Satire and parody

Satire

Satire is a technique that ridicules particular people or objects in order to point out problems in an attempt to instigate (bring about) change. Politicians, social structures and racist or prejudiced public opinions and systems are the most common targets of satirical compositions. Satirists (people who compose satire) often use techniques such as irony, hyperbole, understatement, allegories and parody in order to ridicule their subjects.

Satire is a very popular means by which to get a point across. Many important novels such as George Orwell's Animal Farm and Joseph Heller's Catch 22 are political satires designed to both emphasise and ridicule certain elements of society. Animal Farm uses animal characters to play out the ridiculous and unscrupulous nature of Soviet politics while Catch 22 exaggerates the stupidity of war.

The media is often a target for satire and websites such as The Chaser and The Onion are good places to visit.

Example One

Example One satirises Hollywood's obsession with appearance and dieting, comparing it to the idea that many Africans face starvation.

If the purpose of satire is to instigate or bring about change in society, why then is it effective to combine criticisms with humour and wit?

• One reason may be that when a criticism is phrased comically, it is easier for the audience to accept.
• Satire often ridicules influential and powerful people. Do you think that by reducing the situation to humour that the satirist implies that the problem may be easier to deal with than one might think?
• Humour is a medium that engages a diverse range of people as it has an impact on audiences on different levels.

Ultimately, the effect of satire will depend largely on the composer as well as the responder. Think to yourself when you approach a satirical text, 'Why has the composer used satire rather than just stating their opinions? Does this make it more effective? Why?'

In order for you to effectively understand and explain satire in any given text, you need to be able to:

• Explain the composer's point of view. (What are they criticising?)
• Describe the aspects of the target the composer is ridiculing.
• Explain the language techniques the composer is using to achieve this.
• Explain what you believe the impact of the text is on the audience.

Parody

As a form of satire, parodies take an original text and alter it to make a new meaning. In a general sense this is done to ridicule the original text. Common examples in modern popular culture include 'spoof' novels such as Michael Gerber's Barry Trotter book series, which parodies J K Rowling's Harry Potter series and The Va Dinci Cod by Don Brine, which parodies The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown.

Parodies often take an original storyline or plot and put the characters and so forth into a vastly different context for humorous effect. In modern times, this is usually satirical and aims to ridicule the original text. In The Va DinciCod for example, the protagonist, who is supposed to be a famed university professor, is actually a phony academic who accidentally solves a lot of puzzles and blunders his way through the narrative. Compare this to the original, The Da Vinci Code, where the professor is genuinely clever and shows his academic prowess as the mystery unfolds.

Note: It is essential that a distinction is made between parodies and subversions and appropriations of text. While a subversion or appropriation may be a parody it is not necessarily so. Park's Playing Beatie Bow is an appropriation but it is not a parody. The main character in Playing Beattie Bow finds a way to travel back in time. The novel aims to compare the different problems of a modern teenager with problems she observes and encounters in Victorian-era Sydney. There is no ridicule of Victorian-era Sydney. The Va Dinci Cod, on the other hand, pokes fun at the original so is a subversion of the original text while serving as a parody. The question to ask of a text is: