1. Understanding Satire

2. Learning Intention:
To know what satire is and why it is important.
To identify and explain how and why composers integrate satire into their text.
Success Criteria:
Annotate examples of satirical cartoons for satirical devices.
Explain in an extended response how satire is used as a vehicle for commentary.

3. Think back…
When we looked at Animal Farm, we were concerned with Orwell’s purpose. We considered:
Why exactly did he write the novel?
What did he seek to achieve?
Why set it in a farm and include sentient animal characters?

4. This is Satire!
Satire refers to a written or graphic representation of a person’s negative qualities, abuses, or shortcomings through ridicule, derision, irony, or other methods.
By characterising the key figures of Communist Russia as animals, Orwell integrates satire into his novel.
The aim of satire is generally to make a statement about a particular person (for example a celebrity or politician) or an aspect of society with the purpose of attempting to bring about change in a non-threatening medium.

5. Let’s look at some examples and brainstorm some techniques!