Satire is an attempt to correct, censure, and ridicule the follies and vices of humans/society  Political Cartoons  TV- The Daily Show, Weekend Update  Literature- Swift’s “A Modest Proposal”, Austen’s Pride and Prejudice

Weekend Update

Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” begins by deploring the sad fate of the poverty-stricken Irish who have to spend all their time trying to feed their large families. As a solution to the poverty in which these families are forced to live, by virtue of having so many mouths to feed, Swift suggests that these poor Irish families should fatten up their children and sell them to the rich English land owners. He argues that children could be sold into a meat market as early as the age of one, giving poor families some much needed income, while sparing them the expenses of raising so many children. With 100,000 Irish children out of the population being set aside for dinner, his solution, he reasons, will also help to resolve the issues of overpopulation and unemployment in Ireland, giving the Irish economy a much needed boost, while making it easier for England to deal with its unruly Irish subjects. Swift then goes on to offer statistical support for his proposal and specific data about the number of children to be sold, their weight and price, and the projected eating patterns of their consumers. He even suggests some recipes for preparing this delicious new meat, reasoning that, with innovative cooks generating ever more and delicious new dishes, it will expand and improve the culinary experience of the wealthy, resulting in a healthier and happier population as a whole. “A Modest Proposal” ends with the argument that the practice of selling and eating children will have positive effects on Irish family morality: husbands will treat their wives with more respect, and parents will value their children in ways as yet unknown. His proposal, he argues, will, if implemented, do more to solve Ireland's complex social, political, and economic problems than any other measure that has yet been proposed.

Tone: attitude of the writer toward his/her subject Wit: humor in order to criticize, verbal cleverness Irony: Types of irony  Verbal irony- the meaning is different, often opposite, from what is said (a contrast between what is stated and what is meant)  Understatement-The flooded room what slightly soggy.  Hyperbole-It took me a year to drive to the mall.  Sarcasm-President Bush is a genius.  Situational irony-what actually happens is the opposite of what is expected or appropriate (needs to be a “twist”)  Dramatic irony-the audience knows something that a character does not

Parody-imitating techniques or style of some person, place, or thing in order to ridicule the original Oxymoron-a contradictory word or phrase Paradox-a situation or statement that appears to be contradictory but upon closer examination proves a truth