Satire on "Abou Ben Adhem" Osama Bin Laden, may his tribe decrease, awoke one night from a dream of shattered peace and saw within the shadows of his room Satan writing in the Book of Doom. Recent successes had made Bin Laden bold. "What writest you? To me it must be told." "This book names those most hated by their fellow man, like Stalin, Hitler, Attila and Ghengis Khan." "And is mine one?" The Devil answered "no, its not, you do not rate among this lot." Then Osama said, "I have a Holy plan - to annihilate the Infidel, to a man." The Devil wrote, then laughed aloud at an amendment to the list, avowed. He showed the list of denizens of Hell and lo! Bin Laden's name was there as well. With apologies to Leigh Hunt.
When the topic comes to presidential assassins, most people will not use the word amusing and assassins in the same sentence; however; Dan Danbom, a reporter for the Rocky Mountain News, proved otherwise and stated that Vowell has succeeded in creating a “humorous” historical context by writing “I can confidently say that Sarah Vowel’s Assassination Vacation is the most amusing book you’ll read this year about presidential assassinations” (Danbom). Sarah Vowel’s purpose of Assassination Vacation is to allow readers to have a look at both sides of history to shed light on the assassins, to reanimate moments lost to history, and to make her book more interesting by using her unique style of writing; although she fails miserably by adding in too much humor and too many personal opinions, she was successful by examining the motive of the assassins, giving analysis to allow readers to look at past and present events, and by using her interesting style of writing to engage readers to continue reading the story.
Beowulf being a hero, is a questionable statement because some may have a different definition of a hero. However, I do think otherwise because Beowulf does what an average man does not wish to do or is not strong and brave enough. He also has the qualities of a hero, one being loyalty and he shows this by travelling across the sea to help Hrothgar defeat
Carlisle, Henry C., ed. American Satire in Prose and Verse. New York: Random House, 1962.
It is no longer an innocent love, but a consuming need to be together, regardless of the social implications. Their early friendship, before the messiness of romantic love enters the equation, seems to be Montaigne 's exemplary "…perfect friendship…[which] is indivisible: each one gives himself so wholly to his friend that he has nothing left to distribute" (67). However, in their treatment of one another, it remains throughout the novel that the relationship dynamics are unequal. Catherine is very wishy-washy and selfish in her feelings and attitude toward Heathcliff, and the hot and cold leaves him confused, frustrated, and unwilling to move on. The inequity that reigns over their relationship can be viewed as a relationship of utility, which as Aristotle says, "those who love for the sake of utility love for the sake of what is good for themselves…thus, these friendships are only incidental…Such friendships, then, are easily dissolved, if the parties do not remain like themselves; for if the one party is no longer pleasant or useful the other ceases to love him” (129). The “perfect relationship” that Brontë seems to be after is nothing more than a façade. She borrows concepts and themes from both Aristotle and Montaigne but fails to implement
Many writers are distinct in their work, some better than others. A couple of these writers include Franz Kafka, Barbara Kingsolver and Hendrick Ibsen. Their works express the elements that make literature interesting.
The tale of the first totem pole was no exception to this generalization. I found the piece very slow and quite far-fetched. However, I enjoyed the piece from a fictional literature standpoint.
‘The bantering tone, the attack on theologians and the satire on widely practised religious observances provoked a reaction of shocked hostility during his life-time.
"It is remarkable that this was the best the terrorist could do; a Christian would have no trouble producing much more warlike passages from the Old Testament"
...ichael. "Throwing Satire To The Wolf." In These Times 38.2 (2014): 36.Web. 23 Mar. 2014.
...nstead of one attempting to gain presence for his kindness. Again, examine apparent values of people during Beowulf’s time. People believed that there was no substitute for prominence when striving to be a hero. Today, heroes are commonly generous people. Bill Gates, for example has given billions of dollars to impoverished people all over the world. We consider Bill Gates to be a hero. Although some could argue that Bill Gates was brave in the business world, he would not have been as much of a hero as he is now had he lived in Beowulf’s time. Beowulf is a hero in the mind of civilians, and a hero is defined as one with Beowulf’s rough qualities, less so as a person who is generous. This is further proof that Beowulf is indeed a hero. For if he were generous, people would not have thought of him as a hero, as is cited in so many places throughout Beowulf.
Welcome all distinguished guests. As per this year’s topic for the open forum at the University of Queensland, we will explore the role, and vast effects of satire in modern society. “Fools are my theme, let satire be my song” is a famous quote by Lord Byron relating to the role of satire in society. ‘Fools are my theme’ is referring to the common fool in a satirical text that is the target and is being mocked for the entertainment of the viewer. ‘Let satire be my song’ is similarly addressing how satire can be both enjoyable, but with a clear message for society. To better define this insightful quote, I will apply its meaning to a renowned satirical text, ‘The Mikado’. William Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan created The Mikado as a love story between two forbidden loves; Nanki-Poo and Yum-Yum.
Heathcliff obviously has a nasty vengeful side but that makes his character perfect to bear the mantle of the Byronic hero. He rebels against the social order in his world by attempting to defy Hindley and associate with Catherine and later in his attempt to woo her from Edgar's arms and home and make her his own. He is very definitely self-destructive and cares for no one but himself and Catherine, which at times seem debatable. His passion in life is not life but to avenge himself upon everyone that has ever slighted him. He systematically destroys the lives of the people who hurt him but he refuses to stop there - insisting upon further punishing those individuals through...
Rashid, Ayesha. “Burn a Quran Day and the Power of Ignorance.” The Daily Progress. Media General Communications Holdings, 2010. Web. 20 Oct. 2010.
Bronte uses Heathcliff to illustrate the recurring theme of obsession and its deleterious effects by his extreme devotion to Catherine Earnshaw. Heathcliff’s obsession with Catherine is the drive that escalates his sense of revenge. This obsession manifests itself when Catherine makes the decision to marry Edgar, who not only bullies him as a child, but steals the love of his life. In the middle of the book, Heathcliff venomously declares, “The moment her regard ceased, I would have torn his heart out, and drank his blood (148).” He cannot stand the fact that Catherine chose Edgar over him, uncovering the pivotal reason for why he chooses to seek vengeance on Edgar. Heathcliff makes imprudent decisions throughout his life to avenge himself,
Satirical fiction, although unique and one of a kind in its nature, has continued to be an enthralling and captivating subject out of the plethora of themes that exist throughout literature history and thrive to this day. While the many forms of humor that appear throughout a novel, from comical, ironic characters to witty, exaggerated plots, are often considered tame and childish themes, authors, skillful and clever alike, are able to utilize such forms of humor and transform them into a means of stirring emotion within their audiences, in order to deliver logical, yet powerful messages. For centuries, authors have used satires as devices to not only ridicule, but to expose and criticize people’s stupidity and vices, often so in the context of character and demeanor. 19th century Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol was undoubtedly no different. Considered Gogol’s greatest work, Dead Souls is both an exemplar of intellectual Russian critique and side-splitting comedy gold, making it a satire worth crowning its author as one of the greatest writers of his time. Through the protagonist, Pavel Invanovitch Tchitchikov, and his encounters with the many different Russian nobles, women, and serfs that appear throughout the novel, Gogol depicts the flaws and faults of post-Napoleonic Feudalism and Russian mentality, all while providing a humorous and eye-opening form of entertainment. Nikolai Gogol, in his masterpiece, Dead Souls, deftly and flawlessly satirizes the evils that plague his time, such that an unfinished manuscript could become one of the greatest satires of all time.