Satire is a long lived
and converted art, that really only became a true art from thanks to the likes
of Alexander Pope and the Romantic Poets and writers of the 17th and
18th centuries. It is something always under censure and even in
present society it is still in effect every day, restricting what we say and
hear.
This form of writing has been around since not too long
after the form of writing, used to express an opposing political opinion, which
at one point could cost you your ears or fingers! It came to a head when censorship
laws were passed to restrict the press. The centuries above are in my opinion
the most fascinating time to see writers express their opinion that the world
is ruled by morons and that things needed to change.
Satire is the practice of criticizing a person or group
of people, there are many ways a writer will go about doing this, which I will
name three types for today and let you all experiment with them:
Caricature: used for the effect of exaggerating for comic
and satiric effect one particular feature of the target, to achieve a grotesque
or ridiculous effect. This type of satire mainly refers to drawings, rather
than writing, but of course, blowing up something in literature works just as
well.
“He was a large man, eating a burger, and the
sweat that glistened from his pours formed greasy globs, as they slid down his
fat face’.
Burlesque: No, it’s
not what you think, this form of Satire involves a person who plays a specific
social role, such as a musician who speaks like a politician.
‘In his grimy jeans, which drooped down to the
floor and run-of-the-mill band t-shirt, he turned to the crowd “I would like to
address the people down below, thank you for your patience, but we really
cannot tell you the situation involving our music as it is regarded as top
secret, however, what you may have heard from a certain website was unfortunately
stolen by someone who does not agree with what we sing’.’ Though I would love a
musician to say something like that on stage at a concert!
Irony: This is probably the most confused literary term, but here it is, the
academic definition is when the
real meaning of the words is different from (and opposite to) the literal
meaning. Irony, unlike sarcasm, tends to be ambiguous, bringing two contrasting
meanings into play. For example,
“I
think that students shouldn’t be given money because all they do is read all
day”. In a sense the sentence is considered ironical because working for
students involves a lot of reading, and also most of the money a student is
given is part of a loan which they will repay once working.
These are your three types of satire
to try out, and personally I think we should be writing more of it, however
there are rules to writing good satire, not just knowing the theory. You must
always keep in mind that you need to know what you’re talking about, or you’ll
be no better than the cleaner saying they will be a millionaire one day, you
must learn to never say sorry for your beliefs, if you’ve written it then it’s
your view and that is okay! Finally you need to know that you will receive the
same in return in greater and more painful portions, but no one smarts so much
as a fool, so if you’re ashamed of something, don’t do it, it’s how to avoid
being the subject of satire. Now go out there and tell the world what really
bugs you the most, but be careful where you use it, or you may find yourself
subject to censure!
As always you lovely people, read, write, live!
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