAL (Le Centre Pour La Communication Scientifique Directe). https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03675365

Sîrbu, I. P. (2016). Equivalence in Humour Superiority and Incongruity Translation: A Case of Three Men in a Boat and Three Men on the Bummel. Linguistics and Literature Studies, 4(3), 221. https://doi.org/10.13189/lls.2016.040306

Tschacher, W., & Haken, H. (2023). A Complexity Science Account of Humor. Entropy, 25(2), 341. https://doi.org/10.3390/e25020341

Warren, C., Barsky, A., & McGraw, A. P. (2020). What Makes Things Funny? An Integrative Review of the Antecedents of Laughter and Amusement [Review of What Makes Things Funny? An Integrative Review of the Antecedents of Laughter and Amusement]. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 25(1), 41. SAGE Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868320961909