Social Commentary

Language Arts 9 Honors

D. Koepke

Guiding Questions

• What social responsibilities do artists (film makers, authors, etc.) have to the world?

• How do artists influence culture?

How does SC apply to young people?

• How can you make your voice heard?• How can you help others see or

understand your point of view?• How can you inform others of social

problems so that they will listen?

To begin, we must understand what social commentary (SC) is

and how it works.

A definition:

• Social commentary is the act of expressing an opinion on the nature of society.

• It is most often done with the idea of implementing or promoting change.

Encyclopedia.laborlawtalk.com/Social_commentary

HOW?

By informing the general populace about a given social problem and appealing to people’s sense of justice.

It’s not just written though… check out these visual examples.

Today, with the invention of the Internet, increasing numbers of people have been enjoying the opportunity to voice their opinions. The Web is probably the best place for social commentary because it allows the dissemination of ideas among enormous audiences. It is therefore one of the greatest modern-time advances in terms of freedom of speech and thought.

WHO?

It commonly comes from educated upper class members, but might also come from the lower social strata as did the SC of Charles Dickens.

Two excellent examples of strong and bitter social commentary are the writings of Jonathan Swift and Martin Luther

• Swift = exposed the appalling poverty in Ireland at the time, which was viewed as the British government’s fault.

• Luther = the founder of the reformation movement against the deplorable practices of the Catholic Church.

A Modest Proposal Social Satire

By Jonathan Swift

Satire1. A literary or artistic work holding up human

vices and follies to ridicule or scorn2. Wit, irony, or sarcasm used to expose and

discredit vice or folly3. Satire often shows the ridiculousness of an

issue, or proposes a ridiculous solution to a problem

www.Webster.com + American Heritage Dictionary (2001)

Active read this text

First, number the paragraphs.Then, while you read, code your text:• M = Main Idea• S = Support for that idea• ? = I don’t understand this• Q = Write a question that you have

about the text.