The Elements of Satire Satire should, like a polished razor keen, Wound with a touch that's scarcely felt or seen. -Lady Mary Wortley Montagu

What is satire? Comes from the Latin word satura, meaning “dish of mixed ingredients”. Comes from the Latin word satura, meaning “dish of mixed ingredients”. A technique in which a writer ridicules or criticizes a person, group, institution or event using certain literary devices. A technique in which a writer ridicules or criticizes a person, group, institution or event using certain literary devices. Usually witty. Usually witty. Almost always sarcastic or ironic. Almost always sarcastic or ironic. Usually has a tone of “mock-approval” – sarcastically supporting the very thing it is criticizing. Usually has a tone of “mock-approval” – sarcastically supporting the very thing it is criticizing. How does the definition of satire relate to its Latin root?

Forms of Satire Drama (Tartuffe – Moliere, The Importance of Being Earnest – Oscar Wilde ) Drama (Tartuffe – Moliere, The Importance of Being Earnest – Oscar Wilde ) Journalism (The Onion) Journalism (The Onion) Fiction (A Modest Proposal – Jonathan Swift, The Lowest Animal – Mark Twain) Fiction (A Modest Proposal – Jonathan Swift, The Lowest Animal – Mark Twain) Poetry (The Rape of the Locke – Alexander Pope) Poetry (The Rape of the Locke – Alexander Pope) Graphic Arts (editorial cartoons) Graphic Arts (editorial cartoons) Television programs (Saturday Night Live, The Colbert Report) Television programs (Saturday Night Live, The Colbert Report) Music (With God on Our Side – Bob Dylan, Weird Al) Music (With God on Our Side – Bob Dylan, Weird Al)

Examples of Satire in Pop Culture  Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update  The Daily Show  Scary Movie  Austin Powers  Political cartoons

Satirical Techniques Satirical Techniques Sarcasm Sarcasm Irony Irony Parody Parody Burlesque Burlesque Elevated word choice Elevated word choice Puns Puns Hyperbole/exaggeration Hyperbole/exaggeration

Methods of Satire Pun: play on words Incongruity: To present things that are out of place or are absurd in relation to its surroundings. Particular techniques include oxymoron, metaphor, and irony. Hyperbole: overstatement often used to show how ridiculous a situation is. Understatement: a figure of speech that says less than is intended, usually for comic or ironic effect.

Caricature   A picture or verbal description which ridiculously exaggerates the features and characteristics of the person or thing depicted, but which keeps the subject’s identity and likeness intact.

 Burlesque is an imitation of a person or subject by exaggeration or distortion. a frivolous subject may be treated with mock dignity a frivolous subject may be treated with mock dignity a weighty subject might be handled in a trivial style a weighty subject might be handled in a trivial style character who should use formal, intelligent language speaks like a fool or a character who is portrayed as uneducated uses highly sophisticated, intelligent language. Ex: Princess Bride – “Marriage, marriage”, giant who rhymes character who should use formal, intelligent language speaks like a fool or a character who is portrayed as uneducated uses highly sophisticated, intelligent language. Ex: Princess Bride – “Marriage, marriage”, giant who rhymes Burlesque

Parody  Parody mocks not a person or subject, but a specific literary work or style, by imitating features and applying them to trivial or incongruous materials.  Weird Al song, Beat it ---Eat it.

  Travesty – grotesque imitation of a specific literary or dramatic work

Apple Hard At Work Making iPhone Obsolete FEBRUARY 12, 2007 CUPERTINO, CA—Only a month after the much-heralded announcement of the iPhone, Apple CEO Steve Jobs confirmed that his engineers were already working around-the- clock on the touchscreen smartphone's far-superior replacement. "We looked at [the iPhone's] innovative user interface, the paradigm-shifting voic , the best-in-class mobile browser, and we realized we could make all that seem ridiculously outdated by the time the product becomes available to customers in June," said Jobs, who described the project as "Apple reinventing the iPhone." "When the second- generation iPhone comes out this fall, we want iPhone users to feel not just jealous, but downright foolish for owning such laughably primitive technology." Jobs also hinted that the second iPhone device would not be compatible with existing Mac computers, third-party peripherals, or any future Apple products.

Sample Response  In order to mock/ ridicule technology companies, this article utilizes sarcasm and irony. For example, Jobs supposedly states that apple wants “ users to feel not just jealous, but downright foolish for owning such laughably primitive technology."

Factual Error Found On Internet May 22, 2002 | LONGMONT, CO—The Information Age was dealt a stunning blow Monday, when a factual error was discovered on the Internet. The error was found on TedsUltimateBradyBunch.com, a Brady Bunch fan site that incorrectly listed the show's debut year as 1968, not Caryn Wisniewski, a Pueblo, CO, legal secretary and diehard Brady Bunch fan, came across the mistake while searching for information about the show's first-season cast.

Attempts to contact the webmaster of "Ted's Ultimate Brady Bunch Site," identified as Ted Crewes of Naugatuck, CT, were unsuccessful. The page has been taken offline by its host, Cheaphost.net, which released a statement Tuesday. "We at Cheaphost were deeply saddened and disturbed to learn that one of the millions of pages we host contained a factual discrepancy," the web-posted statement read. "Please be assured that we are doing everything within our power to ensure that nothing of the sort happens again. We will not rest until the Internet's once-sterling reputation as the world's leading source for 100 percent reliable information is restored." Paul Boutin, senior editor of Wired, said the error is likely to have a profound effect on how the Internet is perceived.

 "Will we ever fully trust the Web again?" Boutin asked. "We may well be witnessing the dawn of a new era of skepticism in which we no longer accept everything we read online at face value. But regardless of what the future holds, one thing is clear: The Internet's status as the world's definitive repository of incontrovertible fact has been jeopardized."

Why Satire? Now that you know the elements of satire, what do you think makes satire effective? Why do writers use satire instead of criticizing the person, group or institution directly?