Derek: What do you call a wave that crashes on a really tiny beach?
Me: I dont know, what?
Derek: A microwave
Derek told me this riddle that he said he learned from a friend. The riddle makes use of a pun, or play on words ad double meanings of words. Derek said that this riddle was sort of lame but he still smiled when we told me the riddle and it made me smile. I think that riddles and jokes no matter if others label them as lame or not are worth telling especially if it can put a smile on someones face or make them laugh even just a little bit. I believe others must feel this way as well, or at least agree that even lame riddles and jokes are worth telling otherwise one would never hear or tell these lame riddles and jokes.
Riddles and jokes are also important in folklore because they offer significant insight and understanding into the culture from which they were taken. This is so because if you understand the joke or riddle you probably understand the culture as well. In this case, one would have to understand the English language because it involves a pun, or play on the double meaning words.