Satire in Literature

Satire is one of the most sophisticated, and oldest, forms of literature. Socrates, his teachings and his way of teaching were satirized harshly in Aristophanes’ The Clouds. Satire is a literary work in which vices, follies, stupidities, abuses, and hypocrisies are help up to ridicule and contempt. Many satires are so sophisticated that young or immature readers do not sense the satiric tone and take them for being serious. Satires are popular because they are a humorous way to criticize what is usually a popular or ascendant viewpoint. When criticism is also humorous, it can be very much more harsh.

How to Examine Satire

Answer the following questions to help you understand a satire:

1. What is the subject of the satire?

2. What aspect of the subject is being ridiculed?

3. Why is it being ridiculed?

4. What is the tone of the satirist in the selection?

5, What is the form of the selection?

6. What special techniques or characteristics are used?

7. Why is the satire effective?