Horatian Satire

"According to a research... majority of the 9,000 accidental heroin overdoses that occur in the U.S each year could have been easily prevented if the victim were to take less heroin." The Onion 's article uses Horatian satire, sarcasm, and overstatements to mock the controversial drug debate. The article 's fake argument tries to convince the readers that their chances of heroin overdose would be "significantly lowered," if they don 't take as much. This argument is satirical because of it 's sarcastic content. The Onion quotes John Hopkins University as the researchers, a real school that conducts experiments. The use of an actual well-known facility of research used in a sarcastic sense added to the element of satire. John Hopkins

"...majority of the 9,000 accidental heroin overdoses in the US... '," "...more than 95 percent of cases..." By using statistics, the article is adding to the satirical content by attempting to appeal to the reader 's logic. Taken out of context, these quotes might seem like they are a part of an actual study; in their actual situation, it is obvious the author made them up for satire. The use of fake statistics helps the satirical argument be witty and sarcastic. The sarcasm and tone of the article makes it Horatian satire because the author sounds like they are ridiculing the scientific researchers and drug addicts in a passive, tolerant tone. The statement, "...the results were the same regardless of whether a reduced quantity of the drug was snorted, smoked, or injected." is sarcastic because of it 's over-explanation and obvious knowledge. "Czerbett suggested that further research was needed to determine whether heroin overdoses could be reduced even further by mixing the drug with less cocaine." This quote is an overstatement because it is making more research seem necessary when the first study wasn 't necessary. The Onion ended with this statement for comedic purposes while adding to the satirical wit of