Satire, Irony and Rhetoric

Finding humour and wit in life!

"Satire is a sort of glass, wherein beholders do generally discover everybody's face but their own“

--Jonathan Swift 

Satire–noun

1. the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice, folly, etc.

2. a literary composition, in verse or prose, in which human folly and vice are

held up to scorn, derision, or ridicule.

Irony: the use of words to convey a

meaning that is the opposite of its literal

meaning:

the irony of her reply, “How nice!” when I said

I had to work all weekend.

Sarcasm: a sharply ironical taunt;

sneering or cutting remark

When I was fifteen minutes late to class, my teacher replied

“Oh, gee you’re right on time”

Subject of the Satire?

Comment or criticism being made?

Comment or Criticism Being

Made?

Subject of Satire?

Rhetoric (n) – the art of speaking or writing

effectively.

The Art of Rhetoric

Three main forms of rhetoric:

Ethos, Logos and Pathos

Ethos

• Ethos is an appeal based on the character of the speaker. An ethos-driven document relies on the reputation of the author through sincerity and trust.

• For example, when a trusted doctor gives you advice, you may not understand all of the medical reasoning behind the advice, but you nonetheless follow the directions because you believe that the doctor knows what s/he is talking about.

Logos

• Logos refers to any attempt to appeal to the intellect, the general meaning of "logical argument."

• Often statistics, facts and sophisticated language are used to emphasize the rationale of what is being said.

Pathos• Pathos is related to the words pathetic,

sympathy and empathy. Whenever you accept an claim based on how it makes you feel without fully analyzing the rationale behind the claim, you are acting on pathos. They may be any emotions: love, fear, patriotism, guilt, hate or joy. A majority of arguments in the popular press are heavily dependent on pathetic appeals.

• Uses vivid, emotionally loaded vocabulary to evoke an emotional response.

Now it’s time to put your brains to work!!

• With your table group, open your purple Literature books to page 612 and read “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift.

• When you finish, answer the following questions…

1. Go back through the essay and find at least two places where you think Swift’s satire is particularly powerful. Explain your choices.

2. Swift expertly uses rhetoric in his essay. Find three example of his use of Ethos, Pathos and Logos (one example of each). Explain your choices.