Yasmine Artis

Mrs. Thomas
UWRT 1101-041
8 December 2014
When starting this assignment I was a tad confused on where to start and exactly what
angle I should take on each piece. Working in a group with Brianna and Ashley really helped me
gain a better understanding of the assignment and aided me on how to approach it. I came into
class the day the first draft was due wanting cut-throat, specific advice and that is exactly what
they gave me. I was told first and foremost that I had overall good start. Then they proceeded to
tell me how and where I could go back and add more specific details about the Cosby family and
the writers of the different pieces. They told me that it would also help if I took another look at
the topic sheet and the twelve questions it gave for guidance. Aside from the things they told
me I may have needed to change, or add, they also gave me positive feedback. Some positive
feedback included the way I used my own voice in certain sections and how I made connections
between the different pieces. Overall peer-reviewing turned out to be a great resource for me. I
hope it shows in this paper.
The Cosby Show: Unloaded
The Cosby Show, originally aired in on NBC in the 1980s, was very successful. Known for
its writer, Bill Cosby, the show is about an upper middle class African American family that lives
in Brooklyn, New York. Each episode is comical and, in my opinion, educational too. At the end

of each show the viewer is always able to depict the lesson learned, or the moral of the story.
For example, in the first ever episode of The Cosby Show, Cliff Huxtable (Bill Cosby) teaches
Theo (Malcom-Jamal Warner) a lesson on economics. During this episode Cliff confronts Theo
about his poor grades arguing that he will have a hard time getting into college if he does not
improve. Theo then attempts to assure his father that his grades wont matter after high school
because he just plans to get a job like regular people. In response to Theo, Cliff using
monopoly play money, gives is son a lesson the economics of the working class. He explains
that because of the rising cost food, clothing, and shelter (inflammation), getting a job like
regular people would cause him to earn less and spend more. The famous Cosby family consist
of parents, Cliff and Claire Huxtable, and four children, Theo, Rudy, Vanessa, and Denise
Huxtable.
Short Piece- Johnny Carson Award acceptance speech
Bill Cosby is the face behind The Cosby Show. His personality shows through in each and
every episode of the show ever aired on television. Although the show has been off the air for
thirty years, it is very clear that Bill remains the same person he was those thirty years ago; still
warming the hearts of others through laughter. Just five months ago, on May 8 th, 2014, Bill
Cosby attended that annual American Comedy Awards and was the recipient of the Johnny
Carson Award for Comedic Excellence. Johnny Carson was an American television host and
comedian from 1962 until his retirement in 1992. The Johnny Carson Award for Comedic
Excellence, first presented in 2011, was established as a tribute to honor an individual who has
made an extraordinary contribution to comedy and whose impact and innovations have
changed the landscape and inspired future generations of entertainers. Bill Cosby was

introduced to the audience by comedian Chris Rock, also an American comedian, who refers to
Cosby as the greatest. This short and simple introduction was followed by a loud applause.
Cosby then walks onto the stage while The Cosby Shows theme song plays distinctly in the
background. He starts his acceptance speech with an encounter he had during his early
comedic years. He had an act on a show and he let the presence of other great comedians scare
him out of putting on an amazing performance. After talking about his experience he leaves the
audience with a quote that would inspire anyone listening. I would call it the moral of the story.
He spoke:
You have to show up. You cannot allow yourself to talk yourself into being scared of
who you are because you are the only person who can represent who you are. Bill Cosby
This quote can be directed to people of all ages in any situation. You know who you are
and what you are capable of accomplishing. External situations and figures should not cause
you to think differently about what you are able achieve because at the end of the day what
you did achieve is a reflection of you.
Visual Piece- Family photo of the Huxtables
The Huxtable family is known for their warm,
welcoming tone and this visual family photo is an
excellent example of that. This photo can be
compared to a typical family portrait that shows both
unity and togetherness. Hinting on exactly what the
show is about, this photo could have also been used

for advertisement. By using pathos it is capable of gaining the attention of people who also care
a great deal about family. It features the original members of the Huxtable family, Vanessa in
the teal shirt, Claire in the red shirt, Denise in the purple shirt, Cliff in the pink shirt, Theo in the
plaid shirt and Rudy in the striped blue shirt. Each person has a genuine smile on their face and
they are all touching. Cliff, also known as Bill Cosby, is seated centered in the middle of the
picture and the rest of the family surrounds him. This shows that he is the center, head, of the
family. The background is plain white which allows for all attention to be directed to the
members of the family.
Popular Magazine- People Magazine The Cosby Shows 30th Year Anniversary: Where
Are the Huxtables Now.
http://www.people.com/people/gallery/0,,20854609_10,00.html#30220049
As mentioned in my short piece section of Bill Cosbys acceptance speech, The Cosby
Show is celebrating thirty years since the airing of their first show. I found an article from
Peoples Magazine that was written to inform the viewers on what the Huxtables have been up
to since the series finale. There is no clear writer listed. The webpage looks like a typical
magazines webpage that is used primarily for entertainment. Near the top are different tab
links titled Home, News, Videos, Photos, etc. This article was found under the photo tab, hence
its not like a normal article that consist of long, flowy paragraphs; instead, it contained ten
different sections that held a before and after picture of each character and a short paragraph
following that told what theyve been up to. Each picture was just as interesting to me as it
would be for any other Cosby viewer. You could compare it to looking at old baby photos of a
parent, friend, or significant other. The Cosby kids arent kids anymore. Not only is it noticeable

from the photos, but reading each paragraph will tell you that they all have gone on to pursue
other jobs in acting. They are listed as follows:

Bill Cosby (Cliff Huxtable) has been busy with television appearances,
commercials and comedy.

Phylicia Rashad (Claire Huxtable) has made appearances on television shows

such as Psych, Do No Harm, and The Cleveland Show. She has also directed
successful theatre performances.

Malcolm-Jamal Warner (Theo Huxtable) has directed music videos and television
shows, released two albums, and has also acted.

Lisa Bonet (Denise Huxtable) has since divorced and remarried. She has also
starred on in The Red Road and Life on Mars.

Tempestt Bledsoe (Vanessa Huxtable) had her own talk show, The Tempestt
Bledsoe Show. After talk show host career she started to work more with reality
television, appearing on Clean House, Celebrity Fit Club, and House Husbands of
Hollywood.

Keshia Pulliam (Rudy Huxtable) has mainly been focusing on reality television.
She has since won the celebrity versions of both Fear Factor and The Weakest
Link. You may have also seen her in some of Tyler Perrys shows and films.

Peer Reviewed- The Cosby Show: The View from the Black Middle Class
Searching for a peer-reviewed articles I was not surprised to find that there were well
over 100 for me to choose from. While skimming titles to find one that best interest me, I ran

across an article that suggests some people have a negative opinion on The Cosby Show. This
article is a selection from The Journal of Black Studies. Only nineteen pages long, this article is
broken up into eleven subtitles. Each one focuses on a different idea. This article jumped out to
me because it made me wonder why, or how, anyone could think negatively about a show that
sends such positive vibes. Take the family photo, for example, it is impossible to find one
negative thing to say about the show from looking at a picture. Because of the idea that some
viewers of The Cosby Show had some negative comments to say regarding the show, I decided
to focus only on the sections of the article that contained research information. There are two
writers listed responsible for this article, both Leslie B Inniss and Joe R Feagin. Joe Feagin is a
sociology professor with a PhD from Harvard University. His research studies include racial and
ethnic studies, gender relations, and urban political economy. Inniss and Feagin worked
collectively to author this article that featured in the Journal of Black Studies, a bimonthly peerreviewed journal that publishes works that focus on the social sciences and ethnic studies of
the African American culture. In their article, the writers tell how they interviewed a large
variety of middle class African Americans. Middle class is defined as those holding or preparing
to hold white collar jobs. During the interviews, each comment regarding The Cosby Show was
pleasant, although most were followed by, but Those that had something negative about
the show claimed it to be unrealistic and stated how they wished it showed some of the more
serious issues that blacks face. This wasnt the first time comments like these were made
openly. Bill Cosby also heard this from many critics wanting to see issues on racism and
stereotypes. Regardless of what others said, Bill stayed firm saying he would not let critics write

his show. The Cosby Show was meant to shed a positive light on African Americans. Arent we
all tired of the negative?
Conclusion
The purpose of this essay was to view and analyze a topic (The Cosby Show) from four
different genres. I accomplished this through a quote from Bill Cosby, a family picture of the
Huxtable family, an article from Peoples Magazine, and a peer reviewed article. Each piece
showed The Cosby Show from a different perspective. After completing this assignment I was
able to clearly see the difference in genres and how they are molded to attract and cater to
different groups of people.

Works Cited
Inniss, Leslie B., and Joe R. Feagin. "The Cosby Show: The View from the Black Middle Class."
Journal of Black Studies 25.6 (1970): 692-711. E-Journals A-Z - J. Murrey Atkins Library UNC Charlotte. Web. 08 Dec. 2014.
"The Cosby Show's 30th Anniversary: Where Are the Huxtables Now?" The Cosby Show Cast
30th Anniversary Where Are They Now : People.com. People Magazine, 20 Sept. 2014.
Web. 20 Oct. 2014.