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Satire Definition

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Political communication uses different tools to convey the message to the audience. The use of humour is one such tool for disseminating political news in an alternative way. Political humour is intended to evoke amusement about governance of society. Political satire is a humour technique widely used in political communication to express and ridicule the absurdities of its subjects in order to affect or prevent changes (Kaid and Holtz-Bacha, 2007).
The Oxford Dictionary defines satire as the use of humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticise people’s stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues. Satire is a manner that blends a censorious attitude with humour and wit for humanity and the human condition. In modern times, the satire is used interchangeably with comedy and parody to make the audience laugh at the events. …show more content…

The nature of satires can be formal or indirect. The formal satire is of two types: Juvenlian and Horatian. Juvenlian satire is angry, personal and bitter in nature and harshly targets the wrong doers and corrupt political leaders in the society. Horatian satire, on the other hand, is more gentle, tolerant and witty. It uses laughter to bring a positive change in the society (Ritgero, 2009). Indirect satire does not address the readers in direct form. Indirect satires are usually fictional narrative, in which the objects of the satire are characters who make themselves and their opinions ridiculous or obnoxious by what they think, say, and do, and are sometimes made even more ridiculous by the author’s comments and the narrative style. Therefore, satires have the goal to strike the evil and bring out the reality and advocate for changes in

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