Elements of Satire

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

Some Satire is meant to make us laugh at human foolishness and weaknesses.

Some satire is meant to make us angry about human vices and crimes.

Satire can be aimed at humanity in general,Stereotyped groups (like "ambulance -chasing" lawyers or clumsy doctors), or a particular person.

Satirists are dissatisfied with the waythings are and want to make them better. However, instead of giving helpful advise, they focus what is wrong.

Forget "BE GOOD!" Satirists make fun of selfish, mean-spirited people hoping we will see the qualities in ourselves and change.

Satirists perform an important role insociety when they expose errors and absurdities that we no longer noticebecause of custom or familiarity.

Satirists

• 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.

Satirists use Irony

• Verbal: saying one thing but meaning another, often times the opposite of what he or she has said.

• Situational: when what actually happens is different from what is expected to happen or what is appropriate.

Four basic parts of a Satire

Exaggeration

Incongruity

Reversal

Parody

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.

Incongruity To present things that are out of place or

are absurd in relation to its surroundings. Particular techniques include oxymoron, metaphor, and irony.

Reversal To present the opposite of the normal

order. Reversal can focus on the order of events, such as serving dessert before the main dish or having breakfast for dinner. Additionally, reversal can focus 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.

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.

Exaggeration

Incongruity

Reversal

Parody

Pick out the Satirical elements in the following clip

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