Satire Review

Horatian

tolerant, witty, wise, and self-effacing

Juvenalian

angry, caustic, resentful, personal

Hyperbole

an exaggeration that reveals weakness or foolishness.

ex: the body contortions of Jim Carrey OR saying “i’ll die if I can’t go to the Beyonce concert”

Inflation

taking a real-life situation and blowing it out of proportion to make it ridiculous or showcase its faults

ex: children fight over a toy at age 10 turns into a life-long grudge as the same, now 85-year-olds continue fighting over the same toy

Understatement

speech that deliberately minimizes a something, often for comic effect

ex: saying someone is just a tad overwhelmed while they are passed out on the ground from stress

Deflation

taking a real-life serious situation and minimizing the severity of it in a ridiculous manner

ex: trying to solve the teen pregnancy concerns by telling people to just take their baby to school with them

Pun

a joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word or a play on words that sound alike but have different meanings

ex: You can tune a guitar, but you can’t tuna fish

ex: Q: “When does a joke become a “Dad Joke?” A: When it becomes apparent.

Irony

• Verbal:The actual intent of words is the opposite of the overt meaning

  • ex: In Shrek, Donkey asks Shrek if he can stay with him. Shrek replies, “Of course,” when he really means, “No, not really”

  • ex: in Beauty and the Beast, Belle tells Gaston, “I just don’t deserve you!” when, in reality, Gaston really doesn’t deserve Belle

• Situation: twist endings, unexpected events, events that are the opposite of what is expected

  • ex: A marriage counselor files for divorce “this is situational because the expectation is that a professional who coaches couples through rough patches would have a strong marriage”

  • ex: The police station gets robbed (again, the expectation is that professional crime fighters would be able to help themselves by securing their own station)

Invective

harsh, abusive language directed against a person or cause as a toll of anger; can be toward an individual, cause, idea, or system.

ex: “You are a sad strange little man, and you have my pity”

ex: Ford is so dumb that he can’t walk and chew gum at the same time

Incongruity

to present something that is out of place or is absurd in relation to its surroundings

ex: In the movie Shrek, while frozen in a mid-air martial arts kick, Princess Fiona pauses to fix her disheveled hair before knocking out two of the Merry man

Reversal

to present the opposite of the normal order or to present the opposite of what the author actually wants to happen in order to make a point.

ex: the damsel in distress defeating the villain in the movie and saving herself instead of the male hero of the movie

Grotesque

the tension between comedy and horror or revulsion; the essence of all “sick humor”

ex: many South Park episodes

Parody

mimicking the style and/or techniques of something or someone else in a nonsensical fashion

• Mockery making fun or mocking someone or something by copying someones behavior or speech by making it look absurd

  • ex: comedians pretending to be famous politicians or other celebrities on SNL

• Caricature: a picture, description, or imitation of a person in which certain striking characteristics are exaggerated to create a comic or grotesque effect; an exaggeration of someone traits or an exaggeration portrayal of weaknesses or humorous aspects of an individual group

  • ex: describing and angry parent: “Their eyes were lasers, boring a hole through me, with smoke coming out of their ears, and their har was on fire”

sarcasm

• use of language to hurt of ridicule; not subtle; a sharply mocking or contemptuous remark

  • ex: when the nervous freshman dropped his lunch tray, the seniors at a nearby table gave him a standing ovation and yelled, “Way to go, graceful”

What is Satire?

Satire is a way to expose an institution, system of beliefs, groups, ideals, through the use of criticism or ridicule. Although satire is often mean to be funny, the goal of satire is to promote social change or reform by highlighting foolishness, vice, or weakness.