One of the many things that I enjoyed in this course was the use of satire in a few of the texts(particularly Oroonoko and Gulliver’s Travels). Since we discussed satire in regards to these texts, I began to think about the satire in general. I found that the definition of satire is “a literary work holding up human vices and follies to ridicule or scorn” or “wit, irony, or sarcasm used to expose and discredit vice or folly”. I really like this idea, because I think that it is a good thing for humans to make fun of themselves; behaving as if we have no faults is not a good thing.Satire, I realized is a good way to express what we do not like about ourselves or others in a humorous way. Because of this, satire has become a great comedic method in modern shows like Mad TV, SNL, Colbert Report, and many others.
Satire, especially in the modern usage is typically used to ridicule an opposing political party or to make a point that a political view/action is wrong (typically expressed in political cartoons). An example of such is this political cartoon that is pointing to the flaws of having gun laws that are not strict within the United States. The cartoon balances the seriousness of people who have died due to gun violence by making it into an advent calender, which gives the implication that these instances of gun violence are a daily treat for the NRA. The phrase “Nothing Says ‘Christmas’ Like Gunfire” is a satirical statement that is being used to make a political point.
where I got the definition of satire: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/satire