Power point 1 Use your packet to take notes about

the elements of satire. Make sure you are in the Slide Show

mode to view the links. You will two summatives for this unit:

– Elements of Satire Terms, “A Modest Proposal” and speaker/author test

– Original Satire Project (by yourself or with a group)

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Summative Due Dates While you will be working independently, you will all

have the same due dates:

– Satire Elements and “A Modest Proposal” test Part 1 March 20

– Satire Speaker/Author Message test Part 2 March 21

– Satire Project March 28

To work with a group on the satire project, you must meet these deadlines. If you don’t, you will work on your own for the Satire Project.

If you will be leaving for vacation early, you will have to do project on your own, and you should plan on getting your work done BEFORE YOU LEAVE!

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Satire

Please take thorough notes. You will have a summative

test on this material on Thursday, March 20,

2014. There will be no retakes!

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Satire Definition

A literary technique using humor to make fun of the vices of society…

…for the purpose of CHANGE.

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What is Satire? Satire is a weapon used

– to ridicule

– to attack the vices and follies they see in human behavior.

Satirists may use their humor to inspire reform and change, or they may use it to promote the status quo (keep things the same).

Usually states or implies some idea of what should be the correct behavior or thought.

Goal of satire: self-examination and change foolish ways.

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Questions for Satire

What does the satire ridicule? What are its targets?

What does the satire suggest is preferable to whatever is criticized?

What techniques does the satirist use to convey his or her ridicule?

To what extent is the satirist justified in attacking his target?

How successful is the satire?

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Distance from Satirical Target

To be effective, writers or performers must have a detachment from their target. The writer or performer must create a persona, speaker or character who will do the talking for the writer.

Henry Rule confessed, “In truth I don’t ever seem to be in a good enough humor with anything to satirize it [make fun of the topic]; no, I want to stand up before it and curse it, and foam at the mouth—or take a club and pound it to rags and pulp” (Nilsen & Nilsen 259).

What does Rule mean by this quote?7

Satire vs. Gallows Humor Satire MUST HAVE A TARGET

– If the creators of satire don’t have a reform or a solution in mind but are simply holding up an aspect of the world as ridiculous, then they are creating irony or gallows humor rather than satire.

– Gallows Humor? Humor from stressful situations, i.e., death at the gallows.

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Two types of Satire:

Juvenalian Satire:– Dark, bitter, criticizing– Author stands apart— “YOU are doing

this to ME” Example: “A Modest Proposal” Essay

Horatian Satire:– Playful, gentle, sympathetic– Author includes self in group being

criticized– “We all have this vice, and we should all try to do better.” Example: Saturday Night Live; The Onion 9

Elements of Satire

A common type of satire is a parody.

A Parody is a form of satire that imitates another work in order to ridicule it.

Example: The Colbert Report is a parody, because it imitates other talk shows in order to make fun of them.

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Elements of SatireIrony: a gap or incongruity between

what a speaker or a writer says, and what is understood, or between what one might reasonably expect, and what happens.

In other words, you get the opposite of what you normally expected.

“Ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife” = not ironic.

Not being able to find a knife in a knife factory = ironic.

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Elements of Satire

Sarcasm is sneering, jesting, or mocking a person, situation or thing.

“Nice job, Einstein.” (Sarcasm is hard to pick up on since it doesn’t translate very clearly in writing. It is usually easier to hear it verbally.)

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Elements of Satire

Understatement is a form of speech where a lesser expression is used than what would be expected

For example, in Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, an Army officer has just lost his leg. Asked how he feels, he looks down at his bloody stump and says, "Stings a bit."

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Elements of Satire

Exaggeration or hyperbole

“I jumped 100 feet in the air”

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Elements of SatireCaricature: A humorous description or illustration that exaggerates or distorts the basic essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable likeness. Not all caricature is satire. It has to have a point in its message. Political cartoons are good examples of cartoons that are satire. A funny picture of someone isn’t really satire.

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Elements of Satire

Reversal

Presents the opposite of the normal order…– Order of events or expectation

Dessert first, then main course. The princess saving Prince Charming

– Hierarchal order When a child runs the household and the

parent is treated like a child.16

Elements of Satire

Reductio Ad Absurdum(Reduction to Absurdity)

Author pretends to wholeheartedly agree with the ideas being criticized, then takes those ideas to a ridiculous logical extreme in order to point out how ridiculous the original ideas are. In this case, the author and speaker believe the same idea, however, the author only “believes” in the speaker’s idea because he wants to make fun of how stupid the idea really is. The author is being sarcastic.

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Practice Time!

I’m going to put up a slide of terms and definitions. See if you can match them.

Write down your answers on page 3 of your packet.

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A. SarcasmB. IronyC. SatireD. CaricatureE. Understat

e-ment

1. A humorous description or illustration that exaggerates or distorts the basic essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable likeness.

2. A form of speech where a lesser expression is used than what would be expected

3. Sneering, jesting, or mocking a person, situation or thing.

4. A literary technique using humor to make fun of the vices of society for the purpose of change.

5. A gap or incongruity between what a speaker or a writer says, and what is understood, or between what one might reasonably expect, and what happens.

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A.Reductio ad Absurdum

B.ParodyC.Horatian

SatireD.ReversalE. Juvenalian

SatireF. Hyperbole

1. A type of satire that is gentle and understanding, in which the author includes himself in the group being criticized.

2. A technique in which the author uses a statement claiming more than is possible, or more than could have really happened.

3. A form of satire that imitates another work in order to ridicule it.

4. A technique in which the author presents ideas or concepts in the opposite of the usual order.

5. A type of satire that is dark, bitter, and critical, in which the author stands apart from the group being criticized.

6. A technique in which the author pretends to wholeheartedly agree with the ideas being criticized, then takes those ideas to a ridiculous logical extreme in order to point out how ridiculous the original ideas are.

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Example:As you watch this clip, find elements of

satire. Write them in your notes like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFZz6ICzpjI&safe=active

Element of Satire (name it) Example (what happens in the clip?)

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