Satiric Humor: Can’t spell Satiric Without “Sic”
Satire (according to dictionary.com):
The use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice, folly, etc.
According to our class, we deducted that a satire was nothing different, but a sick humorous way of depicting a controversial issue, often ensuing in an umcofortable feeling if you get it, swift and just anger if you don’t. We are on the verge of starting (if we haven’t already) the adventures of Huck Finn. Banned in many school curriculums, this book covers all the issues of the time. The idea was, that Mark Twain would publish the book in order to expose the animosity and inhumane subject of slavery. Huck Finn, from what I already know, breaks the strictest rule of his state; in the sense that he assists a slave in escaping his plantation to be free. When I read and listened to the article where Irish babies were proposed to become a “delicious dish” to feed a good family of four, I was in a state of horror. But as it turned out, it apparently was supposed to be funny. Some people got it, but as they laughed I became even disgusted with my own classmates. I was one of those who just didn’t get it. As the definition implies, only those who get it find it funny, the others just see it as moronic or distasteful. The Onion proved the most bizarre of the examples of satire. The one about the “Theory of Math” I found completely idiotic and was quick to explain the error. My family often tells me I take things too seriously, and once again this was the case. As usual, I had over-analyzed the situation but completely skipped over the fact it was just a joke. It was supposed to be dumb. All these are examples of satires. The author or illustrator wants to get a point across, and all the time that point is that they imply change. Writers of satire demand change, and subtly expose that which is wrong and wish only to see it be changed.
December 7th, 2006 at 5:59 pm
Sarah-
I think your are looking at this whole Satire thing the wrong way. Satire’s are made to be funny. But they are only funny if you realize the humor. You may not a gree with the side of the topic that the author is discussing, but you have to understand his point. You also have to realize that it is a Satire. If you were reading something, not knowing it was a satire, you probrably wouldn’t realize the comedy of it.
December 7th, 2006 at 9:20 pm
I agree with you, and you bring up a good point that I hadn’t thought about before. That Mark Twain’s book was banned even though it is a satire. The whole point is to get something across, in an uncomfortable but different way which seems almost contradicting to why a school board would ban it. If he wanted to see a change that was the right thing to do it seems wrong that society would claim it as unacceptable or inappropriate.
December 9th, 2006 at 2:20 pm
I think you’re right in saying that some people might not find it funny but actually very disgusting. When I first read about the Irish eating their babies I was horrified, until Mr. W. explained it was never actually done. I guess some forms of satire are funnier, better written, or we can understand them better. With the Irish babies, we do not really know what happened in Ireland at that time, so the whole eating-babies business, could’ve easily been true.