Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Satire

What is SATIRE?
SATIRE is a literary tone used to ridicule or make fun of someone through a sense of sarcasm because of human vice or folly.

Why is this piece satirical?
This piece is satirical because the author utilizes sarcasm throughout the reading to make a point. For example, when he talks about the youth handling firearms he uses sarcasm as a way of showing that the playful use of a firearm and a very old one at that can be very dangerous. The incident was of a boy whom found a loaded gun, that of which was very old and he found himself pointing at his grandmother, merely as a joke. Little did she know the gun wasn't loaded, she took off screaming and as the child caught up with the elder woman he pulled the trigger assuring them both the gun wasn't loaded, something neither were aware of. It may have seemed funny to the child but I'm sure it was very scary for his grandmother. Then Twain says sarcastically you don't need much to fire a gun or hurt someone. Just pick it up, point and bang away and you'll surely hit a target. He also compares it to Waterloo, and what things would of been like if the boys were given old muskets, supposedly not loaded and took fire at the woman of the village. I feel there is a sense of satire here because there are some points of ridicule towards human vice.

What message is Twain trying to deliver to the youth?
The message I think Twain is trying to deliver to the youth is that you should do everything you can to stay in or keep a good character. Obeying your parents, going to bed early or on time, being respectful to your superiors, not being violent or having to resort to it, apologizing as a man when you're wrong, not lying, to never play with a firearm, read, an a lot good books and build your own character upon these precepts. All of this is what I feel is his personal guideline to becoming a better person.

How does satire work to deliver this message?
The way that satire works to deliver this message, is by again using sarcasm in certain areas to express something thats being said or to make a point.

Is this a successful piece?
I believe this is a very successful piece because I"m sure the more people that took time out to read this and apply some of the reading to their everyday lives they would be or become a better person by means of their character. I think this article provides a lot of useful information about how one should go about becoming a better person or just don't do things they shouldn't normally do.

What did I learn?
What I learned from this is what satire is and how it can be utilized in someones reading. I also learned that lying is some what of an art, that it takes time to perfect that art and you shouldn't lie much anyways. Most everything I took in from the reading I knew.

Article from THE ONION:
The article I chose form The Onion was about former Vice President Al Gore. This article shows satire because of the approach Al Gore is taking for the survival of his child and help stop global pollution and to use better forms of energy to live off of. The satire in this article is Al Gore's attempt to launch his infant child into space with the hopes of reaching a more habitable world that isn't near destruction due to its people and their pollution. Al Gore has been preaching of the awaited destruction of the planet because of the types of energy thats being used and how badly the environment is being treated. People see this as a laughing matter because in all honesty who would actually send their infant child into outer space with hopes of survival and a better life? He's totally being mocked but in reality he's accurate on the statements he's made. extensive studies show that the planet is taking a lot of damage and ice caps are melting, the ozone layer depleting and many more conflicts that only worsen due to our everyday lives. It's funny how we try to make things easier for ourselves by creating more convenient things when in truth we're just making things worse.

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