Satire

Warm Up: 17 October 2016 What do you need to know to explain this cartoon? Talk to your neighbor about possible meanings, and then… WRITE a sentence for each of the following: the author’s subject purpose how effectively he gets across his meaning

Warm Up: 17 October 2016 What do you need to know to explain this cartoon? Talk to your neighbor about possible meanings, and then… WRITE a sentence for each of the following: the author’s subject purpose how effectively he gets across his meaning

What is satire? Talk to your group members and come up with a definition of what you think satire is. Consider the cartoon we just looked at. Satire is… the use of wit (cleverness) to ridicule (make fun of, not always funny) some human foible (oddity, peculiarity, idiosyncrasy) or social institution in order to effect (bring about, cause) change. 

Points to Remember Regarding Satire A literary work that ridicules its subject in order to make a comment or criticism about it. Although satire is usually witty, and often very funny, the purpose of satire is to criticize in order to shame someone or something into reform. Satire usually has a definite target, which may be a person or group of people, an idea or attitude, an institution, or a social practice.

Irony Verbal Irony: the use of words that mean the opposite of what you really think especially in order to be funny Situational Irony: a situation that is strange or funny because things happen in a way that seems to be the opposite of what you expected Dramatic Irony: when the audience or reader knows something the character/speaker does not

Other Definitions Sarcasm: a sharp and often satirical or ironic utterance designed to cut or give pain "I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it." - Mark Twain Hyperbole: language that describes something as better or worse than it really is From Joseph Conrad’s novel The Heart of Darkness: “I had to wait in the station for ten days - an eternity.” Understatement: to say that (something) is smaller, less important, etc., than it really is In J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield says: “I have to have this operation. It isn’t very serious. I have this tiny little tumor on the brain.”

Other Definitions Cont. Incongruity Putting things together that normally wouldn’t go together This can be used to make ordinary things seem ridiculous Parody Imitating someone/something for comedic effect Often includes the use of other techniques (hyperbole, irony, etc.) Parody has entered our day-to-day life through hilarious parody movies that mimic famous blockbusters. Vampire Sucks parodies and pokes fun at Twilight.

When analyzing satire, consider… Subject: What is the main idea? Occasion: What current event/trend is the author reacting to? Audience: What person/group is the satire targeting? Purpose: What is the “real” message behind the satire? Speaker: How does the author create credibility? Why should we trust this person? Tone: What is the author’s feeling towards the subject? How is the tone used to further their purpose?

Film Clip Analysis of Satire How does this text function? What does the author of this text hope to accomplish? Who is the target audience, and how do you know? What is the larger message? Is the piece effective, why or why not? What do these texts have in common? What are their differences? How do you account for those differences?

Videos “Teaching Center” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkHqPFbxmOU “Shrek: Merry Men” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoKYEF_q7Js Obama’s Home Teleprompter Fails (Onion) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXQTaWjMoFw&feature=youtu.be Aussie Just Right Commercial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_HiX5eUfNo&feature=youtu.be

Modern Practice What is the: Subject Purpose Effectiveness of this cartoon Then, brainstorm some ideas/topics in our culture today that people might satirize.

What do you need to know to explain this cartoon? The author’s subject Purpose How effective is he in getting across his meaning?