Dave Barry Satire
Everyone has been given advice once in their life, at all ages. Dave Barry wrote a letter to his grandson with all the thing important knowledge and advice he believes his grandson should know. When writing this letter Dave had realized the most important thing he knows. In the article, “Dave Barry teaches his grandson life’s lessons - beginning with the ketchup”, Dave Barry uses high comedy in the form of sarcasm and hyperboles to prove that sometimes you have to learn the hard way.
When saying something he did not actually mean in the letter, Dave Barry used the element of humor, sarcasm. To illustrate, Barry was explaining to his grandson in the letter that you do not need to refrigerate ketchup and mustard causing him to say, “Am I saying
that all of these people are stupid? Of course not. Some of them are insane”(Barry 2). The author uses sarcasm to say that the people are not only unintelligent, but mentally unstable. The intended response was a chuckle because the author is saying that it is better to be insane than stupid. Additionally, when Barry was talking about people putting cold ketchup and mustard on their food he used sarcasm by saying, “Meanwhile, in households all over America, millions of people routinely ruin perfectly good hamburgers and hotdogs by putting cold ketchup and mustard on them”(Barry 2). The author chose this example of sarcasm to show his opinion on cold ketchup and mustard. The intended response form the readers was smirk or smile. Overall, the sarcasm used in this article helped the author to voice his opinion in a more amusing way. When Dave Barry was exaggerating something during the letter he used the element of humor, hyperboles. To demonstrate, when explaining that it is okay to consume room temperature condiments, like people do in restaurants, Barry used a hyperbole, “...the customers are not keeling over and dying from condiment - transmitted diseases”(Barry 2). The author uses this over exaggeration to say that the customers were not dying from the warm condiments they were eating. The intended response was a smirk or smile and or a snicker, while making fun of how dramatic people were being. Similarly, when Barry was describing how people will always stand up and block your view during sporting events and concerts to his grandson, he exaggerated what their consequences should be, “As a result, the people behind them have no choice but to crush their skulls with a ball - peen hammer”(Barry 3). The author uses this over exaggeration to say that something has to be done to the people that stand up and block the view of others at these types of events. The intended response from the readers was a smile or a small chuckle. To summarize, the hyperboles used in the letter to Barry’s grandson helped to emphasis the comedic effect. The high comedy used in the article “Dave Barry teaches his grandson life’s lessons - beginning with the ketchup” written by Dave Barry is used in the forms of sarcasm and hyperboles. These elements of humor helped to prove that sometimes you have to learn the hard way. The level of comedy, being high, was shown through the whole article, especially when having to think about the humor that was stated. All in all, the author’s humor was effective because of the hyperboles and sarcasm that was used to help the article flow smoothly.
When saying something he did not actually mean in the letter, Dave Barry used the element of humor, sarcasm. To illustrate, Barry was explaining to his grandson in the letter that you do not need to refrigerate ketchup and mustard causing him to say, “Am I saying
that all of these people are stupid? Of course not. Some of them are insane”(Barry 2). The author uses sarcasm to say that the people are not only unintelligent, but mentally unstable. The intended response was a chuckle because the author is saying that it is better to be insane than stupid. Additionally, when Barry was talking about people putting cold ketchup and mustard on their food he used sarcasm by saying, “Meanwhile, in households all over America, millions of people routinely ruin perfectly good hamburgers and hotdogs by putting cold ketchup and mustard on them”(Barry 2). The author chose this example of sarcasm to show his opinion on cold ketchup and mustard. The intended response form the readers was smirk or smile. Overall, the sarcasm used in this article helped the author to voice his opinion in a more amusing way. When Dave Barry was exaggerating something during the letter he used the element of humor, hyperboles. To demonstrate, when explaining that it is okay to consume room temperature condiments, like people do in restaurants, Barry used a hyperbole, “...the customers are not keeling over and dying from condiment - transmitted diseases”(Barry 2). The author uses this over exaggeration to say that the customers were not dying from the warm condiments they were eating. The intended response was a smirk or smile and or a snicker, while making fun of how dramatic people were being. Similarly, when Barry was describing how people will always stand up and block your view during sporting events and concerts to his grandson, he exaggerated what their consequences should be, “As a result, the people behind them have no choice but to crush their skulls with a ball - peen hammer”(Barry 3). The author uses this over exaggeration to say that something has to be done to the people that stand up and block the view of others at these types of events. The intended response from the readers was a smile or a small chuckle. To summarize, the hyperboles used in the letter to Barry’s grandson helped to emphasis the comedic effect. The high comedy used in the article “Dave Barry teaches his grandson life’s lessons - beginning with the ketchup” written by Dave Barry is used in the forms of sarcasm and hyperboles. These elements of humor helped to prove that sometimes you have to learn the hard way. The level of comedy, being high, was shown through the whole article, especially when having to think about the humor that was stated. All in all, the author’s humor was effective because of the hyperboles and sarcasm that was used to help the article flow smoothly.