Satire
Introduction & Use
Part 2
Parody/Spoofing
▪ Something created in order to
mock, comment on, or
trivialize a certain author,
subject matter, style, or some
other issue in a humorous
manner
▪ Is many times used in a playful
manner as well, meant to be
lighthearted and to poke fun at
Types of Parody:
Burlesque
▪ Similar to parody, it is a literary, dramatic,
or musical work intended to cause
laughter about the original work
▪ If the subject contains frivolities, they are
treated seriously, and the seriously
elements are treated frivolouslyeverything (generally) is an opposite (ex.
dropped ice cream is turned into
melodramatic scene)
▪ Often includes a character who is in a
serious situations acting highly
inappropriate
Types of Parody:
Mock-heroic
▪ “like a laughing child wearing a full-scale
suit of majestic armor”
▪ Grand diction, lofty style
▪ Takes a trivial or repellent theme and
treats it with grandeur or feigned
solemnity
▪ The Onion Headline: “Loser Spends Entire
Day in Bed”
Oxymoron
▪ Figure of speech that combines
contradictory words or phrases
▪ something that is surprisingly
true
▪ Usually and adjective-noun
combination
▪ Some oxymorons may be
incorrect, but established to
suggest a joke (Ex. Business
Ethics or Military Intelligence)
Sarcasm
▪ Sharp, bitter, or cutting
expression or remark; a
bitter jibe or taunt shown
through irony or
understatement
▪ Witty comments meant to
amuse. Possibly used to
cause pain or make a point
Diatribe, Invective
▪ Direct attack
▪ Stated without irony or
sarcasm
▪ Do not have to figure out
what the satirist is trying
to say
▪ Dennis Miller, Chris
Rock, George Carlin
Hyperbole/Exaggeration
▪ And extravagant statement or
figure of speech not intended on
being taken literally.
– Caricature
▪ Distortion for emphasis
▪ Usually focuses on powerful subjects
▪ Emphasize physical characteristics in
order to make deeper criticism
▪ Meant to encourage strong
feelings or impressions to make an
effect
Colloquialism
▪ Words or phrases used in
conventional language
▪ This is not slang, which is generally
used by only certain groups of
people (ex. teens in the 60’s saying
groovy)
▪ Generally based on geographical
location (ex. soda v pop)
Antithesis
▪ An obvious contrast or direct
opposite in setting, character,
events, symbolism, morals, etc.
▪ Can also be seen in parallel
language, phrases, word choices,
etc. to contrast views
Anticlimax
▪ A disappointing resolution to a
conflict or plot development
▪ Something trivial the concludes a
series of important and dramatic
events
▪ Ex. a villain's dastardly plans are a
winding set of complex actions, that
can be stopped with the push of a
button
Homework
Garrison Keillor:
▪
The last cigarette smokers in America were located in a box canyon
south of Donner Pass in the High Sierra by two federal tobacco agents in a
helicopter who spotted the little smoke puffs just before noon. One of
them, the district chief, called in the ground team by air-to-ground radio.
Six men in camouflage outfits, members of a crack anti-smoking joggers
unit, moved quickly across the rugged terrain, surrounded the bunch in
their hideout, subdued them with tear gas, and made them lie fact down
on the gravel in the hot August sun. There were three females and two
males, all in their mid-forties. They had been on the run since the adoption
of the Twenty-eighth Amendment.
▪ What type of humor used? Give examples.
To what extent do you agree with his comments? To what extent do you disagree.
Homework
▪ Find an example of a contemporary satirical
cartoon
▪ Explain the satire in a one-paragraph response
▪ Upload the cartoon and the one-paragraph
response to skedula. Or if you can’t share with me
via google docs.