What do you think? Is this satire? “Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we” (George W. Bush). Children need encouragement. So if a kid gets an answer right, tell him it was a lucky guess. That way, he develops a good, lucky feeling” (Jack Handy).

Satire? What do you think?

What do you think?

NEW YORK—Though fewer and fewer games are being held each weekend, sources confirmed Thursday that anticipation and tension throughout the NFL seems to be gradually increasing, and the entire season appears to be building toward some sort of momentous climax. "Traditionally, there are 13 to 16 professional football games played on any given weekend, but last week there were only four," AP football analyst Larry Lage said. "That's right, four. And, perhaps more telling, the general consensus seems to be that those games were markedly more intense than usual, as if there were more at stake. Clearly, something big is looming on the NFL's horizon, but I can't put my finger on exactly what that is." "I think it all must be leading up to some sort of ultimate NFL extravaganza," Lage added. "And I feel like it's going to be on top of us before we know it” (The Onion).

Satire A literary work that ridicules its subject through the use of techniques such as exaggeration, reversal, incongruity, and/or parody in order to make a comment or criticism about it.

Exaggeration To enlarge, increase, or represent something beyond normal bounds so that it becomes ridiculous and its faults can be seen. Caricature is the exaggeration of a physical feature or trait. Cartoons, especially political cartoons, provide extensive examples of caricature. Burlesque is the ridiculous exaggeration of language. For instance when a character who should use formal, intelligent language speaks like a fool or a character who is portrayed as uneducated uses highly sophisticate, intelligent language.

Incongruity To present things that are out of place or are absurd in relation to its surroundings. Particular techniques include oxymoron, metaphor, and irony.

Parody To imitate the techniques and/or style of some person, place, or thing in order to ridicule the original. For parody to be successful, the reader must know the original text that is being ridiculed. ridiculed

Reversal To present the opposite of the normal order. Reversal can focus on the order of events, such as serving dessert before the main dish or having breakfast for dinner. Additionally, reversal can focus on hierarchical order—for instance when a young child makes all the decision for a family or when an administrative assistant dictates what the company president decides and does.

Now you try! What is satire? Where can we find it? How can it be used? When is it used? What value does it have? Be specific!

Does and audience need background to understand satire? “Ken Griffey Jr. falls asleep during change up” (ESPN.com).