The Talented Ellen DeGeneres

            Throughout her career, Ellen DeGeneres has exemplified the ideals of a role model and comedic entity. Her quirky spirit is so infectious she drives the audience to laugh and cry at her will. Regardless of whether the joke is funny or not, the manner in which she delivers the joke draws such positive criticism from Ellen's viewers. Ellen is able to employ Kant and Schopenhauer's theories of unexpected outcomes in her act. Through her use of the unexpected, Ellen is able to draw the audience in, as a result, we are at her comedic disposal. .
             Ellen opens with the question everyone in the audience has looming in their heads, "is she going to talk about the gay issue?" Although no one wants to bring it up, Ellen takes this question in stride saying she has no idea how to actually answer it except through interpretive dance. Despite Ellen's comedic predicament, the audience continues to fall in love with her and laugh hysterically at the dance she attempts to create. The audience did not expect Ellen to break out into dance to describe how she feels about her lesbian relationship now becoming public. Ellen hits the audience with another shocking joke when she discusses the idea of meditating and becoming one with nature. Ellen draws the audience in with the serene thoughts of meditation and nature; then she shuts them down with the image of a dead fly. Ellen shatters the idea of serenity and surprises the audience with the "punchline" of her joke. The audience finds this funny because they expect Ellen to continue her joke into the serenity of meditation or even the forest possibly; however, Ellen flips the audience in a 180° turn, forcing them into submission. The audience has no choice, subconsciously, but to laugh. The audience laughs because they do not expect Ellen to deliver her joke in this manner. The element of surprise is rampant in all of Ellen's jokes, solidifying her control over the reactionary emotions of the audience.