SATIRE & “Harrison Bergeron”

8th Grade GRCMaterials adapted from resources

on ReadWriteThink.org biography.com

And teacherspayteachers.com

About the Author

• Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on November 11, 1922.

• Vonnegut emerged as a novelist and essayist in the 1960s, penning the classics Cat's Cradle, Slaughterhouse-Five andBreakfast of Champions before 1980.

• He is known for his satirical literary style, as well as the science fiction elements in much of his work. Vonnegut died in New York City on April 11, 2007.

• After studying at Cornell University from 1940 to 1942, Kurt Vonnegut enlisted the U.S. Army. He was sent by the army to what is now Carnegie Mellon University to study engineering in 1943.

• The next year, he served in Europe and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. After this battle, Vonnegut was captured and became a prisoner of war.

• He was in Dresden, Germany, during the Allied firebombing of the city, and saw the complete devastation caused by it. Vonnegut himself only escaped harm because he, along with other POWs, was working in an underground meat locker making vitamins.

• Showing his talent for satire, his first novel, Player Piano, took on corporate culture and was published in 1952.

• More novels followed, including The Sirens of Titan (1959), Mother Night (1961), andCat's Cradle (1963).

• War remained a recurring element in his work and one of his best-known works, Slaughterhouse-Five, draws some of its dramatic power from his own experiences.

•  Kurt Vonnegut became known for his unusual writing style—long sentences and little punctuation.

"Harrison Bergeron"• Satirical and dystopian science-fiction short

story written by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. and first published in October 1961.

• Originally published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, the story was republished in the author's Welcome to the Monkey House collection in 1968.

• The satire raises a serious question concerning desirability of social equality and the extent to which society is prepared to go to achieve it.

Satire Defined• Satire Defined

• A literary genre based on criticism of people and society

• Ridicule and mockery are mixed with humor throughout a work of satire

• Intended to expose the weaknesses of some part of society in amusing ways.

Purpose of Satire• Purpose • The satirist aims to

influence change by laughing scornfully at those being mocked--and being witty enough to allow the reader to laugh, also.

• The object of satire is usually some human frailty; people, institutions, ideas, and things are all fair game for satirists.

Purpose of Satire• Purpose, Continued • The satirist's goal

is to point out the hypocrisy of the target

• By highlighting inconsistencies the target is made to look ridiculous

Targets of Satire• Targets of Satire • Works of satire

usually attack the following: – human frailty – people – institutions – ideas

Style• Style • The satirist may

insert serious statements of value or desired behavior

• However, most satires rely on its audience to understand what is right versus what is wrong

Style• Style, Continued

• Many of the techniques of satire are devices of comparison, to show the similarity or contrast between two things.

• Examples include: a list of absurd items, an oxymoron, metaphors, sarcasm, irony and exaggeration

Exaggeration• To enlarge, increase, or

represent something beyond normal bounds so that it becomes ridiculous and its faults can be seen.

• Caricature is the exaggeration of a physical feature or trait. Cartoons, especially political cartoons, provide extensive examples of caricature.

Reversal • To present the opposite of the normal

order. Reversal can focus on the order of events, such as serving dessert before the main dish or having breakfast for dinner.

• Reversal can focus on hierarchical order—for instance, when a young child makes all the decisions for a family or when an administrative assistant dictates what the company president decides and does.

Incongruity• To present things that are out of

place or are ABSURD in relation to its surroundings. Particular techniques include oxymoron, metaphor, and irony.– Oxymoron: a combination of

two contradictory termsExample: jumbo shrimp

Parody• To imitate the techniques

and/or style of some person, place, or thing in order to ridicule the original.

• For parody to be successful, the reader must know the original person, place, or thing that is being ridiculed.

Examples in Literature

• Examples in Literature • In Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn the racism of the deep south is satirized.

• Huckleberry’s conscience – warped by the racist world he has grown up in, often bothers him most when he is at his best.

• Ironically, he is prepared to do good, believing it to be wrong.

Examples in Literature

• Examples in Literature, Continued

• Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World satirizes a future where people don’t have serious relationships

• People no longer have opinions and are classified from birth into a caste

Examples in Literature

• Examples in Literature, Continued

•  George Orwell’s 1984 and Animal Farm

• In both of Orwell’s works a society is satirized where government has complete authority over the people

Examples in Television

• Examples in Television and Popular Culture

• Stephen Colbert’s television program, The Colbert Report satirizes both other television personalities and a variety of aspects of society

• Most notably Colbert satirizes political candidates and political decisions

Examples from Film

• Examples from Film

• Almost all spoof movies at least partly fall into the category of satire

• Some of these films might include: Scary Movie franchise, Naked Gun franchise, Airplane, This is Spinal Tap and many others

Satire In Action

• Remember: Satire often pokes fun at some institution, person or aspect of human weakness

• In the following cartoons, try to specifically point out what is being satirized.

• Also try to come to a conclusion about what the artist/author wants his audience to think about by viewing the cartoon

Satire in Action

• What is being satirized?

• What change does the artist possibly want to inspire?

Possible Responses:

• What is being satirized? – The artist is satirizing our youth’s preoccupation

with games, computers and other technology. It is also satirizing parents who allow their children so much access to these distractions.

• What change does the artist possibly want to inspire?– The artist wants children to play less games and

for parents to step in and make their children focus on activities that will help them later in life.

Satire in Action

• What is being satirized?

• What change does the artist possibly want to inspire?

Satire in Action

• What is being satirized?

• What change does the artist possibly want to inspire?

Satire in Action

• What is being satirized?

• What change does the artist possibly want to inspire?

Satire in Action

• What is being satirized?

• What change does the artist possibly want to inspire?

Satire in Action

• What is being satirized?

• What change does the artist possibly want to inspire?

Satire in Action

• What is being satirized?

• What change does the artist possibly want to inspire?