(opinion essay)

How much has already been said about Ukrainian humor? How many humorous poems, stories, fables, and comedies have been written? But years pass, even millennia have changed, and humor does not disappear from the everyday life of Ukrainians and from literature! Humor helps us critically perceive reality, get out of difficult life situations, including war hardships, take life more easily and optimistically, and most importantly, ourselves.

Humorous works prove to us that even serious problems can be solved with humor, and because of this, the chances of settling these problems do not decrease at all, and even vice versa. I really liked P. Glazov’s poem “Overseas Guests.” If you try to formulate the problems outlined in this poetry, things will come out that are too serious: the problem of the Ukrainian diaspora in Canada, the problem of the diaspora not being informed about the situation in Ukraine, the problem of the level of language culture in the state…It even becomes scary: you should write a dissertation here or some scientific work… But no! All these problems fit into one short poem, which sounds striking, with humor and hidden irony! Humor is harbored in the title of the work and in the verse size, in the plot itself and in the speech of the characters (in particular, the Police officer). But, reading the poem, a person not only smiles, he or she thinks about the aforementioned very, wow, serious problems! Such is the truly invincible effect of humor on people.

In a fascinating, non-burdensome way, the author forces readers to think about problems of great importance. I think this approach is correct, and most importantly, effective. It is not for nothing that they say that laughing and playing make it easier to learn, to experience difficult moments, and to work.

Of course, there are serious and not funny things in life that are simply a sin to make fun of, but sometimes humor and irony are needed in our lives, even in unexpected situations; they really help us.

If you perceive life with optimism, even in our war-time, with a benevolent irony and wit, life becomes easier, and daily worries and small troubles do not seem so unpleasant and annoying. They are no longer able to wipe off a cheery smile from their faces, which, by the way, is so nice to give to irritated and worried adults, changing their mood for the better!