AP Lang Satire

Satire

Satire

Making fun of some aspect of culture, society, and/or human nature in an attempt to improve it or inspire change.

How are satire and comedy different?

Satire seeks to correct, improve, or reform through ridicule, while comedy aims simply to amuse its audience. Satire uses laughter as a weapon against something that exists outside the work itself.

Formal/Direct Satire

The speaker uses first-person point of view This speaker may address the reader or a character within the work

Indirect Satire

Some format other than direct address to the reader This is usually a fictional narrative, in which objects of satire are characters

Horatian

Tolerant, funny, sophisticated, witty, wise, self-effacing; uses wit, exaggeration, and self-deprecating humor Targets follies (foolishness, accidents), not evil

Juvenalian

Angry, bitter, serious, personal; uses irony, sarcasm, moral indignation, and personal invective, with less emphasis on humor Addresses social evil (vices) and points with contempt to the corruption of men and institutions through darker humor.

Optimist

Horatian Likes people, but thinks they are foolish Writes to cure ignorance, heal, to make change

Pessimist

Juvenalian Likes individuals, hates society Writes to wound, punish, destroy

Low Comedy

Creating laughter through violence

High Comedy

Creating laughter through witty dialogue, satire, wordplay, or criticism of life

Diatribe/Invective

Direct attack without irony or sarcasm Includes name calling, personal abuse

Farce

Exaggerated, impossible situations Uses low comedy and is meant to be funny; appropriate to laugh

Caricature

Distorts, emphasizes physical characteristics in order to make deeper criticism

Grotesque

Horrifying, bizarre, ugly; sick or black humor

Understatement

Opposite of exaggeration, to intentionally minimize something and make it less important

Juxtaposition

The arrangement of two or more characters, ideas, or words side-by-side for the purpose of comparison, contrast, or character development

Sarcasm

Taunting on a personal level by saying something and meaning the opposite

Parody

To imitate the techniques and/or style of some person, place, or thing, distorting or exaggerating it

Burlesque

Vulgar; ridicule, vulgarity, and distortion

Mock-heroic

Grand diction; taking something small and making it look really big

Reversal

To present the opposite of the normal order

Incongruity

Switching the roles of what is normal

Situational Irony

A contrast between what is expected to happen and what does

Verbal Irony

When someone says one thing but means the opposite

Dramatic Irony

The audience knows something the characters don't

Exaggeration

To enlarge something so much that its faults can be easily seen

Hyperbole

Exaggeration to make emphasis on a point

Absurdum

Taking something to an extreme to make a point

Judgement

When qualities are questioned in a way to create shame

Misunderstanding

Intentional misinterpretation or misunderstanding of in a conversation, situation, or circumstance

Play/Wit

Mockery, imitation, and clever humor