O Brien And M. Mason: A Comparative Analysis

Satire is often regarded as one of the most effective ways to understand a society. It reveals the values of the society and serves as an amplifier for its ills. Mark Twain once said, “the human race has only one really effective weapon and that is laughter.” Satire has long been a tool of political criticism, a means to make a moral point and to “attack vice and folly using wit and ridicule”. The word satire comes from the Latin word ‘satur’ and later ‘satura’ which translates roughly to poetic medley. Through the use of art, traditionally, prose and poetry, satire has continued to make a difference in shaping public consumption and perspective of news and encouraging activism, advocacy and civil participation.

In Status Anxiety, author de Botton correctly claims that humorists are expected to not only entertain their audience, but to make statements about controversial events that may be too sensitive to say directly and causally present them in a way that is easy for the public to understand. This is demonstrated through various forms of media such as television shows and political cartoons.

Through skillful manipulation of language, irony and wit, satirical texts seek to highlight humanity’s various vices and shortcomings, and in so doing comment on prevailing social norms and attitudes. , Political satire, in particular, seeks to elicit social awareness of the vices and foibles of political institutions, and through commentary that ranges from mockery to condemnation, provides insight into the internal machinations and moral and ideological ambiguity of politics. Rob Sitch’s 2008 mockumentary The Hollowmenexposes the clandestine nature of Australian politics where decisions are made based on nepotism and personal gain rather than for the greater good,

Frances Gasparino of Rochester Institute of Technology suggests “the generative methodology offers the capability for the jokes and segments… to be analyzed against Burkean theory of comedic enlightenment. By looking to show that a means-end joke is an appropriate way in which to convey a message it would be seen that the message… would not be eclipsed by… the underlying message, to question the media and not take what is said for fact [got] across to the audience.” This tool of comedic critique can be dually entertaining as well as enlightening. The seemingly realistic script coupled with the serious expressions and tone of the actors creates the perfect milieu to reach the intellectual viewer as well as the average, blue-collar viewer; thus, increasing their total

One show in particular, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, frequently uses comedic satire in its’ episodes. The program follows four unethical, lazy friends that own an unsuccessful bar outside Philadelphia. Due to the gang’s frequent premature judgments and twisted views, they often find themselves in troubling situations that only get worse before they begin to get better. Through the particular style of television this show uses, the viewer is able to laugh at how senseless its’ character’s actions are in order to highlight certain social issues. ‘The Gang Gets Racist’ episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia uses satire to criticize modern day racism as well as homophobia through the dysfunctional humor of its characters.

Successful satirist achieve a balance between amusement and criticism. discuss At its core the purpose of satire it to use amusement to expose humanity’s various vices and shortcomings, and in doing so critique the prevailing social norms and attitudes. Political satire, in particular, humorously engages with the responder to represent a comment on the vices and foibles of the political systems, through an insight in to the ethical ambiguity within the internal machinations of politics. Rob Sitch’s 2008 mockumentary The Hollowmen humorously highlights the clandestine nature of politics , where politicians devalue public merit in order to meet self-serving agendas .

As asserted by Alain de Botton in his book, "Status Anxiety", humorists not only entertain but convey controversial and necessary messages. With their standing in today's world, humorists, such as comedians, talk show hosts, and cartoonists, play a vital role in society. These people put issues out in the open when others hide them away. Once these issues are in the air to talk about, the people contribute to conversations, which leads to steps taken to stop the problem. But that could never happen unless humorists helped us see.

Satire is a common literary device used among authors and poets to indirectly criticize the stupidity and vices of a specific person or group of people. Satirical works typically involve tools of satire, such as symbolic characters, symbolism, and irony, to simplify the understanding of who this “satirical target” is. In “The Unknown Citizen” by W. H. Auden and James Michie’s “Dooley Is a Traitor,” symbolic characters, symbolism, and irony are all used to indirectly criticize the target of each satirical work.

Humor has become manifested into nearly all aspects of the secular world. Whether it be in comics, writings, or television, some form of comedy is sure to be seen on a regular basis. It seems the world today depends on a good laugh every now and then, and Alain de Botton argued the purpose of this in his book Status Anxiety. He concluded that humorists are more than just a form of entertainment; They "convey with impunity messages that might be dangerous or impossible to state directly". These men and women are granted some degree of leeway to speak freely and candidly on ultimately any subject for the preservation of societal stability. Their representation of public sentiment results in the people feeling as if what they long to say is finally being heard on a larger platform. Humorists serve the vital role of being a true reflection of public opinion; however, they are not immune to

Humor can be very powerful, even when it comes to an everyday circumstance. Humor is a person's way of expressing themselves, and everybody has a different way to express it. When trying to express yourself using humor it is very easy to upset another person. One little detail can make a person contemplate on the issue you are referring to or it can make another person sway the other way. In the article it talks about artists mocking assassinations to make a point, however, those mock assassinations offended some. The humor of the audience influenced their reaction to the mock assassination. If they were a serious person they would have taken the mocks as a true threat and thought the situation was taboo. However, if the audience had a dark

One way that Izzard is able to change his audience’s viewpoint, is by talking about real life situations in a witty way, by doing this he is able to change the viewpoint of his audience, to the same view that he has. An example of this is, “Comedy is interesting, because it’s not a building tool, it is an attacking tool. It tears down pomposity and stupidity in certain presidents” (Wright 1). In this statement Izzard is saying that comedy has more power over people’s opinion than realized. Through comedy, Izzard is able to sway the viewpoint of his audience into making them agree with him and what he thinks about certain situations. By making the political situations humorous, he is able to make the topics easier to

Humour and satire are two concepts that are both wide ranging and diverse, from dark, to light hearted, with each producing a different effect. Humour in the main, is something that is used to please the audience, its function is to invoke laughter amongst its audience. Satire is used to create a comical critical view of the subject at hand, this can range from a light hearted comical way, to a judgemental way, with each style giving the text a different meaning, however this does not mean that satire cannot be humorous, which can evident in the use of parody and irony within texts. Within literature both concepts play an important role to how the text is viewed, humour can include word play, grammatical jokes, to even inside jokes with the author and reader, and with satire, including that of irony and parody, with each style and type delivering humour in its own unique way. These differing styles of humour can be found in a variety of forms including Jasper Forde’s The Eyre Affair (2001), with its silly atmosphere, word play and grammar jokes, and the use of light hearted satire and parody to brighten up the text, and Julian Barnes A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters (1989), where there is a more serious atmosphere, with a more critical, satirical eye on history and characters, as well as using irony to achieve its comical effect, and the position of the world. Each text is humorous and satirical in its own right, and with each author using different techniques to

Today, comedy news shows are becoming progressively more popular, and in so, becoming a new source of information – which may, or may not, be a positive consequence. Most comedians twist the truth in order to connect to people and make them laugh. The article “A Serious Business: What Can Comedy Do?” suggests some comedians “use logic to make painful things make sense” (O’Hara 108). Satirical comedy acts as a relief mechanism in that it comforts people that may be wary about a certain subject, especially in the realm of politics. Similarly, Peter McGraw and Joel Warner discuss how comedy can act as a coping mechanism. The authors conclude that “activists all over the world have been using comedy as a form of political protest” (McGraw & Warner 147). Iain Ellis writes about how political satirists do more than just deliver jokes, they use satire “to expose, ridicule, and–implicitly–call for action and change” (Ellis 152). Ellis contends that comedy can make a difference by its constant presence in our daily lives. Socrates, Plato, and even shows like South Park believe that humor is a way to persuade others. One of the most effective expressions of humor to affect social change has been the inclusion of satire. Although humor often provides people a welcome escape from the burdens of their daily lives, the satirical comedy deconstructs social issues in various ways as a means to persuade the

We live in an era where television-show host known for his entrepreneurial background has become president of the United States. With loads of controversy leading his win and constant roulette of employees. Additionally, with an impressive array of tweets, it is no shock that the President and his employees tend to be the end of all the jokes. Especially, in the rain of parodies pored over in the media: from new media to television, all forms are taking advantage to make fun of the government. Specifically, focusing on the well-known show of sketch comedy, Saturday Night Live or SNL for short.

Comedy is a multiplatform that can be used in many forms. Predominately comedy can be used as a forum to address issues in society. How do comedians use humor as an outlet for social issues and critiques? Mary O’Hara, Olga Khazan, Peter McGraw and Joel Warner address in their articles how comedy is used as a forum to bring to light different issues that are occurring in society by means of jokes. Comedy helps shed light on issues that society might see as taboo or avoid talking about due to controversy. Comedians allows these topics to be approached in a different manner since the way they execute these jokes allows for a tension free atmosphere and more open-minded to the scenarios at play. Making comedy an ideal forum to critique or address issues.