5 Literary Essay Ideas from Family Guy
By: Garin Kilpatrick
Family Guy is rife with unabashed references to pop culture so it is no surprise that the show takes some jabs at literature as well. The parodies referenced below are strikingly similar to the original literature being referenced, only featuring family guy characters instead. Watching any of the episodes below is perhaps the most entertaining way to introduce yourself to one of the five following essay worthy topics, so enjoy!
1. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Family Guy Season Two, Episode 20 is a parody of the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. Dahl was a bestselling author during his life thanks to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and other successful stories like James and the Giant Peach. This episode features Peter going on a binge drinking mission with Brian to try and find a Silver Scroll (instead of a golden ticket) inside of a bottle of beer (instead of a chocolate bar).
2. The Bible
In Season Two, Episode 2 Peter’s Dad loses his job and comes to live with Peter and the family. Peter gets his Dad a job at the toy factory where he works and his Dads intensely oldschool work ethic causes him to outwork everyone else out of a job! Eventually the pope becomes intertwined in the plot, The Bible in hand, and Peter’s Dad ends up working for him on his tour. References to the bible abound in this episode that are both positive (Peter’s father) and skeptical (Peter himself). Despite the divergence in beliefs the father and son duo still come to find respect for each other, and Peter’s father ends up working for the Pope.
3. The Grim Reaper
The Grim Reaper makes an appearance in Season Two, Episode 20 to check on two more students who have drank themselves to death from alcohol poisoning. Death then gets completely drunk and staggers out of the fraternity house where he found them. He sits in his car, chews some gum and tells himself to focus, but then crashes directly into the side of a Police Car. I bet he was thinking at that moment “I’m dead.”
4. Little Rascals (Originally from the book Our Gang)
Season 3, Episode 21 of Family Guy is an episode called Viewer Mail #1 and features the parody of the Lil Griffins, instead of the Little Rascals.
The Little Rascals is itself a parody of Philip Roth’s novel Our Gang. Philip Roth’s book is written entirely as dialogue and much in the style of a play, featuring stage directions. Trick E. Dixon was the main character in this book and was a character based on President Richard Nixon who was the President when Our Gang was Published.
5. The King and I
The King and I is an Episode of Family Guy where the local play director dies and Louis is appointed to replace him a the Director for the next town play. The play Louis chooses to direct is called The King and I which was a Musical based on the Book Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon.
p.s., picture credits and copyright go to Fox and its partners.
