That, right up there, is satire, my friend. I ridiculed you for not knowing what satire is. Clever, huh?
Okay, but, no, really... what is satire? Well, ridicule is a form of satire, as well as sarcasm, irony (verbal and dramatic), and parody. Satire is used to make fun of a behavior in order to derive a reaction of contempt. Now you're probably thinking, "What does that even mean?". To put it in simpler terms, it basically just means they want to call you out on your behavior so you'll realize you're acting like an idiot, and maybe you'll stop. This isn't always the intention, but for the most part, it is. Parodies, for example, aren't typically created in order to change the behavior, but rather for the entertainment aspect of it. We use satire every day without even realizing it. Think about it. How often do you find yourself chatting with friends and something sarcastic just seems to slip right out? I'm willing to bet it happens more often that you know.
I don't know about the rest of you, but I seem to be more familiar with sarcasm than any other form of satire. I tend to be quite a sarcastic Sally. Even if I'm not saying something sarcastic, I'm typically always thinking sarcastic remarks ninety-five percent of the time. What can I say? It's a habbit.
A fad, if you will, I've noticed lately is the obsession with a figure commonly known as Slender Man. Slender Man originated as a German folktale. The basic idea behind this tall, skinny, faceless freak is that he steals children. The slender fellow also gained his fame from the youtube series on the MarbleHornet channel. If you so choose, you can watch the series. However, I strongly advise you don't watch the videos at two in the morning when you're having a sleepover in your friend's basement where it's dark and scary and makes you want to pee your pants. Yes, I am talking out of experience. I saw the videos for the first time a little over a year ago, and yet I still cannot walk alone in the park when it's dark out, for fear that Slendy is lurking nearby. & No, I am not joking, or being sarcastic. I am dead serious.
*cough* Well, now that I've introduced you to my dear ole pal, Slendy, let me explain why I'm introducing you to this nice fellow. (Did you catch that? That was sarcasm.) Also on youtube, a guy named Shane Dawson has a channel of videos. He's known for vlogging and making hilarious spoofs. I was just a' trollin' on youtube and came across a spoof, or parody, made by Shane Dawson featuring -you guessed it!- Slender Man, or, rather an impostor. *duh duh duuuuh* Two girls are running from Slendy in the woods, and when they both stumble, Slendy, very slowly, approaches them. One of the girls lightens the mood by complimenting him on how skinny he is. You notice that Slendy seems to be.. a tad on the homosexual side. He gets all flustered and thanks the girls for being so sweet. I found it quite comical.
Warning: Watch only the first two minutes of the video; the rest of the video is irrelevant.
Huckleberry Finn & Satire:
Personally, it's a little hard for me to understand just how Twain incorporates satire into The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, but whatever. I can only say with almost complete certainty that I know of one example of satire in Huckleberry Finn. Although, I don't really see the humor aspect of it; I see the irony of it. You may have heard about the Hatfields and McCoys, families that were caught up in a rivalry passed down from previous generations. How thoughtful, right? Twain managed to tie in a family rivalry between the Grangerfords and the Shepherdsons. The two families can't stand each other, yet they don't even know why they're fighting. They can't even remember how the feud started. It's ridiculous, and not to mention, a waste of energy that could be otherwise put toward obsessing over Leonardo DiCaprio. (Sorry, I can't help myself.) They basically have no reason to be fighting. Twain recognizes how ridiculous this idea is, and it shows in the novel. He writes the families' stories so that in the end, they kill each other. Now let's think about that. First of all, they don't even remember why the hell they're fighting! Then, they kill each other when they don't even remember why the hell they're fighting! It's such a waste of time and energy! I think Twain does a good job, for the most part, on letting the satire shine through on that one. However, I'll be honest. I can't quite catch on to how Twain incorporates satire into anything else.
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