2. Do Now:
Read “Facebook ‘satire’ tag could wipe out Internet’s terrible hoax-news industry”
Answer:
What does the article show us about the difference between satire and “real” news?
Where do the two overlap?
Why do some people mistake satire for straight news?

3. SATIRE

4. Keystone Pipeline Read articles. Answer the following:
What knowledge is required to “get” the jokes?
How can even serious historical events be rendered in humorous ways?
Does the passage of time give us the ability to joke about the past?

5. Affordable Care Act
What elements of satire does Stewart use in his critique?
What are the differences between this clip’s approach and The Onion article?
What underlying attitudes do those approaches reveal?
Based on these two sources, do you think it is possible for satire to be unbiased?

6. Satire
A type of writing that ridicules an individual, a group of people, a behavior or attitude, or cultural or social institution.
Satire uses humor along with criticism to make a point; moral aim: to inspire reform.
Satiric styles: Direct and Indirect

7. Satiric Types Horatian (light-hearted, intended for fun)
Juvenalian (bitter, angry, attacking)

10. Direct Satire Stating direct criticism humorously.
Dennis Miller’s Rants.
The Death of Common Sense:
“You can’t get in your car and not run into another idiot who pulls into the gas station with his fuel tank on the wrong side and then has to get instructions from NASA to figure out how to maneuver his car so that the tank is on the correct side. And you can’t open an paper without reading about an idiot who gets hurt or killed at a railroad crossing because they had to try to beat the train to get home in time to watch Charlene Tilton’s salute to porcelain clowns on QVC.”

11. Indirect Satire Communicated through characters in a situation. Tools:
Incongruity
Irony
Exaggeration/Understatement
Reversal
Parody/Caricature

12. Incongruity
To present a thing that is out of place or is absurd in relation to its surroundings.

13. Incongruity

14. Irony
Irony exploits reader’s expectations; occurs when what is expected turns out to be different from what actually happens.

15. Irony
Verbal irony: an inversion in meaning; Ex. words that praise to imply blame or blame to imply praise.
Dramatic irony: words or acts carry meaning unperceived by character/speaker but understood by the audience.
Situational irony: discrepancy between purpose and results (practical joke backfires).
Socratic irony: feigning ignorance to achieve advantage over an opponent (“Love is a Fallacy”).

16. Hyperbole/Exaggeration
The portrayal of something trivial or unimportant as very important in order to emphasize its triviality.
To enlarge, increase, or represent something beyond normal bounds so that it becomes ridiculous and its faults can be seen.

17. Hyperbole/Exaggeration

18. Understatement
Presentation of something as being smaller, worse, or less important than it actually is.

19. Understatement

20. Reversal
When the satirist uses or describes the opposite of what he or she actually wants to happen in order to make a point.
From “Why I hate literature and why you should too”
“Books however are essentially faulty. Literature is the worst of it, and if me and my intelligent brethren don’t do something about this horrible plague, who knows what could become of our uneducated humans who read these atrocities. ”

21. Parody/Caricature
A work of art/literature/film/song that mimics another work, usually as a way of criticizing it.
An exaggerated portrayal of the weaknesses, frailties, or humorous aspects of an individual or group.

22. Possible Pitfalls of Satire
Misunderstanding: Audience may think the satirist is being serious
Misuse: People hide behind the idea of satire to get away with saying really stupid and cruel things
Missing the Point: Too much satire can distract the audience from the “real” message

23. 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?