Definitions Literary genre that mixes wit and humor in an effort to improve humankind and human institutions; to expose humanity’s vices and foibles, giving impetus to change or reform through ridicule. At its best, satire has a serious purpose.

From THE COLUMBIA ENCYCLOPEDIA: “From ancient times satirists have shared a common aim: to expose foolishness in all its guises — vanity, hypocrisy, pedantry, idolatry, bigotry, sentimentality — and to effect reform through such exposure.”

Some Satire is meant to make us laugh at human foolishness and weaknesses.

Some satire is meant to make us angry about human vices and crimes.

Targets of Satire Society and its institutions A particular person or group of people A place (city, state, nation)

Vehicles (or modes) of Satire Literature: prose, poetry Cartoons/comic strips Dramas/television; films Art; music

Questions Who or what is the subject of the piece? Is there another target? What makes the piece amusing/powerful/attention-getting? How do word choice, sentence structure, visuals, tone of voice, and body language work to convey a particular idea or meaning?

Some Examples of Satire Television SNL’s “Weekend Edition,”T The Colbert Report Publications The Onion Doonesbury Political Cartoons Literature Swift’s “A Modest Proposal,” Twain’s “A War Prayer” and “Advice to Youth”

Some Examples of Satire Movies Blazing Saddles – parody of Western movie Vampires Sucks Life of Brian – (Monty Python)

Elements of Satire Irony -Contrast between appearance and reality or expectation and outcome Verbal: saying one thing but meaning another, often times the opposite of what speaker says. Sarcasm: particularly cruel or cutting irony, in which praise is often used tauntingly to indicate its opposite in meaning. Saying "Mr. Garner's class is the most interesting class I have ever taken! Situational: when what actually happens is different from what is expected to happen or what is appropriate.

Elements of Satire Hyperbole/Exaggeration Understatement To enlarge, increase, or represent something beyond normal bounds so that it becomes ridiculous and its faults can be seen. Understatement Deliberate playing down of a situation in order to make a point. Saying "It's a bit wet out there" during a flood. Reversal To present the opposite of the normal order (e.g., the order of events, hierarchical order).

Parody To imitate the techniques or style of a person, aspect of literature or culture, etc., exaggerating purposely to create a comic effect. The Colbert Report – a parody of cable news pundits.  Blazing Saddles – parody of Western movies Vampires Suck Life of Brian – (Monty Python)

Incongruity To present things that are out of place or are absurd in relation to its surroundings.

Satire in Shrek Exaggeration Shrek example: Princess Fiona fights and successfully defeats Robin Hood and all of his Merry Men without any help and without any weapons.

Reversal Shrek example: The roles of the hero and the damsel in distress have been reversed. In this clip, it is Princess Fiona, the rescuee, who fights and defeats the foe.

Incongruity Shrek example: Princess Fiona uses her ponytail to deliver a knockout punch to one of the Merry Men. While frozen in a mid-air martial arts kick, Princess Fiona pauses to fix her disheveled hair before knocking out two of the Merry Men.

Parody Shrek example: The fight scene is an exaggerated imitation of the martial arts style and special effects used in movies such as The Matrix and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Comment or Criticism of Society The traditional story of the knight rescuing the damsel-in-distress is not a realistic depiction of the roles filled by men and women in modern society.