Term
Devices of Satire
Definition Example Example Example
from “The from “A
Onion”
Modest
Proposal”
Mockery
Making fun of
something
“Man is the
only animal
that blushes—
or needs to”
–Mark Twain
Referring to a
98-pound
weakling as
“Rambo”
Sarcasm
Harsh, personally
directed
comment: using a
praise to mock
someone; usually
aims to hurt
Overstatement
Say more than
is meant:
exaggeration
He’s the
smartest man
alive!
Understatement
Saying less
than is meant
Well, that 45%
wasn’t your
best grade
ever.
Verbal Irony
Say one thing,
yet mean
another
A mother says,
“You stop being so
smart with me.”
Her son replies,
“Well, would you
like me to be
stupid?”
Bathos
Going from the
serious to the
ridiculous
quickly
I love my
country, my
beliefs, and
chocolate.
Mock-Heroic
Imitation,
exaggeration,
and distortion
of literary epic
style
The strong
garbage man
lifted lids with
Titan-like ease,
the shiny metal
glimmering in
the hot sun.
In addition to satirical devices, this essay employs
additional persuasive techniques: logos, pathos, and ethos.
Find an example of each kind of appeal in the model as
well as “A Modest Proposal”
Logos: (A logical appeal, such as supporting an opinion
with evidence, facts, statistics)
Example from model:
Example from “A Modest Proposal”:
Pathos: (An emotional appeal, persuading using emotion)
Example from model:
Example from “A Modest Proposal”:
Ethos: (Establishing credibility as a writer, speaker)
Example from model:
Example from “A Modest Proposal”: