Satire

 

 

Satire is a literary genre which criticizes or ridicules an idea, event, person, etc. using humor, exaggeration, irony, or hyperbole. It can be funny or serious in nature. It generally involves politics or current events. Parody is a form of satire, which mimics an original work (literature, song, movie, etc.) but brings awareness to a flaw within the work itself or a general issue using humor.

Students (and adults for that matter) often easily mistake satire for truth, passing around articles from The Onion as if they were real news. Teaching students about satire is an important first step when educating them about evaluating  sources.  

 

Resources for Satire

Websites/Works

The Borowitz Report Links to an external site.

A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift Links to an external site.

The Best Education Articles from The Onion Links to an external site.

Lesson Plans

Fighting Fire with Satire: Lesson Plan NYT 

The Role of Satire in Current Events Links to an external site.

From Dr. Seuss to Jonathan Swift: Exploring the History behind the Satire Links to an external site.