Satire: It's all about making fun of things.
Oh.
Now you want to hear more.
Stay tuned.
OK, so satire is all about making fun of things—specifically human vices, weaknesses, and shortcomings.
But it's not just pointless or mean making fun.
Satire has a purpose.
Think of satire as comedy plus social activism.
In other words, satire is about changing things—and hopefully waking other people up to this need
for change, too.
And though satire is supposed to be funny, the author's focus is really on attacking
or criticizing something he or she disapproves of.
In satire, though, the author's weapon is wit.
Satire is everywhere.
Charles Dickens used it.
So did Jonathan Swift, Mark Twain, and Jane Austen.
Even the guy on the hundred dollar bill used it.
That's right: Ben Franklin was a satirist too!
We're surrounded!
OK, great, you say, but how do you recognize a satire?
Look for things like irony, sarcasm, and exaggeration.
Here's another hint: If you're laughing but also feeling a little uncomfortable, it's
probably satire ... not that burrito you had for lunch.