Tennessen


society. Freud reminds us, too, that in jokes
"nonsense often replaces ridicule and criticism in the
thoughts lying behind the joke." In other words, the
apparent stupidity of the young Haitian in the above
story might very well be a reflection of something else
that is equally stupid and nonsensical. This, indeed,
is the real sense of the joke. In the next illustration
the hostility becomes more obvious:

 Set6 yon p4 ki tal prich4
 lvanjil nan yon pdyi louin
 louin. Yon lX konsa li tap
 travls4 yon touf rajd. Li vi-n
 kontr4 bab pou bab ak yon gro
 bet sovaj ki rel4 lyon. Min
 jan bet la t6 part sou msyd-a
 sanbld li t6 gin yon df sinminn
 konsa san manj4. Monp4 sezi,
 li pantan, li di: "Papa Bondyd,
 mete yon bon santiman krityin
 nan lyon sa-a souplg." Minm
 1A-a tou, lyon an fA yon ti
 kanpd, li fA onondipe, li di:
 "Mesi papa Bondyd, bdni-m pou
 manje sa-a mouin pral manj4 la-a."

 Once there was a priest who was
 preaching the Gospel in a far-off
 country. One day as he was going
 through the bush he came face to
 face with a huge lion which, from
 all appearances, had had nothing
 to eat for about two weeks.
 Horror-struck, the poor father
 prayed, "Papa Bondye, please
 give this lion a good Christian
 attitude." Whereupon the lion
 knelt down, crossed himself, and
 began to say grace, "Bless us
 O Lord and these thy gifts which
 we are about to receive. ."