“Was Tarzan a Three-Bandage
Man?”
By: Bill Cosby
Focal Points
Writing: Nonfiction Narrative
Author’s Intent:
Why did the author write this?
What was the author trying to accomplish?
Types of Humor:
Understatement and Exaggeration
Connections: Compare/Contrast with piece, “Our
Finest Hour”
Suffix: -ment
Who’s Bill Cosby?
Comedian, author, actor,
community leader…and
so much more!
Comedy Albums-Won
eight gold records, five
platinum records, and
five Grammy Awards.
Ever watch Fat Albert? Guess
who the creator is? Bill
Cosby-and it is based on his
boyhood friends!
Cosby Quotes
“I guess the real reason that my wife and I had children is the
same reason that Napoleon had for invading Russia: it
seemed like a good idea at the time.”
“Parents are not interested in justice, they're
interested in peace and quiet.”
A lot of Cosby’s humor focuses on parenting or children.
Why do you think that is?
Cosby Quotes
“Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows
that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter
how painful your situation might be, you can survive it.”
How is this quote different from the others?
Why is humor important-according to Cosby?
Author’s Intent
Entertain
The author is trying to amuse or entertain the
readers.
Inform
The author is explaining or telling the reader
about something.
Persuade
The author is trying to persuade the reader to agree
with their point of view, or to take an action.
Reflect
The author is looking back on an event in their life.
Infer
*There are four main reasons authors write:
Entertain
Inform
Persuade
Reflect
Based on what you have learned about Cosby so
far, what do you expect his writing to be like?
Vocabulary
Exaggeration (Humor): To stress ridiculous
actions or stretch the truth to humorous
lengths.
Humor: Comedy, funny.
Tourniquet: A very tight bandage to stop the flow of blood.
Emulate: To imitate.
Exaggeration (Humor): To stress ridiculous actions or
stretch the truth to humorous lengths.
Tourniquet: A very tight bandage to stop the flow of blood.
Reference
Cosby’s mom refers to the Swiss Family Robinsonwhich is a novel about a fictional family stranded on
a desert island.
In the days before athletes had learned how to incorporate themselves, they
were shining heroes to American kids. In fact, they were such heroes to me and
my friends that we even imitated their walks. When Jackie Robinson, a pigeontoed walker, became famous, we walked pigeon-toed, a painful form of
locomotion unless you were Robinson or a pigeon.
“Why you walkin’ like that?” said my mother one day.
“This is Jackie Robinson’s walk,” I proudly replied.
“There’s somethin’ wrong with his shoes?”
“He’s the fastest man in baseball.”
“He’d be faster if he didn’t walk like that. His mother should make him walk
right.”
A few months later, when football season began, I stopped
imitating Robinson and began to walk bowlegged like a player
named Buddy Helm.
“Why you always tryin’ to change the shape of your legs?” said my
mother. “You keep doin’ that an’ they’ll fall off - an’ I’m not
getting’ you new ones.”
Although baseball and football stars inspired us, our real heroes
were the famous prize fighters, and the way to emulate a fighter
was to walk around with a Band-Aid over one eye.
People with acne walked around that way too, but we hoped it
was clear that we were worshipping good fists and not bad skin.
The first time my mother saw me being Sugar Ray, not Jackie
Robinson, she said, “What’s the bandage for?”
“Oh, nuthin’,” I replied.
“Now that’s a new kinda stupid answer. That bandage gotta be
coverin’ somthin’- besides your entire brain.”
“Well, it’s just for show. I wanna look like Sugar Ray Robinson.”
“The fastest man in baseball.”
“No, that’s a different one.”
“You doin’ Swiss Family Robinson next?”
“Swiss Family Robinson? They live in the projects?”
“You’d know who they are if you read more books instead of
makin’ yourself look like an accident. Why can’t you try to imitate
someone like Booker T. Washington?”
“Who does he play for?”
“Bill, let’s put it this way: you take off that bandage right now or
I’ll have your father move you up to stitches.”
The following morning on the street, I dejectedly told the boys,
“My mother says I gotta stop wearin’ a bandage. She wants my
whole head to show.”
“What’s wrong with that woman?” asked Fat Albert. “She won’t
let you do nuthin’.”
“It’s okay, Cos,” said Junior, “cause one bandage ain’t enough
anyway. My brother says the really tough guys wear two.”
“One over each eye?” I asked him.
“Or one eye and one nose,” he said.
“Man, I wouldn’t want to mess with no two-bandage man,” said
Eddie.
And perhaps the toughest guys of all wore tourniquets around
their necks.
We were capable of such attire, for we were never more
ridiculous than when we were trying to be tough or cool.
Most ridiculous, of course, was that our hero worshipping was
backwards: we should have been emulating the men who had
caused the need for bandages.
Cosby’s Boyhood Heroes
Why did Cosby choose athletes as his heroes?
What made him want to imitate athletes instead
of inventors or educators?
Sugar Ray Robinson(1921-1989): World
Boxing Champ.
Jackie Robinson (1919-1972): First AfricanAmerican to play Major League Baseball.
Cosby’s Mother’s Hero
Whom does Cosby’s mother admire? Why
does she look up to this person instead of an
athlete?
Booker T. Washington (1856-1915): Famous
African American educator/author.
Born into slavery, Booker
became an educator and wrote
fourteen novels.
Booker became known as the leader
of Tuskegee Institute and a
philanthropist who supported
education for African Americans.
Involved in politics, Booker worked tirelessly to promote
education and rights for African Americans. His work led
wealthy individuals such as Carnegie, Eastman, and
Rockefeller to contribute money and influence to his projects.
Compare/Contrast
Cosby’s Heroes
His Mother’s Hero
Both
Athletes
Known as
being tough
sports
players
• African Americans
• Famous
•First to accomplish…
•Admired by others
Pioneer in
education
Involved in
politics
Founded
many schools
Main Message
Cosby’s story is entertaining, but underneath the
humor he is making a statement-giving a message to
the readers. Often, a author’s message tells us a lesson
that the author learned. It might be a lesson that
would help us in our everyday lives.
What message is Cosby trying to share with us?
Compare/Contrast
Compare/Contrast the two nonfiction narratives we have read in the past week,
“Was Tarzan a Three-Bandage Man?” by Bill Cosby and “Our Finest Hour” by
Charles Osgood.
How are the pieces
similar?
How are the pieces
different?
Compare/Contrast
Consider:
Classify what type of writing these selections are.
Decide what type of humor the authors use. Does one piece use
one type of humor more?
What do the authors have in common?
What was their main intent in composing these pieces?
How do the writers connect to the readers? Is one more
successful than the other?
How do the authors’ views of their experiences change over
time?
Compare/Contrast
Create a Venn diagram of the two
stories.
Both Pieces
Cosby’s Piece
Osgood’s Piece