Hey, this is Mr. Sato. I'm going to tell you how to write a satire.
For this assignment, you're going to write a very short satire.
Nothing full-length, just a 200-word exercise. But before
we look at satire, we need to look at two other terms: irony and sarcasm.
Irony is saying one thing but meaning something very different,
usually the opposite, like calling a tall person Shorty.
Or "Oh boy, English, my favorite class!"
What teenagers today call sarcasm is usually just irony.
Sarcasm is a kind of irony, but it's harsher and more contemptuous.
A mean student saying to her classmate.
"I love those pants. Was there a sale on clown shoes too?" You see?
Real sarcasm is meaner, more disrespectful than irony.
So, satire is a creative work like an essay or movie that uses humor,
irony and sarcasm to ridicule a person, thing, or idea
by imitating it or by pretending to praise it. It makes fun of something the author thinks is stupid
or immoral (that's what a vice is) by imitating it or sarcastically pretending to agree with it.
It's a kind of code.
It's irony. You re saying one thing, but meaning the opposite. For example,
if at the holidays you said to your parents: No, I really like riding 5 hours in the backseat
to eat dinner with people with whom I have absolutely nothing in common,
well, that's just sarcasm. Most teenagers know all about sarcasm.
But if you were to write a letter to your parents: Dear parental units:
I propose that next year, instead of driving to Aunt Gertrude s house, let's detour
through three other states first. That'll give us time to enjoy even more road bingo
and staticky AM radio. It would boost the economy by supporting
convenience stations, fleabag motels, as well as the struggling barf bag industry.
We'd support the poor little oil companies by sitting in bumper-to-bumper
traffic for hours with our engine running. And when we arrive, tired and irritable,
we should have a relaxing dinner with complete strangers who are our
polar opposites in terms of personal and political values,
then have fun asking and being asked personal and insinuating questions.
Think about how much we could learn about one another.
This could become a cherished annual tradition.
That would be satire.
How can you tell the author is being ironic? A couple of things.
First there's the fake enthusiasm. Then there are statements that your reader
knows are the opposite of the truth: like wanting to play
more road bingo and listen to more staticky radio,
like describing the ginormous multi-billion dollar oil companies as poor and little.
There's a little attempt at humor with the barf bag reference.
And then there are a few slipped-in statements that reveal how you
actually feel, like, fleabag motels, bumper-to-bumper traffic and strangers who
are our polar opposites in terms of our values. So, reading this,
an alert reader understands you mean the exact opposite of what you're saying.
When you say it s good that strangers ask you personal questions, you re actually
saying you hate it when your second-cousin asks, "why do you dress like that?"
A very famous example of satire is Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal,
in which Swift harshly criticizes selfish and exploitative attitudes of wealthy
Englishmen towards the starving people of Ireland.
And they were literally starving to death back then in 1729
Jonathan Swift first describes the pitiful plight of the poor Irish people
in lines like these:
Next, he proposes a solution: impoverished Irish mothers can sell their
babies to wealthy English people to be killed and eaten.
(GASP!)
The Irish parents make a profit and the English get to enjoy "a most delicious,
nourishing, and wholesome food." After all, their landlords have already
figuratively devoured many of these babies parents. He goes on to explain
the many financial benefits of doing this.
And this is proposed with a completely straight face. Naturally, his English readers
were shocked, but when they got Swift's sick joke, most readers could see how
the way their fellow Englishmen were exploiting their neighbors in Ireland was
well, not as bad as bad as cannibalizing babies but it was pretty close.
That's the power of satire. Nowadays, you see satire all the time.
More recent and lighthearted forms of satire can be seen on The Onion and
South Park. When a TV comedian pretends to be the president
and exaggerates the ridiculous things the president says and does, well,
that's political satire. So the first thing to do is to
think of something you think is ridiculous. Even the nicest person thinks
something deserves to be held up to ridicule and scorn.
Think: celebrities, professional athletes who make gobs of money,
awards shows, reality TV, personal electronics, political campaigns,
cigarette smoking, YouTube, the state of schools today,
people's screwed-up values, fanatical fans of teen pop idols, or fanatics of any kind.
Any of these could be a good subject. And yes, satire can be a little mean.
So I m going to ask you not to write about any particular individual
you know personally. That rules out your classmates, your principal,
your little brother or sister. But public figures like celebrities or elected officials
are fair game.
Once you've picked your subject, you need to make a list of the reasons
that person, thing, or idea is ridiculous. You need more than one reason.
200 words isn't very long, just about 2 or 3 paragraphs but that doesn't mean you
can fill 200 words just saying the same thing over and over. So, make a list.
After you have your list, write 200 words praising your subject satirically
which means, describe its faults as if they were good things.
And exaggerate those faults. This is called hyperbole. For example,
if you think people spend too much time looking at computer and TV screens,
you could say:
"Why look at an actual sunset when you can watch a digital sunset in high-
definition? Why experience life with all its bumps and inconveniences
when you can pretend to experience life on your new Techno-Gadget?"
Then take the idea to its extreme. Soon we won t even need eyes at all!
The folks at Techno-Gadget Incorporated are developing a direct video feed
that will stream HD images directly into your brain, (click)
allowing you to remove those troublesome eyeballs once and for all.
You won t need glasses or contacts to see these sharp images!" Get the idea?
Finally, remember that satire is supposed to be funny. But it's a very sharp sword.
It can be a little mean--that s part of satire--
but if it s too vicious or undeservedly mean, it isn t funny anymore
Imagine how unfunny it would be if someone was ridiculing poor people
or a handicapped classmate. Not funny, right?
So find that fine line and stay on the right side of it.But this is
potentially the funniest thing you ll ever write for class. Have fun with it!
Happy satirizing.