English 4 4.09: Understanding Satire Worksheet

Understanding Satire Worksheet
Part A: Twain and McCullough
Provide supporting evidence from the texts to support your responses to these questions. All answers should be in the form of complete sentences.
1. What is the issue Twain is satirizing? That children blindly follow tradition and don’t think for themselves.
2. What techniques does Twain use to create his satire? sarcasm, so that he can assume the role of an elder in society
3. What is the issue McCullough is satirizing? The fact that all children are pampered and are not truly special in any way.
4. What techniques does McCullough use to create his satire? He uses wit to explain what makes something special.
5. How effectively do the techniques used communicate Twain’s position? It effectively allows Twain to create a different persona makes his statement more agreeable
6. How effectively do the techniques used communicate McCullough’s position? They work well because it allows him to explain that if everyone is special then nobody is.
7. How are the messages communicated by Twain and McCullough similar? They are both trying to make a point to the same type of audience and because of this they take a similar approach by explaining how and what they have been taught.
8. Which message could you relate to more? Explain why in a minimum of three sentences. I think I could relate to McCullough’s argument because I feel like I have always shared his point of view and got annoyed when my parents would treat my siblings like they were one of a kind and so special when it that was far from the truth. Part B: Search for Satire
Use the guided analysis exercises within the lesson as a model for this part of the assignment.
1. Locate an example of satire. Copy and paste it here, making sure to note the source where you found it in a proper citation.
Writethinker, Feb 25, 2013.
2. What is human institution or human weakness is being satirized in this piece? The way our society values athletes who work for entertainment versus people who have more important jobs.
3. Identify and explain the types of humor devices used to create the satire. It is reversing the roles of a low paying government worker and an extremely overpaid athlete. This is a form of irony
4. How effectively do the techniques used communicate the creator’s position? They communicate the point well because it uses syntax in a way that makes being an athlete sound like a very overrated practice.
5. Evaluate the overall effectiveness of the satire. Explain your reasoning in a minimum of three sentences. The satire is very effective. This form of satire uses irony to reverse the roles of two professions. The reason this is effective is because it makes the viewer think about what the two roles actually do and whether or not they deserve the pay they get.