From geoffrey chaucer to jon stewart: understanding the anatomy of satire

to understand satire, students need to know the tools that satirists use. rather than attempting to master them all, this activity will focus on the most important and most common techniques. the handout gives definitions for the following techniques that students need to know: ( define each term in your own words)

exaggeration & hyperbole

understatement

incongruity

reversal

parody

irony

Exaggeration & Hyperbole - hyperbole is the use of extreme exaggeration as a literary device, while exaggeration is mostly used in daily life.

Understatement - understatement is used to make an important case to appear much less important than what it actually is.

Incongruity - an incongruity is something that it doesn't make sense, something that is inappropriate.

Reversal - a reversal is used as a sudden change in a character's fortune.

Parody - parodies are meant to imitate something or someone to generate a fun response in the audience.

Irony - irony is used to express something but doing so in a contradictory manner, like using language to express the exact opposite.

gold miners!

explanation:

the illustration   that would give a reader a clear understanding of the text is a picture of men constructing the frame of a building.the frame is made of iron bars. the text describes the job of blacksmiths'. these were very organised and they had different names: "the driver" and "the heater". the text describes the way in which these men worked ; they worked iron pieces as if they were playing a sport. in fact, the text wants to show the men's skills. the text also puts some emphasis on the use of '' rivets'' in construction. this kind of nails were not always used in the construction of manhattan.

some examples:

"and with an underhand toss he hurled the smoking rivet straight at the catcher, who caught it in mid-air in his catching can." men's skills

"when the driver was ready for a new " the emphasis on the rivet ( special nail used in construction).

" it against a beam to remove any cinders, and jammed it into the waiting hole. " the emphasis on the rivet.