Student Name: English III ELA

Student Name: English III—ELA Satire Unit Satire is the use of wit and humor with a critical or even judgmental attitude. Irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or exaggeration is used to expose or denounce the faults of humanity, institution, or society. Satire involves both moral judgment and a desire to improve a belief or tradition. The aim of the satirist writer is to expose the faults and foolishness of others in order to correct human behavior. For the subject, satire can be a blistering wake-up call to the truth.

Strategies for reading satire:

1. Determine the object of satire. A writer who encourages you to laugh at a custom, or a person probably thinks that the object of laughter is an undesirable part of society.

2. What is the underlying message? Use your knowledge of what the satirist criticizes to infer what he or she believes should be right and proper.

3. Watch for irony, which often points directly to the object of satire.

a. Situational

b. Verbal

c. Dramatic

4. What type of satire is it? Named for the roman satirists, Horace and Juvenal.

Horatian satire is playful and seeks to correct vice and foolishness of society in a gentle and sympathetic way. If you can relate to what the satirist is criticizing, it is probably Horatian.

Juvenalian satire is dark and biting. It criticizes social injustice and corruption with scorn and outrage. The target of the satire is very specific, and may only apply to a person or a specific group of people. If what is satirist is criticizing, has nothing to do with you, it is probably Juvenalian.

5. Enjoy the humor. Pay attention to what makes you laugh or what sounds ridiculous. Observe literary techniques the satirist uses to convey the message.

Brainstorming with a classmate, list as many SPECIFIC example of satire you have read, watched, or know about…

1. Huxley satirizes society’s dependency on technology, and warns us that we will become slaves to the devices we’ve created to make our lives more efficient. 2.

1 Literary Techniques Used by Satirists Anticlimax - dropping from the sublime to the Juxtaposition – positioning side by side or close ridiculous for bathetic effect. together mismatching elements, sometimes resulting in comic incongruity. Antithesis - a figure of speech with strongly contrasting words or ideas; a contrast of ideas expressed in Mock heroic – exaggeration and distortion of a literary grammatically balanced statement. “And wretches hang epic and its style; elevating the trivial to a level higher that jurymen may dine” Alexander Pope. than it deserves. Oxymoron – a figure of speech that combines Bathos - a lapse into the ridiculous by a writer aiming at apparently contradictory or incongruous ideas. For elevated expression; an unintended failure; overly example: bitter sweet, cruel kindness, deafening silence. sentimental; if the intent is to provoke tease but the response is laughter, the result is bathos. Paradox – a statement which, because of its contradictory nature, seems absurd, but which really is Burlesque -“refers to ridiculous exaggeration in well founded. language, usually one which makes the discrepancy between the words and the situation or the character Parody - To imitate the techniques and/or style of some silly. For example, to have a king speak like an idiot or a person, place, or thing in order to ridicule the original. workman speak like a king (especially, say, in blank For parody to be successful, the reader must know the verse) is burlesque. Similarly, a very serious situation original text that is being ridiculed. can be burlesqued by having the characters in it speak or behave in ridiculously inappropriate ways.” – Johnston Reduction - the degradation or devaluation of a victim by reducing his stature or dignity; belittling. Caricature is the exaggeration of a physical feature or trait. Cartoons, especially political cartoons, provide Repetition - repeating key word or phrased for comic extensive examples of caricature. emphasis. The rule of three is popular in comedy. The joke or concept occurs three times, but there is a twist on Entrapment – switching the situation to entrap the the third one that makes it funny. reader, after having lured him into a sense of comfort. Reversal -To present the opposite of the normal order. Euphemism – avoiding the description of something Reversal can focus on the order of events, such as outrageous by cloaking it in sheltered terms; serving dessert before the main dish or having breakfast understatement is often involved. for dinner. Additionally, reversal can focus on hierarchical order—for instance, when a young child Hyperbole or Exaggeration - To enlarge, increase, or makes all the decisions for a family or when an represent something beyond normal bounds so that it administrative assistant dictates what the company becomes ridiculous and its faults can be seen. president decides and does.

Incongruity - To present things which are out of place Sarcasm - harsh or bitter derision or irony; a sharply or are absurd in relation to their surroundings. Particular ironical taunt; sneering or cutting remark. techniques include oxymoron, metaphor, and irony. Shock – using shocking words or details for comedic Innuendo – a form of irony in which something emphasis. derogatory is implied; insinuating or suggesting a harful idea. “The man recovered from the bite, but the dog Summary statements – summarizing or shocking or died.” fantastic episode in bland generalizations, often resulting in comic understatement. Invective - an open insult, used occasionally for shock effect.

2 Tag names – giving names indicative of a person’s basic character; sometimes used ironically. “Thank you Verisimilitude – establishing a willing suspension of Captain Obvious.” disbelief in the reader. Even a fantasy narrative must be rooted in the reality which means that events should be Understatement – implying the opposite by saying less fantastic to the extent that readers consider them credible than is meant; understating shocking or fantastic enough to be able to relate them somehow to their elements for a comic effect, or to expose mindless experiences of the real life. assumptions. Political Cartoons—What is the object of satire?

1) Determine the object of satire.

2) What is the underlying message?

3) Explain type of irony.

4) What type of satire is it? ( Horatian/Juvenalian) Explain.

5) What should the reader find humorous? Identify a literary technique used by the satirist.

Internet Memes—What is the object of satire?

4) What type of satire is it? ( Horatian/Juvenalian) Explain. 3 5) What should the reader find humorous? Identify a literary technique used by the satirist.

Satirical Commentary—What is the object of satire?

Bush Hopes Recession Doesn't Affect Sales Of His Memoirs

February 22, 2008 |

WASHINGTON—President George W. Bush told reporters Monday that he remains optimistic that the impending recession will end before his memoirs go on sale. "With any luck, we can pull together as a nation and get through this thing before Dec. 15, 2010," said Bush, referring to the tentative release date of his autobiography, Born Leading. "It would be a terrible tragedy if this massive economic downturn left the average American family unable to afford the $39.95 plus tax they need to buy my book." Bush added that he is currently considering an exclusive straight- to-paperback deal with Wal-Mart to make his memoirs less costly should the country slide into a crippling economic depression.

5) What should the reader find humorous? Identify a literary technique used by the satirist.

Satire on the Onion— the satiric writers of the Onion produced the video you will be watching. Before you watch, know that the practice of outsourcing is used by different companies to reduce costs of production by transferring portions of work to outside suppliers—often located in foreign countries where labor costs are cheaper—rather than completing the work internally.

3) Explain type of irony. 4 4) What type of satire is it? ( Horatian/Juvenalian) Explain.

5) What should the reader find humorous? Identify a literary technique used by the satirist. Jonathan Swift wrote “A Modest Proposal” to call attention to abuses inflicted on Irish Catholics by well- to-do English Protestants. Swift himself was a Protestant, but he was also a native of Ireland, having been born in Dublin of English parents. He believed England was exploiting and oppressing Ireland. Many Irishmen worked farms that were owned by Englishmen who also charged high rents—so high that the Irish were frequently unable to pay them. Consequently, many Irish farming families continually lived on the edge of starvation. Swift also satirizes the Irish themselves in his essay, for too many of them had accepted abuse stoically rather than taking action on their own behalf. Use the Five Satire Strategies to understand and analyze Swift’s essay:

1) Determine the object of satire. Who is Swift targeting specifically?

2) What is his proposal? What do you think the real the underlying message is?

3) What type of irony is being used in the essay? Copy examples from the essay and identify the type.

5 5) What do you find to be particularly humorous/horrifying?

Analyzing the Author’s Writing Style— Jonathan Swift’s Savage Wit in “A Modest Proposal”

Swift’s signature style used in his great satiric works sets him apart from his more lighthearted contemporaries and even from most satirist today. An uncompromising moralist, Swift was continually disappointed by what he saw as humankind’s corruption. His passion made him bitter, but his irony gave his bitterness a clever twist.

Key Aspects of Swift’s Style  The use of a persona—a narrator or speaker other than Swift—as an object of satire.

 Words, phrases, and situations that are shocking or disturbing.

 Ironic statements and situations that point out human shortcomings and faults.

 The use of understatement to expose mindless acceptance of surface facts (assumptions) without regard to their deeper meaning.

Examine the following passages from “A Modest Proposal” and determine Swift’s style…

“This food will be… very proper for landlords, who, as they have already devoured most of the parents, seem to have the best title to the children” (615).

“I am assured by our merchants that a boy or girl before twelve’s years old is *no salable commodity” (615). *Worthless

“I rather recommend buying the children alive and dressing them hot from the knife as we do roasting pigs” (616).

“And the money will circulate among ourselves, the goods being entirely of our own growth and manufacture” (617).

“We should see an honest emulation among married women, which of them could bring the fattest child to the market” (618).

“I profess, in the sincerity of my heart, that I have not the least personal interest in endeavoring to promote this necessary 6 work… I have no children by which I can propose to get a single penny; the youngest being nine years old, and my wide past childbearing” (619).

Analysis of Style: Now that you are familiar with Swift’s style, go back through the essay and identify other examples of Swift’s satiric style. Copy the phrase, sentence, or passage in the corresponding block. You may want to paraphrases passages that are too lengthy to copy in the space provided. You and your partner must find at least four passages! The use of a persona as an object of satire. Shocking words or disturbing phrases.

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The use of understatement to expose acceptance of Ironic statements that point out human faults. assumptions.

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