All About Satire

Noun. A literary manner which blends humor with criticism for the purpose of instruction or the improvement of humanity;

The Satiric Manner

Ironic/Sarcastic

Either good natured criticism or bitterly cynical denunciation

Always opposed to pretense, affectation, and hypocrisy

More than a little bit prone to references to things society finds taboo or disgusting (bodily functions, sexuality, etc.)

Objectives

Understand use and purpose of satire within literature and media

Develop an understanding of the definition of satire

Identify the writer or speaker’s purpose for using satire

Recognize the importance of context for the success of satire

Understand techniques of satire

Use and Purpose of Satire

All satire is criticism To reform, persuade and convince To analyze To strip away false impressions

Writer/Speaker’s Purpose

Any conflict between the ideal and the practical

Any perceived hypocrisy The purposes of institutions Political positions The actions/ideas of well-known

people

Satirical Techniques

– Direct Satire– Irony– Sarcasm– Ridicule– Exaggeration / Diminutization – Caricature– Parody– Utopianism / Dystopianism

Direct Satire = stating a direct criticism humorously. This is the oldest and, historically, most common form of satiric writing.

Comedian Dennis Miller’s popular series of books, Rants, are an excellent modern example of direct satire.

Irony - language that has two levels of meaning; the first is superficial or literal; the second is critical and often the opposite of the superficial meaning.

Only a Lad by Oingo Boingo

Sarcasm - extreme techniques of satire; bitter and spiteful comments are made to deliberately hurt the subject

A Political Piece

Ridicule - technique used to satirize the faults of others; ridicule makes fun of the subject or derides it with contempt

Student Video: Classroom

Caricature = An exaggerated portrayal of the weaknesses, frailties, or humorous aspects of an individual or group.

Caricatures of the presidential candidates by Saturday Night Live cast members in ‘03 year actually changed the way that the candidates performed in public.

Parody = a work of literature that mimics another work of literature, usually as a way of criticizing it.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail Austin Powers Scary Movie/Epic Movie Gulliver’s Travels GREASE!!!!

Exaggeration = The portrayal of something trivial or unimportant as very important, usually to emphasize its triviality.

Diminutization = the portrayal of something perceived as important as something trivial/unimportant to show its unimportance.

** Zoolander and the “fashion world”** Weird Al’s “Amish Paradise”** The Rape of the Lock (A. Pope)

Utopianism = A criticism of the status quo through comparison with a superior kind of society that highlights the weaknesses of one’s own.

Utopia, by Sir Thomas Moore Gargantua and Pantegruel Gulliver’s Travels, Book II

Dystopianism = A criticism of certain aspects of society through comparison to an inferior society that adopts some of these aspects.

George Orwell’s 1984 Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451* Both Dystopianism and Utopianism use

contrast to make point.

The Assignment

Part I: Write your own satirical piece. Part II: Analyze a satirical piece. Turn in: Your satirical piece and your

satirical analysis, both typed in MLA format

Part I: Your Satirical Piece

Decide what the purpose of your satirical piece has, what your purpose is for writing the satire, and which satirical technique you want to you use.

Create your own satirical piece. It could be an essay, a video, a cartoon, a speech, a poem, a song, or anything else you can think of.

Write a reflection on your satirical piece, explaining the purpose of the piece, your purpose for writing it, and the technique you chose to use. This should only be ½-1 page in length.

Part II: Your Satirical Analysis Find an example of satire. These can be

found in newspapers and magazines (easily accessible online), novels, videos, cartoons, and even TV shows.

Analyze the satirical piece you selected. Refer to your notes for direction.– Explain the use and purpose of satire– Explain the writer/speaker’s purpose– Explain the satirical technique that is

being used

Let’s Go to Work!!!