Introduction
The current paper is based on the American comedy series, ‘Two and a Half Men,’ its characters and the environment set-up, within which the comedy is acted. Aspects of the features of rooms where the comedy series is conducted are discussed in the paper. The conduct of the characters in the form of their use of language is also analyzed.
Features of the Room in Which Much of the Comedy Takes Place
Much of the comedy series is performed at Charlie’s house, which is located adjacent to the beach. The house has a lot of features that make me feel comfortable. First, the living room is spacious with plenty of natural lighting due to several large glass windows.
Also, it is placed at the sea, thus enabling one to enjoy the breeze of the ocean in the comfort of the house. The room is decorated with a blend of many different materials, used in harmony. This feature is thereby giving the illusion of a warm atmosphere where the action takes place. The furniture items inside the house are well arranged to assist in maneuvering in all directions.
It should also be remarked that the interior decoration of the house seems to fit the characters, and the actions they perform in the house in various ways. First, the atmosphere created by the warm colors like yellow and orange fits an informal set-up for such a comedy to take place.
Secondly, the value of items inside the house seems to be very high. One should take into account that wealthy people are usually more associated with such informal situations and dialogues, even with their children than in less wealthy families (Simpson, 1976).
Differences between Rooms in a Comedy and Drama Series
Most drama series usually involve one character or characters who conflict with other members of the family or community and are in most cases educative in nature (Ballon, 2003). Thus, the dramatic series are usually written down to be performed on stage. In this case, the stage is set depending on the characters’ actions in the drama series.
However, it should be stated that comedy series are normally acted in a home setting, and their major aim is to create humor and make people laugh. The environment for performing the drama series is normally staged with the audience around the place.
On the other hand, characters to the comedy series, such as the ‘Two and a Half Men,’ perform their shows in a cozy environment in the comfort of their houses, and they do so as if they are just in their normal life and are not acting.
It will not be denied that the furnishings in the rooms of a very wealthy home normally differ from the houses of the less affluent families in various ways.
First, the features of the interior decor of the house are different in terms of space occupied by the living room, the value and make of the furniture and fittings, the ambiance created by the blend of colors in the room, etc. In line with this, the choice of materials utilized in the construction of furnishings in the house also helps one distinguish between the house of a wealthy person and that of a poor person (Ransley & Ingram, 2004).
A good example of bringing out this contrast is in Charlie’s house where the comedy, ‘Two and a Half Men’ takes place. The house has leather sofas, terrazzo floorings, which are complemented by the use of acoustics. Metal bars with unique shapes are used at the staircases that add on to the aesthetic beauty of the house.
The living room is so planned that the distance between one item and the next one is not too close to allow easy movement of people. Cabinets are well constructed inside the kitchen so that the storage of all types of food items is done without contaminating the food. Charlie’s house is thus a perfect example of a wealthy person’s house, based on the interior décor and furnishings inside.
On the other hand, a poor person’s house is usually characterized by the attributes that are less or inferior to those in a wealthy person’s home. Most of the walls are usually painted with one color, and there is normally great disharmony among the various furnishings in the room in terms of color, symmetry, and maneuverability of people from one section of the house to another.
Often, the living rooms of poor people are enhanced using other means, such as the use of mirrors to make the rooms appear larger, horizontal or vertical painting patterns to create the illusion of a larger or higher room respectively, depending on the attributes being enhanced. The furnishings in the room are thus very effective in bringing out the socioeconomic status of a character.
Use of Language
In the first place, it is to be admitted that the use of language can take different forms to give meaning to the characters and at the same time conceal information to other characters in the same play. Language can also be applied selectively to evoke some emotions of a character, depending on how the speaker wants the other party to react.
In the comedy, ‘Two and a Half Men,’ there are numerous instances where the language is used to interact in different situations. Jake and Charlie become great friends to the extent that they start playing betting games. The language between them is grapevine, despite their age difference. Alan and Charlie also use informal language when discussing their love lives.
Some of the characters are annoying by the way they communicate, for example, Berta, Charlie’s housekeeper, speaks in a demeaning language to Jake and even goes ahead to make him scrub the toilet and kitchen when Jake’s father and uncle are not around. The language she uses makes anyone listen to the comedy to sympathize Jake.
From the above discussion, it is evident that such a comedy is different from a reality show by the fact that a comedy has the basic aim of making people entertained. Reality shows normally depict people carrying out their daily activities of life.
They mostly capture people carrying out a specific activity, normally those that are not common to many people. The characters in a reality show perform tasks in the real world set-up, thus making the show ‘realistic.’ In comedies, the activities taking place are usually not ‘real’ since the audience knows and expects humor from the conversations between the characters.
References
Ballon, R. F. (2003). Breathing life into your characters. Cincinnati, OH: Writer’s Digest Books.
Guffey, M. E., & Loewy, D. (2013). Essentials of business communication. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.
Ransley, J., & Ingram, H. (2004). Developing Hospitality Properties and Facilities. London, United Kingdom: Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann.
Simpson, J. (1976). The American family : a history in photographs. New York, NY: Viking Press