Rhetoric: Suckling Satire

A Lesson by Camille Corbett

Because potty humor is only proper when your mother isn't reading your works.

Satire is something that one hears about, reads, wants to do, puts on their long to-do-when-I have-come-up-with-a-proper-idea list, takes a few scratches at and eventually just forgets about. Sad and common, but true. But that shall not be you. Not you my dears. Not you guys one minute longer. For you see, I'd like to think you have evolved into something a tad more than that. Something less base, into a creative individual who commands language with an iron fist and a fiery tongue. We are writers. We do not succumb in a quivering pile of waste when a sojourn of language seems difficult. No! We fight, we fight with our pens and wit and we conquer it. And that is what I will teach you to do. So let's get ready to rumble!

What is satire?

Could it possibly be...

a piece of literature that wittily criticizes society's shortcomings, in order to shame the subject into a reformed stated?

Yes, yes it is.

And don't you ever doubt me again.

So now, let's move on to the main ingredients of a satire!

1. 2 cups of Irony

2. a dash of juxapostion

3.A s**t ton of sarcasm

4. a sprinkle of exaggeration

5. a tea spoon of double entendres

Mix it all together, place a dollop of striking wit, and you have a satire!

To learn some more terms dealing with satire, here are some virtual flashcards on satirical devices

Also, here is a little link of the proper manners of satirical writing. It should assist you less tactful writers a tad more.

However, before you begin writing, you should adhere to my fool-proof method of writing a satire.

1. Find the issue or subject you wish to address.

2. Research your topic, keeping a vigil on current events and reading literature that correlates to your subject.

3. Make a web of your subject. While doing so, start imagining your story.

4. Write a list of concepts and people that correlate to your subject. Remember to keep this close. You will need this throughout your writing.

5. Prewriting, make a time line/ web of your story.

6. BEGIN WRITING!

Now, for those of you who still are at loss for what a satire is, even after all the lovely information I have shown you, here is my favorite satire. I think you will find it quite palatable:

A Modest Proposal- Jonathan Swift