WHAT IS SATIRE?
“Ridicule for the purpose of correction.”
Simpsons
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Opening Roll:
http://www.wimp.com/thesimpsons/
What human vices or follies are targeted
within each character?
Satire is…
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Satire is a rhetorical strategy in which human or
individual vices, follies, abuses, or shortcomings are
held up to censure by means of ridicule, derision,
irony, or other methods, ideally with an intent to
bring about improvement.
In the strict sense satire is a literary genre, but the
larger notion of satire, poking fun at the foibles of
others, is also found in the graphic and performing
arts.
Vice and Follies: The Seven
Deadly
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1. Pride/arrogance/hubris
2. Avarice (greed)
3. Wrath (anger, violence, sullenness/sulking)
4. Sloth (laziness, indolence, slovenliness,
sloppiness)
5. Lust
6. Envy
7. Gluttony (excessive love of material comforts,
food, drink, etc.)
2 Types
Horatian
Purpose: Tries to evoke a smile, laugh
along.
Author: Writer is polished,
sophisticated.
Attitude: Amused at the shortcomings
of men.
Juvenalian
Purpose: Tries to arouse moral
indignation, anger.
Author: Writer is a serious moralist, a
dedicated reformer.
Attitude: Bitter, critical, attacking,
harsh.
Other Vices and Follies
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Stupidity
Gullibility
Poor decision making
Short-sightedness
Narrow mindedness
Intolerance/prejudice
Pettiness
Careless use of language
Lack of self control
Indecisiveness
Shallow flirtatiousness
Vanity/conceit/egoism
Self-centeredness
Apathy
Callousness
Selfishness
Corruption
Vice
Wastefulness
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Hypocrisy
Careless spending
Dishonesty
Irresponsibility
Excess of any kind
Willful ignorance
Timidity
Prudery
Crime
Boorishness
Rudeness
Gross conduct
Silliness
Immaturity
Stubbornness
Questions during reading of Satire:
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Underlying assumptions of this piece
What foolish, flawed, or wrong human action
or aspect of society is being lampooned?
What would the author’s argument look like
stripped of its humor?
What resources of language does the satirist
use to skewer the target?
What is the goal of the satirist?
Elements of Satire
Exaggeration/Hyperbole
To enlarge, increase, or represent something beyond normal
bounds so that it becomes ridiculous and its faults can be
seen.
 Incongruity
To present things that are out of place or are absurd in relation to
its surroundings. Particular techniques include oxymoron,
metaphor, and irony.
 Malapropism/pun
Any construction capable of conveying a double meaning is
likely to be employed in satire, since multiple meanings form the
basis of much of satire.
 Irony:
 Juxtaposition of incongruous things:
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Elements of Satire
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Reversal
To present the opposite of the normal order. Reversal can
focus on the 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.
Oxymoron
Satire Technique
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Invective: a speech that criticizes someone or
something fluently and at length. This
technique may also be called a diatribe or
rant.
Purposes of Satire:
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Although satire is usually intended to be
funny, the purpose of satire is not primarily
humor as much as criticism, using the weapon
of wit.
A very common, almost defining feature of
satire is its strong vein of irony or sarcasm,
using parody, exaggeration, juxtaposition,
comparison, analogy, and double entendre.
Typical Satire Targets and Tones:
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Satire is often aimed at hypocrisy in social
institutions or used for political commentary,
but great satire often takes as its target human
self-deception in one form or another.
Satire can vary in tone from bemused
tolerance to bitter indignation.
Famous Satires:
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Voltaire's Candide (1759) gleefully poked fun at the
fashionable optimism associated with the
philosopher Leibniz and is among the most
recognized satires in the Western literary canon.
George Orwell's Animal Farm (1945), in contrast,
savagely criticized the totalitarian machinery of
government that emerged in the Soviet Union
following the Utopian promises of the Russian
Revolution.
TV & Music Videos
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http://politicalhumor.about.com/b/2008/09/14/
tina-fey-skewers-sarah-palin-on-saturdaynight-live.htm
https://screen.yahoo.com/disney-housewives000000627.html
Newspapers & TV
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http://www.theonion.com/articles/girl-movedto-tears-by-of-mice-and-men-cliffs-note,2029/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aBaX9G
PSaQ