AP Lang - Satire Quiz Review by Mikey

Satirism

A literary and artistic technique using humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices

Irony

The expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect.

1. Wit

• Often combines incongruous (outside) ideas in a humorous and unexpected way.

• EXAMPLE: Glass, china, and reputation are easily cracked and never well mended. -Benjamin Franklin

2. Ridicule

• Good tempered and under control; Must confine itself to lighter things (not about serious things)

• EXAMPLE: Ryan takes his sweet time to respond to our messages that we could’ve all graduated college by now.

3. Irony

• The use of words to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning.

• EXAMPLE: We say “Great timing” when someone is late or saying you’re too lazy to write an essay about laziness

4. Sarcasm

• It uses mocking praise to mean the opposite. It’s usually spoken, more blunt and crude than irony, and can be hard to recognize in writing.

• EXAMPLE: Ryan tells Nick “Yeah, it looks soooo good” when what Nick made looks terrible

5. Cynicism

• A cynic is a person that believes all people are motivated by selfishness; Expressing or exhibiting scorn or bitter mockery

• EXAMPLE: He only helps someone else because it makes him seem nice

6. Sardonic

• Scornfully or cynically mocking

• Both cynicism and the sardonic stem from a deep sense of delusion

• Sardonic would rather weep than laugh; his laughter is on the verge of anger, bitter laughter (More hidden anger than funny, bitter laughing).

• EXAMPLE: Saying “of course he messed up, what did we expect from him?”

7. Invective

• The anger the sardonic manages to keep under control burst forth from the invective

• The extreme of the satire spectrum; Invective is harsh, angry satire that directly attacks its target. Unlike sardonic humor, it doesn’t hold back and can turn into insults or name-calling.

• EXAMPLE: Ryan asking Nick and Mahnoor “Are you guys id*iots?”

Horatian

Optimistic; wants to heal or reform vices

• Sees themselves as a physician (fixer)

• Tells the truth with a smile (not harshly) so as not to repel (not to offend/scold) them, but to cure (help/correct) them of their ignorance which is their worst fault.

Simplified: Point of the faults of people in a humorous way without intending to hurt anyone’s feelings

Juvenalian

Pessimistic; wants to punish or destroy

• Hates or despises most people

• Purpose is not to wound (offend people) not cure

• Sees themselves as an executioner

Simplified: They are harsh and bitter and attack the people they dislike, their goal is to harshly expose, not to help

Tones of Satire: Road Warrior

Ridicule

Tones of Satire: On Laziness

Ironic

Tones of Satire: Why I want a Wife

Sarcastic

Tones of Satire: The Lowest Animal

Cynical

Tones of Satire: 1934

Sardonic

Tones of Satire: Stand up comedy

Invective

Direct Satire

Satiric voice speaks out in person

Indirect Satire

Cast in the form of a plot

• Characters make themselves ridiculous by thought, speech, and actions

• Characters made more ridiculous by the                              author’s narration and comments

• Humorous

Verbal Irony

• When a writer or speaker says one thing but really means something quite different—often the opposite of what he or she has said. 

• EXAMPLE: (Sarcasm) “I’m so energetic I can run a marathon,” murmured Mahnoor who was falling asleep.

Situational Irony

• When what actually happens is the opposite of what is expected or appropriate.

• EXAMPLE: Mikah, Nick, and Mahnoor forced Ryan to play Flee the Facility with them. Ryan was really unhappy and dreaded playing with them because he knew he was going to hate it. During the game, Ryan was having a blast and was screaming and was having a lot of fun.

Dramatic Irony

• When the audience or reader knows something important that a character in a play or story does not know. 

• EXAMPLE: Mahnoor, Nick, and Ryan beg Mikah for snacks everyday. One day, Mikah tells them that she has none left and they are all really sad. None of them know that Mikah is actually lying and has a full stash of snacks in her bag.

• ANOTHER EXAMPLE: Ryan captured Nick and Mahnoor in Flee the Facility. Mikah tells everyone that she is too far away and can’t save them. So Ryan thinks Mikah is not going to save Nick and Mahnoor and stops camping. When he is far away, Mikah is secretly saving them but Ryan didn’t know.