This was my prompt:

In your view, are both pictures supposed to be funny? What about the similarities between them
– that the overindulgent partiers are both men, and that like big babies, they both need help and
comfort? What about the differences? That the Egyptian is helped by a woman and the Greek by
a boy, and that the Greek has seemingly prepared for his misadventure by having a very large
bowl close to hand?

Personally I did not find the photos of the men throwing up to be funny. Although I do
think that this photo can be seen as something that is supposed to be funny, it was more revealing
to me in a sense that there is a deeper meaning behind it, and that it is less humorous1. Both
photos show men throwing up with someone by their side helping them. It is possible that in both
photos a similarity is the stereotype that grown men act like babies when they are sick and are
much worse at being sick than women are. Thus, it is often that they are being taken care of by a
family member or someone around them. Another similarity I noticed was that both the women
in the first image and the boy in the second have their hands on the sick one's head, this could be
seen as a gesture of comforting them, and of course helping them while they are throwing up to
show that they are there for them. One difference I noticed was a woman helping the man in the
first image, and a boy helping the man in the second2. This could express the differences between
Egyptian and Greek culture and how they choose to tend to the person. Another difference is the
Greek man having a very large bowl in front of him, while the Egyptian does not. This could
signify that the Greeks are wealthier, while the Egyptians are less fortunate than they are.
Personally, I believe that these photos have great relevance in today’s society, whether it be
throwing up after a night out of drinking too much, or even just being sick, these photos are real
and something that people see or experience multiple times in their lives. I understand that
humour is subjective, and I personally found these images to be more eye opening and relatable
than humorous.

1
Griffith and Marks, 83. In Modern humour comedy lies in the situation. In this case the situation was not
humorous to me but humour is subjective so it can be seen as funny to someone else.
2
R. Drew Griffith and Robert B. Marks, A Funny Thing happened on the Way to Agora: Ancient Greek and Roman
Humour, 2nd Edition: Agora Harder! (Kingston, ON: Legacy Books Press, 2011), 42. Incorporated Egyptian humour
and this includes the element of “reversal” where the established order of things is shifted around. The child in the
second photo is helping the man who could possibly be his father… a father is usually the one taking care of his
young son.