Literary Terms Satire Satire A work that attacks

Literary Terms: Satire

Satire A work that attacks human vice or foolishness using irony, wit, and sarcasm – Primary purpose is to provoke a response or a reform (rather than just for entertainment) – Has a purpose – Tone: humorous, critical, sarcastic, sardonic (disdainfully or ironically mocking), tongue-in-cheek (gentle irony; meant as a joke), hyperbolic (exaggerated)

Four Techniques to Satire ¬Hyperbole (Exaggeration) ¬Incongruity ¬Reversal ¬Parody

Hyperbole/Exaggeration ¬To enlarge, increase or represent something beyond normal bounds so that it becomes ridiculous and its faults can be seen – We write every day in English class; it’s so boring!

Incongruity ¬To present things that are out of place or are absurd in relation to its surroundings – Today in English class, we are going to bake a cake!

Reversal ¬To present the opposite of the normal order (the order of events, hierarchical order, etc. ) – Mr. Schweigert and Mr. Ingrum often come to me for advise.

Parody ¬To imitate the techniques and/or style of some person, place, or thing. – We’s a gonna be in dis here class fo’ sum tem.

Examples-- “Shrek” ¬Exaggeration: – To enlarge, increase or represent something beyond normal bounds so that it becomes ridiculous and its faults can be seen – Princess Fiona fights and defeats Robin Hood and all of his Merry Men without help or weapons.

Examples-- “Shrek” ¬Incongruity: – To present things that are out of place or are absurd in relation to its surroundings – Princess Fiona uses her ponytail to deliver a knockout punch to one of the Merry Men. While frozen in a mid-air martial arts kick, Fiona pauses to fix her messy hair before knocking out two of the Merry Men.

Examples-- “Shrek” ¬Reversal: – To present the opposite of the normal order (the order of events, hierarchical order, etc. ) – The roles of the hero and damsel in distress have been reversed. In the end, it is Princess Fiona, the rescuee, who fights and defeats the foe.

Examples-- “Shrek” ¬Parody: – To imitate the techniques and/or style of some person, place or thing – The fight scene is an exaggerated imitation of the martial arts style and special effects used in movies such as The Matrix and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Other Examples? ¬“The Simpsons” ¬The Onion ¬Austin Powers ¬Weird Al Yankovich ¬“Joe Schmo”