Unit 3.18
The Tone of Satire
By: Katrina Hickey
Itinerary
Objectives:
• Analyze an author’s use of genre and detail for satirical purposes
• Explore the impact of ridicule on the perception of a writer’s subject
1. Bell Work
1. Students do
2. Teacher goes over answers
2. Anticipatory set of questions
1. About the novel, “Of Mice and Men”
3. Pop-Corn Read-Aloud
1. Students will read aloud pop corn style for each paragraph all the way through, then. . .
2. Class Discussion Questions about purpose, message, elements of satire, then. . .
3. Modeling “looking for elements of satire” for two paragraphs (more if needed)
4. Soapstone notes (Pair Work)
1. Students will work in pairs to complete Soapstone notes
5. Exit Pass
6. Extra Time-unit 3.16/17 slide Horatian/Juvenalian satire review
Bell Work
• Look at the following two pictures of satire, representing the Horatian and
Juvenalian genre of satire, then answer the corresponding questions:
1.
2.
3.
What is the implied message of each image?
Explain how each picture shows irony.
Use the satirical spectrum to give a score of 1-10 for Horatian and Juvenalian satire. Give 2+
reasons for your answer.
1------2-----3------4-----5-----6-----7-----8-----9------10
Horatian
Juvenalian
“I told him to lay off the
genetically modified
salmon…”
What do you think is the message of the satire?
What was the author’s purpose for writing about
this?
What is the tone?
How do we know this is a satire?
Paragraph One
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA—In what she described
as "the most emotional moment" of her
academic life, University of Virginia
sophomore communications major Grace
Weaver sobbed openly upon concluding
Steinbeck's seminal work of American fiction
Of Mice And Men's Cliffs Notes early last
week.
Chart
• Pair Work
• One paper per student
• Look for 3 examples of hyperboles
• Look for 3 examples of irony
• Look for 1 example of caricature
• Due today
Element of • Provide example from
Satire
text
• Include quotations
and citations
Hyperbole
Irony
Caricature
• Analyze the quote.
• DO NOT restate the
quote
Example of Cliff Notes for Chapter Summary
for Of Mice and Men
Summary
Two men, dressed in denim jackets and trousers and wearing "black, shapeless hats," walk single-file down a path near the
pool. Both men carry blanket rolls — called bindles — on their shoulders. The smaller, wiry man is George Milton. Behind him
is Lennie Small, a huge man with large eyes and sloping shoulders, walking at a gait that makes him resemble a huge bear.
When Lennie drops near the pool's edge and begins to drink like a hungry animal, George cautions him that the water may not
be good. This advice is necessary because Lennie is retarded and doesn't realize the possible dangers. The two are on their way
to a ranch where they can get temporary work, and George warns Lennie not to say anything when they arrive. Because Lennie
forgets things very quickly, George must make him repeat even the simplest instructions.
Lennie also likes to pet soft things. In his pocket, he has a dead mouse which George confiscates and throws into the weeds
beyond the pond. Lennie retrieves the dead mouse, and George once again catches him and gives Lennie a lecture about the
trouble he causes when he wants to pet soft things (they were run out of the last town because Lennie touched a girl's soft
dress, and she screamed). Lennie offers to leave and go live in a cave, causing George to soften his complaint and tell Lennie
perhaps they can get him a puppy that can withstand Lennie's petting.
As they get ready to eat and sleep for the night, Lennie asks George to repeat their dream of having their own ranch where
Lennie will be able to tend rabbits. George does so and then warns Lennie that, if anything bad happens, Lennie is to come
back to this spot and hide in the brush. Before George falls asleep, Lennie tells him they must have many rabbits of various
colors.
Paragraph Two & Three
"This book has changed me in a way that only great
literature summaries can," said Weaver, who was so shaken
by the experience that she requested an extension on her
English 229 essay. "The humanity displayed in the
Character Flowchart really stirred something in me. And
Lennie's childlike innocence was beautifully captured
through the simple, ranch-hand slang words like 'mentally
handicapped' and 'retarded.'"
Added Weaver: "I never wanted the synopsis to end."
Example of Cliff Notes for Character Description
for Of Mice and Men
Lennie Small is huge and lumbering and, in many ways, the opposite of George Milton. Where George has sharp features and definite
lines, Lennie is "shapeless." Often he is described in terms of animals. He lumbers like a bear and has the strength of a bear, but his
actions are often described like those of a dog.
Lennie's personality is like that of a child. He is innocent and mentally handicapped with no ability to understand abstract concepts like
death. While he acts with great loyalty to George, he has no comprehension of the idea of "loyalty." For that reason, he often does not
mean to do the things that get him into trouble, and once he does get into trouble, he has no conscience to define his actions in terms of
guilt. Lennie only defines them in terms of consequences: "George is going to give me hell" or "George won't let me tend the rabbits." He
is devoted to George like a dog is devoted to its master, and he tries to follow George's commands. There is a childlike wonder in Lennie
that can be seen when he first sees the pool of water and slurps down huge gulps of water like a horse.
Lennie's greatest feeling of security comes from petting soft things. When the rest of the world gets complicated and scary, petting soft
things helps Lennie feel safe. In petting dead mice, Lennie is doing something that makes him feel safe. Society as a whole would
disapprove of what he is doing, but Lennie sees nothing wrong in his actions. When they have their farm, as George tells him at the end,
Lennie will not need to be scared of bad things any more, and he can tend the rabbits and pet them.
Lennie's prodigious strength combined with his lack of intelligence and conscience make him dangerous, and he needs George to keep
him out of trouble. George takes care of Lennie and makes the decisions for him. George also gives him advice and helps Lennie when
overwhelming forces, like Curley, scare him. George keeps the dream out in front of the huge man as a goal: Their farm is a place where
they can live together, have animals, grow their own crops and, in general, feel safe. Lennie has little memory, but the story of their
dream is one he knows by heart. While George never really believes in this farm, Lennie embraces it with childlike enthusiasm. Every time
he makes George tell their story, his enthusiasm excites George, too. Lennie's innocence keeps the dream alive, but his human
imperfection makes the dream impossible to realize.
Exit Pass
Students who have not completed a Personal Evaluation
form from presenting must complete the form then
respond to the exit pass question. . .
List two examples from the satire that
portray irony. Explain how your examples
are ironic. (Connect your thought to the satire as a whole)
Paragraph Four
Weaver, who formed an "instant connection"
with Lennie's character-description
paragraph, said she began to suspect the
novel might end tragically after reading the
fourth sentence which suggested the gentle
giant's strength and fascination with soft
things would "lead to his untimely demise."
Paragraph Five
"I was amazed at how attached to him I
had become just from the critical
commentary," said Weaver, still clutching
the yellow-and-black-striped study guide.
"When I got to the last sentence—'George
shoots Lennie in the head,'—it seemed so
abrupt. But I found out later that the
'ephemeral nature of life' is a major theme
of the novel."
Paragraph Six
Weaver was assigned Of Mice And Men—a novel
scholars have called "a masterpiece of austere prose"
and "the most skillful example of American naturalism
under 110 pages"—as part of her early twentiethcentury fiction course, and purchased the Cliffs Notes
from a cardboard rack at her local Barnes & Noble. John
Whittier-Ferguson, her professor for the class, told
reporters this was not the first time one of his students
has expressed interest in the novel's plot summary
Paragraph Seven
"It's one of those universal American stories,"
said Ferguson after being informed of Weaver's
choice to read the Cliffs Notes instead of the
pocket-sized novel. "I look forward to skimming
her essay on the importance of following your
dreams and randomly assigning it a grade.
Paragraph Seven
Though she completed the two-page
brief synopsis in one sitting, Weaver
said she felt strangely drawn into the
plot overview and continued on,
exploring the more fleshed-out
chapter summaries
Paragraph Nine
"There's something to be said for putting in
that extra time with a good story," Weaver
said. "You just get more out of it. I'm also
going to try to find that book about rabbits
that George was always reading to Lennie, so
that I can really understand that important
allusion."
Paragraph Ten
Within an hour of completing the cliffs
notes, Weaver was already telling friends
and classmates that Steinbeck was her
favorite author, as well as reciting select
quotations from the "Important
Quotations" section for their benefit.
Paragraph Eleven
"When I read those quotes, found out which
characters they were attributed to, and inferred
their context from the chapter outlines to piece
together their significance, I was just blown away,"
said a teary-eyed Weaver. "And the way Steinbeck
wove the theme of hands all the way through the
section entitled 'Hands'—he definitely deserved to
win that Nobel Prize."
Paragraph Twelve
Weaver's roommate, Giulia Crenshaw, has
already borrowed the dog-eared,
highlighted summary of the classic
Depression-era saga, and is expecting to
enjoy reading what Weaver described as "a
really sad story about two brothers who
love to farm."
Paragraph Thirteen
"I loved this book so much, I'm going
to read all of Steinbeck's Cliffs
Notes," said Weaver. "But first I'm
going to go to the library to check out
the original version Of Mice And Men
starring John Malkovich and Gary
Sinise."
Exit Pass
Students who have not completed a Personal Evaluation
form from presenting must complete the form then
respond to the exit pass question. . .
List two examples from the satire that
portray irony. Explain how your examples
are ironic. (Connect your thought to the satire as a whole)
Extra Time?
Review the slides from PowerPoint Unit 3.16 + 17 starting from slide 15