Satire in The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn
Satire
Satire is the use of humor and wit with a
critical attitude, irony, sarcasm, or ridicule, to
expose or criticise mankind's activities and
institutions
Satire in The Office
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CjWLxsJyTw&index=2&list=PLbBDPi7RiSlwlJpt46Y05jCl5I7EMIZiq
Satire in Family Guy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpzDIMzt1Qo
Satire with Jimmy Fallon &
Justin Timberlake
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57dzaMaouXA&index=4&list=PLkG
KEc_zcqixA2fjx4LgNuYEhI29kR5lG
Satire in South Park
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlv6BrrxD_4
Satire Cartoon
Satire Techniques
● Burlesque: a literary term to describe a work that twists a serious
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issue or subject into a humorous one, or takes a humorous subject
and treats it as though it is serious (discrimination of Asian women
drivers in Family Guy)
Caricatures: a literary style focusing on one characteristic,
quality, or feature of a person or group of people, exaggerating it to
a humorous level (Handicapped in The Family Guy... Jim in Huck
Finn?)
Incongruity: to present things that are out of place or are absurd
in relation to its surroundings. Particular techniques include
oxymoron, metaphor
Parody: a style, which imitates a subject, person, or style using
humor ( texting, Apple Products)
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.
Many Faces of Satire
Satire can be directed towards one person, a country, or
even the whole world.
Satire examples include:
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Political Cartoons in Newspapers/Magazines
Scary Movie or Austin Powers movies
Songs by Weird Al Yankovic
The best example of satire in literature is The
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Chapter 15
●Prank gone bad
oSeparation in fog (81-84)
oRiver as place of danger and turbulence
oHuck’s trick & Jim’s response (*84-87)
oHuck’s racism
Q: What does this scene show about Jim’s
character? How does this mark a turning point
in his friendship with Huck?
Directions
1. Each group will find at least one quote as
evidence of satire in the text
2. The groups share answers and read the
examples out loud ( make sure groups let the
class know the page, so they can follow
along)
What does Twain criticise or ridicule in
Huck Finn?
SATIRE
Possible Answers
● religion/ Miss Watson is a religious woman
but holds slaves
● superstition
● greed
● "sivilization"
● family relationships
● romanticism/ romantic literature
● court system
● ignorance in Society