Twain extends his satire to the moment surrounding the funeral service of Peter Wilks. The dark humor of the funeral scene is obvious with the actions of the undertaker and the interruption of the dog catching rat. When the service is interrupted by the noise of the dog, the undertaker tells the people at the funeral that "He had a rat!" Huck's says "there warn't no more popular man in town than what that undertaker was" which is another example of satire directed at the subject of death. The scene in which Mary Jane is saddened by the unfortunate situation of the slave family, forces Huck to act based on both his instincts and his conscience.
Prolific for its apocalyptic portrayal President Abraham Lincoln’s Election, the speech delivered by Senator Robert Toombs to the state legislature in Georgia reveals anxieties of Southerners about the longevity of their lifestyle. Utilizing passionate rhetoric, The South Must Strike while There Is Yet Time displays how the future of the Union remains gloomy and unpredictable. Addressing the fellow legislators with vigorous pathos, the speech details how the security of Southern values remains paramount to the decision of secession. Moreover, Toombs features the question of slavery and its expansion heavily in his speech, deeming it the quality most necessary to preserve to preserve the Southern way of life. As Lincoln has been perceived by Southerners to support radical
Christianity was, to the slaves of America, (something with a double meaning). In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass an American Slave, Frederick Douglass, the author, argues about how Christianity can mean one thing to a free white man and something completely different to a black slave. The slave owners follow the ‘Christianity of the Land’ while the slaves follow the ‘Christianity of Christ.’ Frederick begins to build his credibility to a, white, northern, audience by including documents from trustworthy writers and by getting into personal experiences through his writing. Throughout the narrative, he is articulate in how he writes, and it shows the reader that he is well educated.
Frederick Douglass, born a slave and later the most influential African American leader of the 1800s, addresses the hypocrisy of the US of maintaining slavery with its upheld ideals being freedom and independence on July 4th, 1852. Douglass builds his argument by using surprising contrasts, plain facts, and provocative antithesis. Introducing his subject, Douglass reminds his audience about the dark side of America for slaves, in sharp, surprising contrasts with the apparent progressivity within the nation. He first notices “the disparity,” that “the sunlight that brought life and healing to you, has brought stripes and deaths to me,” as an African-American former slave. It is surprising for the audience to hear that the Sun does not bring him any prosperity, that the Sun, the source of life on earth, brings him destruction.
The love of money is the root of all evil. Sharing the tale of money, greed, and how it's evil is ironic for the Pardoner. Avarice is the true root of evil. The Pardoner starts off his talent by saying a Latin phrase that makes him seem ironic to tell this tale.
With the coming and going of the American Civil War, the way of life, thinking, and culture of the country was radically changed. This change that many believe occurred only in the southern portion of the United States instead took place across the country as a whole; the south being the place that is most discussed when looking at pre- and post-civil war differences. The Antebellum South that once was a thriving community was no more. Instead everything was turned on its head. Before the Civil war, idealism was this idea of the Antebellum South portrayed in popular culture; the quintessential example that we use for the Antebellum South is the movie, Gone with the Wind, in which everything was viewed through rose-colored glasses.
Saving the Modern World: One Satire at a Time There are so many problems that the world faces today, some more urgent than others. Some individuals choose to focus on the newest fashion style or celebrity breakup rather than focus on one that could bring about the doom of a nation. The use of satire in great literary works, television entertainment, and comics is an effective way to enlighten the world on the difficulties it faces.
In Mark Twain’s novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, he uses satirical language to convey irony and humor in order to ridicule how nonsensical and hypocritical most people in the South were. Twain illustrates his purpose through the eyes of a young boy named Huckleberry Finn who goes through a series of events to prove how society attempts to taint the image between what is morally right & wrong and also to show the flaws in society. In the beginning of the novel, Twain uses irony to expose religious hypocrisy in the South through the use of his character Miss Watson. Huck notices this when he asks to smoke but is not allowed to even though “[Miss Watson] took snuff too [but] of course [it] [was] [alright] because she done it herself” (2).
Irony is a type of literary device used to help entertain the readers to make the story more interesting and entertain them while also emphasizing key points. Dramatic Irony is when a reader or audience is aware of something that a character does not know. Situational Irony is a type of irony that occurs when something happens that contradicts the reader’s expectations. The last type of irony used is verbal irony that occurs when a character says something that deliberately contradicts what the person actually means. The stories that display the most of dramatic, situational, and verbal irony are: “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” “The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”, and “Story of an Hour.”
The book, To Kill a Mockingbird, uses figurative language to help spark the reader's attention and to try and indulge the reader into the novel. One demonstration of how the author Harper Lee exercises figurative language in To Kill a Mockingbird is when Walter Cunningham is being introduced, “Walter looked as if he had been raised on fish food: his eyes,... were red-rimmed and watery” (25). The metaphoric example portrays Walter’s physical appearance to that of someone having a poor diet producing a visualization of Walter in the reader’s mind. Figurative language can also be used to emphasize humor in a novel. “Some tinfoil was sticking in a knot-hole just above eye level, winking at me in the afternoon sun” (37), hints at some amusement
The superior tone used shows how Mrs Dubose thinks that Atticus truly is not worth anything, because of how he treats black people differently. Mrs Dubose displays the towns narrow mindset through her racist and misogynistic ideology, she is seen to have an acid tongue and uses this to criticise everyone who does not think the same way as her. Another example of Mrs Dubose’s narrow ideals is when she criticises Scout for her lack of femininity, “what are you doing in those overalls? You should be in a dress and camisole, young lady!” The rhetorical question shows how Mrs Dubose believes that Scout wearing overalls is unlawful and one of the most horrifying things in the town, this shows that her mindset is flawed and cannot be trusted as she prioritises femininity over crime or racism.
The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is an autobiography told through the eyes of Frederick Douglass himself. Douglass was born as a slave; he was an African-American abolitionist and orator. In the book, Douglass highlights numerous cases of irony associated with slaveholding. Throughout his narrative, Douglass examines the irony of religious slaveholders and one of his non-religious slaveholder. He also speaks of the irony in which slaves are treated below animals.
While some humorists only do their comedy for entertainment, many base their work on critiques of society. In this and any other sense, Alain de Botton’s view is a correct one; a humorist’s vital role in society is to say what others cannot through comedy. Humorists have the rare opportunity to express their ideas discreetly, and the importance of humor has established itself as a critical turning point in gaining public acceptance and approval, exposing the outrageous traditions of mainstream society, and as a commentator on everyday life. To begin, many humorists turn to satire to ridicule the accepted customs in mainstream society. In Jonathan Swift’s novel, Gulliver’s Travels, the conflict between the Blefuscudians and the Lilliputians started over which way people should break eggs.
The “greatest American humorist of his age”, Mark Twain once said, “Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress; but I repeat myself.” From Missouri to Nevada, apprentice to father of American literature, short stories to novels—Twain became the well-known author he is today because of the impact his life adventures and trial had on him (5). Author of the excerpt from A Presidential Candidate, Twain often used humor and wit to illustrate his stories and make his point known. Through his use of satire, irony, and rhetorical questions, Twain exposes the perceived truths of the Presidential campaigns and candidacies. In his excerpt, Twain uses satire to illustrate how anyone can run for President regardless of experience (14).
The renowned author, Raymond Carver, utilizes dramatic and situational irony throughout his short stories, Cathedral, Neighbors, and They’re not your husband. Carver is well known for using different types of irony to allure the reader. In Cathedral, and They 're not your husband situational irony is amply evident. Situational irony is when the opposite of what is expected to happen, occurs. However, in Neighbors, dramatic irony is prevalent.
