Satire Defined

• A literary genre based on criticism of people and society

• Ridicule and mockery are mixed with humor throughout a work of satire

• Utilizes sarcasm

Satire Defined

Satire is any piece of writing designed to make its reader feel critical •of themselves•of their fellow human beings•of institutions•of society as a whole

Satirists •are dissatisfied with the way things are and want to make them better. However, instead of giving helpful advice, they focus on what is wrong.

•make fun of selfish, mean-spirited people hoping we will see the qualities in ourselves and change.

•perform an important role in society when they expose errors and absurdities that we no longer notice because of custom or familiarity.

•like to use exaggeration. (portraying all politicians as corrupt or all clergy as corrupt).

•expect their readers to be alert and intelligent to detect elements of satire when there is no exaggeration.

Who are Satirists

Who are Satirists?• Usually a blend of

idealist and realist

• See the difference between what the world COULD BE and WHAT IT IS

• Must go in a nontraditional route to affect change

Persona

• Also called a mask

• Speaks from another’s point of view

• Uses them to get point across

Purpose of Satire

• The satirist aims to influence change by laughing scornfully at those being mocked--and being witty enough to allow the reader to laugh, also

• The satirist's goal is to point out the hypocrisy of the target

• By highlighting inconsistencies the target is made to look ridiculous

Types of SatireHoratian Juvenalian

Purpose: To Make Audience Laugh

Purpose: To Make Audience Angry

Tone: Lighter, gentler Tone: Harsh, bitter

Subject: Less serious Subject: More serious

Persona: is urbane, witty, and tolerant man of the world

Persona: is serious moralist who uses a public style of speaking to decry vices

Exhibits wry amusement at human folly & hypocrisy

Evokes contempt, moral indignation

Techniques

• Exaggeration: To enlarge, increase, or represent something beyond normal bounds so that it becomes ridiculous and its faults can be seen.

– Caricature is the exaggeration of a physical feature

or trait. Cartoons, especially political cartoons,

provide extensive examples of caricature.

- Burlesque is the ridiculous exaggeration of language. For instance, when a character who should use formal, intelligent language speaks like a fool or a character who is portrayed as uneducated uses highly sophisticated, intelligent language.

Techniques

• Incongruity: To present things that are out of place or are absurd in relation to its surroundings. Particular techniques include:

– oxymoron

– metaphor

– irony

Techniques• Parody: To imitate the techniques and/or style of

some person, place, or thing in order to ridicule the original. For parody to be successful, the reader must know the original text that is being ridiculed.

Techniques• Reversal: To present the

opposite of the normal order. Reversal can focus on the order of events or on hierarchical order—for instance, when a young child makes all the decisions for a family or when an administrative assistant dictates what the company president decides and does.

Examples in Literature

• Examples in Literature • In Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn the racism of the deep south is satirized.

• Huckleberry’s conscience – warped by the racist world he has grown up in, often bothers him most when he is at his best.

• Ironically, he is prepared to do good, believing it to be wrong.

Examples in Literature

•  George Orwell’s 1984 and Animal Farm

• In both of Orwell’s works a society is satirized where government has complete authority over the people

Examples in Television

• Stephen Colbert’s television program, The Colbert Report satirizes both other television personalities and a variety of aspects of society

• Most notably Colbert satirizes political candidates and political decisions

Examples in Television

Examples from Film

• Almost all spoof movies at least partly fall into the category of satire

• Some of these films might include: Scary Movie franchise, Airplane, National Lampoon’s Family Vacation, etc.

Satire In Action

• Remember: Satire often pokes fun at some institution, person or aspect of human weakness

• In the following cartoons, try to specifically point out what is being satirized.

• Also try to come to a conclusion about what the artist/author wants his audience to think about by viewing the cartoon

Practice

• What is the message?

• What elements of satire are being used?

• What change might the artist want to inspire?

Practice

• What is the message?

• What elements of satire are being used?

• What change might the artist want to inspire?

Practice• What is the

message?

• What elements of satire are being used?

• What change might the artist want to inspire?