Satire is a balanced combination of sarcasm, irony, humor, and rhetorical devices that all focus on mocking or ridiculing certain works. In “The War Prayer” by Mark Twain and “The Battle of the Ants” by Henry David Thoreau, both short works satire the glorification of war. In comparison, “The War Prayer” revolves around jingoism by displaying traces of shock, hyperbole and a juxtaposing tone; whereas “The Battle of the Ants” exhibits a historical background through sarcasm, verisimilitude, and a mock-heroic tone.
“The War Prayer” by Mark Twain satirizes through jingoism, one satiric device is shown through shock: ‘I come from the Throne-bearing a message from Almighty God!’ (Twain 5. 53); as citizens listen in on a church service in a country that is going to war the soldiers are being granted triumph and safety by God’s messenger however a stranger interrupts and claims he is God’s messenger, Twain used outrageous details to startle and grab the reader’s attention showing a stranger demanding he is the messenger when instead someone else is, thus plotting a twist in the passage. Another satiric device that was used in Twain’s passage is hyperbole: “…in every breast burned the holy fire of patriotism…” (Twain 5. 2); the exaggeration was given its purpose to give the readers the image of the “…time of great and exalting excitement” (Twain. 5. 1) that was happening in the unnamed town that was in the beginning of bloodshed. One more satirical device that was used in the “The War Prayer” is its juxtaposing tone; Twain contrasts the praising and celebratory tone to the bitter tone at the end of the passage. At the beginning of the passage the tone is described as giddy and enthralling: “The country was up in arms, the war was on, in ...
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...nts] battle-cry was ‘Conquer or die.’”(Thoreau 3. 22). Thoreau uses level and elevated diction to persuade the reader that this crusade is not meaningless but glorifies the actual fierceness of warriors in combat, resembling actual wars.
In conclusion, the satirical pieces discussed share common satirical techniques and differ in them as well. “The War Prayer” juggled around jingoism by using shock, hyperbole, and juxtaposing tone to give the passage multiple turnouts, resulting in a bathetic ending. “The Battle of the Ants” displayed its work through historical context using the satirical elements of sarcasm, verisimilitude, and a mock-heroic tone, thus resulting Thoreau’s pompous writing to mocking historians who glorify war with detailed notes. Both accomplish the glorification of war by portraying hyper-patriotism and elevated diction in unique ways as well.
"Satire - Definition and Examples | Literary Devices." Literary Devices. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar.
Satirical writing allows the author to express his or her opinion about a problem in society. A writing must follow three rules in order for it to be classified as satirical. First, a continuous focus on one’s subject’s faults. Secondly, instead of telling the reader directly, information must be given indirectly. Thirdly, the writing must have a variety of satirical techniques in general (Festa). With these simple guidelines, an author can demonstrate his beliefs of what he thinks needs to be changed in society.
Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s short story “Harrison Bergeron” was created during the time frame of the Civil Rights Movement and the Cold War and encompasses the definition of the word satire. Though the story itself is set in the distant future, the year 2081, one can see the influence of the past in this dark satirical portrayal of an American society. The author satirizes the very elements he was exposed to in his own environment and lifetime. Vonnegut mocks forced ideas of equality, power structures, and oppression, ideas that were prevalent and thriving in the atmosphere of his time of writing “Harrison Bergeron”.
Vonnegut uses irony very often to strengthen the readers’ contempt for war. Edgar Derby, the well-liked high sc...
Satire is a literary method of saying one thing by saying something completely different yet comparable to the intended target of the satire. In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, he indirectly criticized America’s Red Scare by writing about the historic Salem witch trials. Zamyatin, through his authorship of We, criticized the future of Russia he foresaw due the changes already being made by Lenin and the rest of the early Bolshevik leaders. His prediction for the future was quite accurate; ju...
Satire in American literature has evolved in response to the development of the American mind, its increasing use of free will, and the context that surrounds this notion. Satire is the biting wit that authors (labeled satirists) bring to their literature to expose and mock the follies of society. Satirists can be divided, however, into two groups with very different purposes. One type mocks simply for the enjoyment of mocking. These satirists are found almost everywhere in the world, on every street corner, household, and television sitcom. It is the second type of satirist who is a strong force in the world of literature. The satirical author will mock to heighten the reader's awareness of the problems that threaten to destroy the world that they believe has so much potential. They do this with the hope that their satire will encourage others to better society. "I have often hoped that the arts could be wonderfully useful in times of trouble" (32) says the writer who is perhaps the king of this second type of American satire, Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Vonnegut uses his literature to help guide a disillusioned America, in which free will has been fundamental since the writing of the Constitution. As a humanist, Vonnegut uses the idea of free will as a constant motif in his writing. He believes that every soul has the freedom to do anything, but that the problem with society is that people lack direction. Free will, used as a theme in Timequake, is an enormous responsibility. Acknowledging the free will that one has also involves accepting the responsibility that is necessary to use this privilege in a way that will benefit humanity. In several essay...
Thoughtful laughter is a technique used frequently in satirical pieces in literature. It allows for the audience to enjoy the wittiness of a work, later ponder on the meaning, and then apply the message to reality. Thoughtful laughter is often an inner experience that can only be achieved by authors who write meticulously. Two examples of satirical works in literature that display this concept explicitly are Voltaire’s Candide and C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters. Both authors explore the depths of satire and simultaneously deliver an important message to readers through skillful technique.
Primarily used in satire is the literary device, irony, which is often displayed in both Swift’s essay and Voltaire’s novella; it is used to convey the duplicity of certain ...
In his poem Cummings integrated an example of the ideas war propaganda conveys in a humorous but yet serious form. The line: “Who rushed like lions to the roaring slaughter/ They did not stop to think they died instead”, clearly builds up on the fact that apparently due to war propaganda it is honourable to die for one’s country. However, in order to convey his opinion and disaffection about this idea the speaker mocks these by using words of sarcasm and irony. Besides this he conveys the urgent message that patriotic war propaganda is a lie and could lead to death, which will be everything else than
Brown, Earl B., Jr. "Kosinski's Modern Proposal: The Problem of Satire in the Mid-Twentieth Century." Ebscohost. N.p., 1980. Web. Mar.-Apr. 2014.
In the world today, no one understands the consequences of some of their prayers. People that pray for war or other violent acts literally just want people to die. In the Satire The War Prayer written by Mark Twain he explains that people do not think about what they are praying for. Twain shows these people are not praying for peace, instead they are praying for more war and death. In The War Prayer Twain uses satire to enlighten society to think about what they actually pray for.
Ever since literature has existed, there has been some arrays of mockery. Whether it be a criticism about a person, an action, or the way people live, there has especially been satire. In the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Huckleberry Finn, encounters plenty of people and situations that are easy targets to ridicule. Throughout the text, Mark Twain satirizes religious views, hypocrisy, and romantic ideals to expose the real human flaws in southern society.
William Dean Howells was an advocate of realism in writing; he believed that literary art should reflect the reality of the common man and demonstrate the truth of everyday current issues. He believed in truthful writing and he accepted very little at face value. He practiced this belief in his own writing, and his story called “Editha” is a good example of this. In this ironic tragedy, W.D. Howells shows the truth and nature of war. He uses a combination of metaphoric characters, irony, and the pathos appeal to create an almost grotesque parody of the reality of war. In final analysis, Howells is successful in highlighting the consequences of war and inspiring the audience to question the wisdom of those who advocate armed conflict.
Both Stephen Crane's "Do Not Weep, Maiden, For War Is Kind" and Wilfred Owen's "Dulce et Decorum Est" use vivid images, diction rich with connotation, similes, and metaphors to portray the irony between the idealized glory of war and the lurid reality of war. However, by looking at the different ways these elements are used in each poem, it is clear that the speakers in the two poems are soldiers who come from opposite ends of the spectrum of military ranks. One speaker is an officer and the other is a foot soldier. Each of the speakers/soldiers is dealing with the repercussions from his own realities of the horror of war based on his duty during the battle.
Humor, along with its various forms, including satire, is often used to present social commentaries. This is especially true in Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In his novel, Twain tells the story of a boy named Huckleberry Finn voyaging down the Mississippi River to free his slave companion, Jim. In doing so, Twain evokes many issues of Southern culture. Through the use of satirical devices, characterization, and story, the author enlightens readers and offers a critique on racism and religion. One of the best, if not the single most important, humorist in American history, Mark Twain, through his satire, paints a portrait of the pre-Civil War American South and all its flaws.