Satire

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Satire

• Its habit is to tell the truth with assurance and
  detachment of ridicule.
• It criticizes humanity in order to improve it.

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Objectives of the Satirist

• The passion for order and justice
• To keep the public conscience alert
• To expose absurdity for what it is
• To point out the inclination of foolishness and
  tastelessness
• To show vice its own features (make people look
  at themselves in the mirror!)
• To point out unpopular truths

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Ridicule v. Satire

• There is a difference between ridicule and
  satire
• -Ridicule is an EMOTIONAL, NEUROTIC EXPLOSION
• - Whereas satire is an INTELLECTUAL EXERCISE and
  an artfully developed assault on a topic or idea.

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When to write a satirical piece

• One should have a very complete knowledge of a
  subject before attempting to satirize it.
• and that subject should be worthy of satire.

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Examples you might know

• Saturday Night Live
• Political Satire (Leno, Letterman)
• Mad Magazine, In Living Color (before your time)
• The Simpsons

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A Successful Satirist

• A successful satirist cannot just be angry
  because satire requires wit.
• A retired old man in Florida that sits on a bench
  and complains about the government all day is not
  employing satire. Nor is the pamphleteer, who
  attacks government, or big business, or
  pollution, or any other subject that could be
  suitable for satire.
• What they all miss is humor, imagination, and
  wit.

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Satires Audience

• Satire is not nice. If you are concerned about
  hurting someones feelings, then satire is
  probably not for you.
• And the most angry person you will ever meet is
  the person who reads a satire and believes it to
  be literally true.
• Satire is wasted on fools and lost on knaves.
• Its audience tends to be small due to the
  intellect and wit needed to comprehend its
  purposes.

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The Satirist

• Satirists make fun of foolish people and their
  ridiculous institutions.
• They attack the weaknesses and follies of
  mankind.
• While the satirist might seem vicious or cruel,
  the skilled satirist will also have the ability
  to laugh at himself.

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Satire MUSTS

• A successful satire must always deal with the
  truth.
• If it is not true, the satire will not work, nor
  will there be humor.

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A Modest Proposalby J. Swift

• Describes the problem (poverty)
• Presents a solution (eating babies)
• Rationalizes the solution (will improve the
  economy)
• Dismisses other rational proposals (things that
  would actually workthereby indirectly making his
  point)
• Uses exaggeration, shock value, understatement,
  verbal irony

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