The Onion: Examples of Satire
Broke Dad Makes Son PlayStation 2 For Christmas
DECEMBER 20, 2000 | ISSUE 36•46
DAYTON, OH–Determined to make his son's Christmas dreams come true despite financial
woes, David McManus spent three hours in his garage Monday constructing a PlayStation 2 from
scrap lumber and transistor-radio components. "I can't wait to see the look on Andy's face when
he unwraps this," said McManus, lovingly painting a "2" onto the front of the handmade videogame console. "I didn't get to sand the controllers as smoothly as I'd have liked, but still."
McManus added that he hopes he can make a "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2" CD in time for Andy's
birthday in March.
JPMorgan Chase Acquires Bear Stearns In Tedious-To-Read News
Article
MARCH 21, 2008 | ISSUE 44•13
NEW YORK—As a volatile market reacts to news of the Bear Stearns fire-sale deal with a surge
in stock prices but reduced bond yield, officers from JPMorgan Chase announced Monday that
they were close to finalizing plans to purchase the securities giant in an incredibly complex series
of financial maneuvers and obscure legal jargon that can only be described in the most mindnumbingly dense and unreadable way. Successfully adding yet another infuriating block of text to
an already indecipherable paragraph, some investors said they hoped to stave off bankruptcy for
Bear Stearns, which, during last year's impossible-to-write-about mortgage crisis, saw its value
depreciate almost as quickly as readers' interest in this story. "Critics on the equity side have no
economic standing because the deal valuation is based on intrinsic pricing models," said analyst
Jack Pinard, only further bogging down the news for anyone who might be remotely interested in
grasping what is going on. While speculation spread on Wall Street that shareholders might angle
to boost the selling price beyond JP Morgan's very low but federally guaranteed bid, others
claimed to be absolutely amazed that you even made it to the end of this sentence.
Hundreds Line Up Overnight For Opening Of New Homeless Shelter
SEPTEMBER 14, 2007 | ISSUE 43•37
SAN FRANCISCO—Traveling from as far away as park benches on the other side of
town, hundreds of rabid temporary housing enthusiasts lined up overnight Friday in hopes of
being among the first admitted to the city's newest homeless shelter.
"I got here around 3 a.m., and already there was a crowd of people slumped over out
front," said Jerome Ashford, a die-hard fan of having a roof over his head. "I had a feeling it was
going to be popular, but this turnout—it's just insane. If I can't get in tonight, I don't know what
I'll do."
Since last Tuesday, men and women of all ages have left the familiar comforts of airconditioned bus stations and ATM lobbies to brave the elements outside the much-anticipated
Mission District shelter. While most arrive with nothing more than three partially smoked
cigarettes and a slice of bologna wrapped in a handkerchief, others have come fully prepared for
the long wait with shopping carts full of supplies.
Although the prospect of sleeping outdoors for nothing more than the most basic of
human necessities might seem extreme to some, many in attendance say they've been looking
forward to the shelter's grand opening since first reading about it beneath a blanket of
newspapers.
Satire in The Onion
1. What subject or social institution is being satirized in the Onion article about
JP Morgan? In what way? Explain.
2. What subject or social institution is being satirized in the Onion article about
the homeless shelter? In what way? Explain.
Satire in Huck Finn
3. What is Mark Twain satirizing in the scene in chapter 17 where Huck
describes the interior of the Grangerfords’ house? Explain.
4. What is Mark Twain satirizing in chapter 17 when he describes the paintings
and poems that Emmeline Grangerford made? Explain.