Satire vs. ParodySatire vs. Parody

Satire is defined as irony or caustic wit used to

attack or expose folly, vice, or stupidity.

Now watch the segment of comedian Brad Stine’s comic routine called “Chopsticks.”

Look for his definition of satire as you watch and listen to his routine.

According to Brad Stine, satire may be defined as using a ridiculous scenario to make a ____ ____.

According to comedian Brad Stine, satire may be defined as using a ridiculous scenario to make a finer point.

Satire differs from parody because the latter is defined as an imitation of a serious work or the signature style of a particular author or artist in a ridiculous manner.

Examples of parody:

Weird Al’s “E-Bay Song”(http://www.updatexp.com/ebay-song.html)

(a parody of The Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way”)

Example of song parody:

A used ... pink bathrobeA rare ... mint snowglobeA Smurf ... TV trayI bought on eBay.

My house ... is filled with this crapIt shows up in bubble wrapMost every dayWhat I bought on eBay

Tell me why (I need another pet rock)

Tell me why (I got that Alf alarm clock)

Tell me why (I bid on Shatner's old toupee)

They had it on eBay

I'll buy ... your knick-knackJust check ... my feedback"A++!" they all sayThey love me on eBay

Gonna buy (a slightly-damaged golf bag)Gonna buy (some Beanie Babies, new with tag)(From some guy) I've never met in NorwayFound him on eBay

I am the type who is liable to snipe youwith two seconds left to go, whoa!Got Paypal or Visa, what ever'll please yaas long as I've got the dough.

I'll buy ... your tchotchkes.Sell me ... your watch, please.I'll buy (I'll buy, I'll buy, I'll buy ...)I'm highest bidder now.

Junk keeps arriving in the mailFrom that worldwide garage sale Dukes Of Hazzard ashtrayHey! A Dukes Of Hazzard ashtrayOh yeah ... (I bought it on eBay)

Wanna buy (a PacMan Fever lunchbox)Wanna buy (a case off vintage tube socks)Wanna buy (a Kleenex used by Dr. Dre, Dr. Dre)Found it on eBay

Wanna buy that Farrah Fawcett posterPez dispensers and a toasterDon't know why ... the kind of stuff you'd throw awayI'll buy on eBay. What I bought on eBay-y-y-y-y-y-!

Mel Brook’s

Spaceballs

Example of film parody:

Example of musical parody:

Monty Python’s Spamalot

The Bachelor’s Soliloquy

--Edgar A. Guest

Example of literary parody:

To wed, or not to wed; that is the question;Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to sufferthe bills and house rent of a wedded fortune,or to say "nit" when she proposes,and by declining cut her. To wed; to smokeno more; And have a wife at home to mendthe holes in socks and shirtsand underwear and so forth. 'Tis a consummationdevoutly to be wished. To wed for life;

To wed; perchance to fight; ay, there's the rub;for in that married life what fights may come,when we have honeymooning ceasedmust give us pause; there's the respectthat makes the joy of single life.For who would bear her mother's scornful tongue,canned goods for tea, the dying furnace fire;the pangs of sleepless nights when baby cries;the pain of barking shins upon a chair andclosing waists that button down the back,

when he himself might all these troubles shirkwith a bare refusal? Who would bundles bear,and grunt and sweat under a shopping load?Who would samples match; buy rats for hair,cart cheese and crackers home to serve at nightfor lunch to feed your friends; play pedroafter tea; sing rag time songs, amusingfriendly neighbors. Buy garden toolsto lend unto the same. Stay home at nightsin smoking coat and slippers and slink to bedat ten o'clock to save the light bills?

Thus duty does make cowards of us all,and thus the native hue of matrimonyis sicklied o'er with the pale cast of chores;and thus the gloss of marriage fades away,and loses its attraction.

The most famous example of satire is Jonathan Swift’s essay, “A Modest Proposal.”