Satire Unit 03- Huck Finn

What is Satire? A form of writing that ridicules the shortcomings of people or institutions in order to bring about change.

The 2 Ingredients Wit and/or humor A target (what is being criticized?) An individual A type of person A social problem A human trait

Practice- An individual Who is being mocked? What is the message?

Practice- A type of person The title of this cartoon is “Lawyers.” What is the message?

Practice- A social problem What social problem is being targeted? What is the message?

Practice- A human trait What human trait is being mocked here? What is the message?

Types of Satire Horatian Satire- Satire that is gentle, witty, and humorous. It mocks the subject but at the same time remains lighthearted and without true scorn. Juvenalian Satire- satire that is harshly critical or cruel. Formal and unforgiving, it mocks its subject with scorn and indignation. Mark Twain writes using both types of satire

The Many Techniques of Satire Irony Dramatic Irony- reader knows something the characters do not. Situational Irony- what occurs is the opposite of what is expected. Verbal Irony- contrast between what is said and what is meant.

Example Ironies Dramatic Irony- A terrorist didn’t pay enough postage on a letter bomb. It came back with "return to sender" stamped on it. Forgetting it was the bomb, he opened it and was blown up. Situational Irony- A professional pickpocket had his own pocket picked just as he was in the act of picking someone else's pocket. Verbal Irony- "Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room.“ (Peter Sellers as President Merkin Muffley in Dr. Strangelove, 1964)

The Many Techniques of Satire Incongruity- a kind of irony that brings together two ideas (or events or people) that do not belong together and may seem absurd.

The Many Techniques of Satire Understatement: Deliberately making a situation seem less important or serious than it is. "I have to have this operation. It isn't very serious. I have this tiny little tumor on the brain." “ I wouldn’t mind one of those cars.”

The Many Techniques of Satire Absurdity-The quality of being absurd or inconsistent with obvious truth, reason, or sound judgment. Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis is an example of an absurdist short story, in which a man wakes one day having been mysteriously transformed into an insect.

The Many Techniques of Satire Parody- humorous imitation of a more serious version in order to ridicule

The Many Techniques of Satire Caricature-A picture, description, or imitation of a person or thing in which certain characteristics are exaggerated to create a comic or grotesque effect.

The Many Techniques of Satire Sarcasm- use of language to hurt/ridicule: Oscar Wilde wrote, “I am not young enough to know everything.”

The Many Techniques of Satire Hyperbole- an exaggeration; perhaps made to look worse. From Paul Bunyan- “Well now, one winter it was so cold that all the geese flew backward and all the fish moved south and even the snow turned blue.”

The Many Techniques of Satire Fantasy- characterized by unrealistic, supernatural, or fanciful elements In Alice in Wonderland (1865), each character/ situation satirizes Victorian England as well as aspects of hierarchical societies while engaging imaginations through a fantastical world.

The Many Techniques of Satire Connotation- the emotional effect of a word or phrase Department Of Education Study Finds Teaching These Little Shits No Longer Worth It November 15, 2010 | ISSUE 46•46 WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Education released a comprehensive, nationwide evaluation of American schools Monday indicating that attempts to teach absolutely anything to these little shits is just a huge waste of everybody's time…The Department of Education study comes on the heels of a survey last month that found 90 percent of all elementary school students resent being taught by pathetic losers who couldn't get a decent job in the real world.

What is The Onion? The Onion is a satire and parody publication that is not meant to be taken seriously. It mocks aspects of life in modern America. It was founded in 1988 in Madison, Wisconsin by two University of Wisconsin students, Tim Keck and Chris Johnson. Because The Onion so closely resembles a real newspaper in format and presentation, it is sometimes mistaken for the real thing: Deborah Norville of MSNBC presented an article from The Onion as fact. Its title was “Study: 58 Percent of U.S. Exercise Televised.”

Another Famous Example: A Modest Proposal For Preventing the Children of Poor People in Ireland, from Being a Burden on Their Parents or Country, and for Making Them Beneficial to the Publick By Jonathan Swift (1729) A pamphlet he wrote to attack the economic problems in Ireland and the treatment of the poor. What techniques does Swift employ?

…I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child, well nursed, is at a year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will serve equally in a fricassee or a ragout. I do therefore humbly offer it to public consideration that of the 120,000 children already computed, 20,000 may be reserved for breed, whereof only one-fourth part to be males; which is more than we allow to sheep, black cattle or swine; and my reason is, that these children are seldom the fruits of marriage, a circumstance not much regarded by our savages, therefore one male will be sufficient to serve four females. That the remaining 100,000 may, at a year old, be offered in sale to the persons of quality and fortune through the kingdom; always advising the mother to let them suck plentifully in the last month, so as to render them plump and fat for a good table. A child will make two dishes at an entertainment for friends; and when the family dines alone, the fore or hind quarter will make a reasonable dish, and, seasoned with a little pepper or salt, will be very good boiled on the fourth day, especially in winter… I grant that this food will be somewhat dear, and therefore very proper for landlords, who, as they have already devoured most of the parents, seem to have the best title to the children…