an introduction to satire featuring shrek , will ferrell, and the onion
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Elements of this lesson adapted from Exploring Satire with Shrek by Junius Wright. English 10: British Literature Mr. Ambrose. An Introduction to Satire featuring Shrek , Will Ferrell, and The Onion. Shrek. Check out this scene from Shrek . - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Elements of this lesson adapted from Exploring Satire with Shrek by Junius Wright
English 10: British Literature Mr. Ambrose
Check out this scene from Shrek. Take notes on what you observe.
51:20-53:20
Satire: A literary work that ridicules its subject in order to make a comment or criticism about it.
There are four major techniques employed in satire: Exaggeration Incongruity Reversal Parody
To enlarge, increase, or represent something beyond normal bounds so that it becomes ridiculous and its faults can be seen.
To present things that are out of place or are absurd in relation to its surroundings.
To present the opposite of the normal order (i.e. the order of events, hierarchical order).
To imitate the techniques and/or style of some person, place, or thing.
Let’s take a look at Shrek one more time. This time, see if you can find an example of
each satirical technique.
Exaggeration Princess Fiona fights and successfully defeats
Robin Hood and his Merry Men without help. Incongruity
Princess Fiona uses her ponytail to defeat one of the Merry Men, stopping in mid-air to adjust her hair
Reversal The role of the hero and the damsel in distress
are reversed. The damsel saves the hero. Parody
The fight scene is an exaggerated imitation of the martial arts style in movies like The Matrix.
The traditional story of the knight rescuing the damsel in distress is not a realistic depiction of the roles filled by men and women in modern society.
Current Hollywood action movies like The Matrix have become ridiculous because they are too focused on special effects.
Any other ideas?
What satirical techniques are at work in this clip? Write your ideas down in your
notebook.(We can watch it twice if you like.)
What elements of satire are present? Where? Exaggeration? Incongruity? Reversal? Parody?
What is the commentary being offered?
Read and discuss “Stephon Marbury Embroils Celtics Big 3
in Shakespearean Intrigue”
Honors: Find an example of a story you like on
www.theonion.com. Print it out and bring it in tomorrow. In addition, write an analysis of the article
(two paragraphs), explaining (a) what elements of satire are being employed and (b) what commentary is being offered.
Staple the article and your analysis together.
Standard Explore the website www.theonion.com.
Find articles and videos that you think
would be interesting to the class. Enter class with articles and videos in
mind to share with the group. You might do this by e-mailing yourself
links.