BY S T E WA RT F O R D
SATIRICAL ANALYSIS OF FAMILY GUY
WHAT IS FAMILY GUY?
• An American satirical adult animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane
CHARACTERS
• Peter • Lois• Stewie• Joe• Cleveland• Quagmire• Meg
PETER
• Worker of the family• Fat• Stupid• Always getting the family into trouble
LOIS
• Mother of the family• Sits on the extremes of housewife and seductress• Smart• Saves the family from catastrophes• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdTObaLq_vg
STEWIE
• Baby• Smarter than everyone else • Role reversal• Homosexual
JOE
• “Tough guy” in the show• Ironic because he has a disability
CLEVELAND
• African American counterpart to Peter’s family• Shows how much the families are the same even
though they have a different culture
QUAGMIRE
• “Player” in the show• Ironic because throughout the series you find out
that he has feelings
MEG
• “Not attractive” daughter in the show• Ironic because her voice is Mila Kunis• Goes on a lot of dates even though she is
considered “not attractive” and “annoying” by everyone in the show
ETHOS, PATHOS, LOGOS
• The characters Brian and Lois use ethos • “This can involve "moral competence" only;
Aristotle however broadens the concept to include expertise and knowledge.” [Wikipedia]• Brian and Lois have the most credibility because
they are the most knowledgable
ETHOS, PATHOS, LOGOS
• “Pathos represents an appeal to the audience's emotions” [Wikipedia]• The show appeals to pathos by placing current
events and past events into the shows to have people respond with an emotional appeal.
ETHOS, PATHOS, LOGOS
• “The use of logos is called a "logical appeal.“” [Dr. Williams, USC]• There are not many logical appeals throughout
the show • Occasionally characters come to a conclusion at
the end of an episode that everyone already knew
SOURCES
• http://georgehwilliams.pbworks.com/w/page/14266873/Ethos-Pathos-Logos-The-3-Rhetorical-Appeals• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pathos• http://
www.fanpop.com/clubs/family-guy/images/29507418/title/stewie-photo• http://collider.com/comic-con-family-guy/• http://
www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/seth-macfarlane-outs-baby-stewie-family-guy-gay-macfarlane-playboy-interview-article-1.395390