Satire is “a verbal caricature that shows a deliberately distorted image of a person, institution, or society for the purpose of pointing out problems.” Which of the writings from the satire packet were most effective in pointing out societal problems? Which were most humorous? What are the most important elements of good satire?
The most humorous part of the satire packet we recieved was the advice to boys and girls section by Twain
ReplyDeleteit had some sneaky funniness that was wrote more to get a kick out of folks than to be a masterful piece of literature
ReplyDeleteTwain's writings were most effective in pointing out societal problems. Especially "Adam's Diary"- it overexagerated the differences between men and women to demonstrate how the inherent differences between the genders are still seen today.
ReplyDeleteI like how eventhough Twain wrote so many years ago, we can still see humor and glimpses of truth in his writing today. And I think that really explains why Twain's works remain so well read and popular.
-jumping.lily
The onion news stuff was the best just because its crafted around our contemporary society. Good satire needs to be blunt and evoke that "that is so true" thought.
ReplyDeleteSue
it tells boys how to be mishevious and little girls how to get away with stuff while maintaining thier innocent selves
ReplyDeleteSatire is one of the best types of literature
ReplyDeleteI loved the "excerpts from Adam's Diary." I thought it was really funny the way Twain tied in modern stereotypes of women (i.e. motherly instinct, never shutting up) in a toned down way. Of course I don't agree with stereotypes, but the way Twain tied it in so subtly made me laugh.
ReplyDelete-ViciousTrollup
I really loved Adam's diary, beacuse it showed the differences between man and woman in a very primitave and truthful way. He made gender differences of modern day relate back to the time of adam and eve, where literally everything was different. I thought it was incredibly witty, and by far my favorite in the packet. I would really have loved to have read the Eve portion...which was crossed out on the next page. :(
ReplyDelete-Yellow Rose
I think the whole idea of satire is mockery, which sometime is highly offensive. I agree with Yellow Rose, Adam's diary was really well written, but at times it was also kind of frustrating because if Adam knew of death, wasn't knowledge already given to him? When he showed signs of already being aware of such things, it made me feel like Twain was being ignorant.
ReplyDeleteI loved the one talking about the metric system. " kids can tell how much a kilo is just by tossing it back in forth". I was literally laughing out loud. The funniest satire, is when it's used in serious situations to make them less serious, while still advancing concern.
ReplyDeleteI am lovin the satire unit! The most entertaining were the the Mark Twain poems giving advice to little boys and girls. I also loved the way in which he presented Adam's Diary. The Onion and Satire Wire articles maintained the humorous element in the writing style but were able to effectively convey some of the societal problems. Though it is entertaining to read, does this presentation of such serious problems belittle their severity or make them seem like less of a problem because they are presented in a humorous or sarcastic light?
ReplyDeleteBecky
I like to think of Twain as the John Stewart of his day, and vise versa, Stewart as the Twain of our time. I find the sense of humor used on "The Daily Show" very simmilar to that of Twain, just in a modern context.
ReplyDelete-dj p0m0
Adam's diary I found to be hilarious. Twain used an awesome technique of "looking at something for the first time" that really makes readers step back and say, "wow, that's pretty unusual" about something they've known their whole lives.
ReplyDeleteFord Prefect
I absolutely loved the two satirewire essays and the drug essay in the packet. I think good satire is really based in humor and less on an accurate depiction. The two satire wire ones werent' necessarily true, but they hit at the issue that they wanted to bring out and did it very effectively.
ReplyDeleteOrangutan
I agree with Ford Prefect that the Adam's diary was funny. I have wondered how Adam and Eve thought about the whole baby deal and how much they understood what was going on. Making Adam oblivious cracked me up. It simultaneously hit on the gender-associations we make (girls talk a lot) and revising an account we pretty much all know.
ReplyDelete- Zaphod Beeblebrox
I agree with the previous. The one about the metric system was hilarious because the writer is so positive in saying what a great trend it is that inner city kids are learning metrics and you are just shaking your head the whole time going omg he is so clueless. It's funny because it's true.
ReplyDeletePhaedrus
I loved the satire piece about the inner city kids that knew the metric system better then most Americans. I laughed the whole time but at the same time i couldn't help but think..."yea see those kids aren't a complete waste of space as society thinks." Sure they learned the metric system in probably not the best way but hey they know it...i sure don't.
ReplyDelete-laxchickie
Satire is a good way for the author to get their point across in a way that is subtle but impactful. It's a way to offend and not offend at the same time.
ReplyDelete-laxchickie
Satire can be very useful, topics that are difficult to approach or just overlooked can be shown in a different, humerous light; and with some topics only in this state they will be heard.
ReplyDelete-leo
Polarbear47: I agree that there were some flaws in the writing of "Adam's Diary" but as a whole I thought it was really clever.
ReplyDelete-ViciousTrollup
I think that the most effective was the one about how people don't know where places are even though we are having a war there and the one about the kids know the metric system because they are doing drugs. I thought the funniest one was the one about what good boys should do. I laughed really hard at the cat part. I think the most important part of satire is that it makes fun of things that people understand and can relate to.
ReplyDeleteAnita Goodman
Oh my goodness, this Unit has made me laugh so much. For some reason I have fallen in love with "what good boys and good girls do/act" (the title is something like that.) These clearly were not the best written essays in the bunch, but they were funny beyond all belief. They kind of exagerated the flaws of human nature and how people always try to get away with being rebelious.
ReplyDelete-Dat Ca Iz Tow Up
I think the key to good satire is how we interpret it. The Onion pieces were funny to us because they are relavent, but if somebody from a different culture read them, they would not be nearly so humorous.
ReplyDelete-jumping.lily
I agree that satire is more for entertainment that being incredibly correct. It's true that some parts of "Adam's Diary" were misleading and incorrect, but I think that every one of us was laughing at it, which I'm sure was more twain's purpose than being completely correct about everything.
ReplyDelete-Yellow Rose
I really enjoyed the exerpts from Adam's diary. It's hilarious to see the different spins and points of view a person can put on such a commonly known story as Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. It was refreshing to see it in a new and entertaining way.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Phaedrus' last statement: it's funny because it's true. And I think that is the basis for all great satire. That the funniest and the most effective satire is the satire that pokes fun at the truth. (little t truth) :)
ReplyDeletelillipbaum
Twain definitely wears the hat of satire king. His advice to boys and girls most effectively pointed out the contradictory things that society teaches children. It was all true, most just don't like to acknowledge it our loud. I found the most humorous to be Adam's Diary. It was hilarious, and honestly showed how men and women relate to each other. I didn't think it was an exaggeration at all. I had never thought of what was going through Adam and Eve's heads, but I think that was pretty close!
ReplyDeleteUp and Over