Half-Hours with the Idiot

"Half-Hours with the Idiot" by John Kendrick Bangs, is a series of funny essays from the early 1900s that centers around a character called the Idiot. He has clever talks with different people, where they joke about what's strange in society and government. Using humor, the Idiot thinks about ideas such as buildings, what men and women do, and the annoying parts of everyday life, which helps us see how funny people can be. First, the Idiot and his pals have a funny chat about how American ambassadors live differently depending on where they are. The Idiot thinks it's not fair and says America should make all the ambassador's houses the same, which leads to funny jokes about what it means to be American and how they build things. This first talk shows the witty and silly style that is used throughout the book.