create your own satire assignment

• My Storyboards

Parody, Satire, and Modern Adaptation

Have you ever been online and run into a video or meme about something you've taught? It probably made you laugh out loud, and you probably learned something from it as well. Maybe it was a funny exaggeration of a theme or a character, or maybe it was done to make a particular point. Either way, there was value in the comedic relief it provided. This is one of the major reasons I am an advocate for having students create modern day adaptations - parodies, rewrites, modern language - of works in my classroom.

Writing Parodies and More

Writing in literary forms like parody and satire is a strong tool to use in the classroom. The nature of these forms requires students to utilize higher order thinking skills. Whether you adhere to Bloom’s Taxonomy, or Webb’s Domains of Knowledge, these activities direct students to the highest forms of skills and knowledge such as analyzing, evaluating, and creating.

Take, for instance, a junior or senior English Language Arts class that has just finished reading Shakespeare’s Hamlet , and has been asked to create parodies from it. In the example below, Hamlet is summed up and imitated by capturing integral moments of the play. It hits on the significant (yet absurd in retrospect) plot points of Hamlet’s conflict, exaggerates the characters’ struggles and traits, and even lightly mocks the play. Students had to analyze important plot points, character traits, scenes of the drama, and central themes to the tragedy. Next, they deciphered and evaluated which pieces to combine for a mocking look at the tale. They finished by creating a storyboard that imitates the basic moments of the play, making the profound absurd.

Our Recommended Lesson Plan

Grade Level: Adaptable for Grades 3 -12

Time: Two 45-Minute Class Meetings

• Contemporary Adaptation
• Modern Language Translation

This activity is designed to incorporate rigorous creative writing into a unit you are currently working on with your students. By asking your students to produce a parody, satire, or modern day adaptation, they are internalizing and synthesizing information. Although this might seem like just a fun activity, it also requires students to follow structural rules like rhyme patterns, meter, or syntax structure, all of which require thought and creativity.

When asked to create a parody, students can look to numerous methods and forms, such as poetry, film, song, and visual art. Storyboards provide students with an excellent option that combines carefully constructed prose (and/or dialogue) with visual representations. Visual intelligence is often a part of students' programming, and storyboards offer a unique option to meet this need.

Lesson-Specific Essential Questions

• How do satires, parodies, and adaptations of works teach about literary elements?
• How is creative writing different from other styles you have encountered?
• What commonalities can be found in modern day adaptations?

Review Terms

Once you have completed a work of literature with your class, this assignment is an excellent extension or idea for a project. As the teacher, you can choose to give students a choice of which type of adaptation they want to produce, or you can choose it for them. If your students are unfamiliar with the following ways to create a modern adaptation, go over the terms and show some of our examples.

One necessary step into familiarizing students with each of these adaptations is to provided them with real world examples. To do this, you can research and find videos online or you can ask your students to find examples and share with the class - or check out some of our examples at the bottom of the page. Examples of parody also appear on television and viral videos all the time, such as Sesame Street and Saturday Night Live . Bringing real life application into the lesson is essential; it helps students remember the information and shows them relevance.

Review the Literary Work

To create a parody of a work, a student must first take stock of important concepts and details, central themes, and defining character traits, then select elements that capture and represent the work. The student can then evaluate the symbolic relationships and create an inventive and unique perspective of that work through humor and mockery.

Create a Storyboard Using the Writing Process

Once they are familiar with the types of modern day adaptation, students should create an outline and a first draft. In a three or six-cell storyboard, students can successfully accomplish a common form of parody: summarizing a piece of literature with humorous brevity.

When students are creating their drafts, it is also important to ask them what they see when they think about their story or poem. This can help the students to decide where to go next in the sequence of events. Once they are ready to complete the final stage, they should publish it by creating a storyboard that depicts their modern day adaptation.

Modern Day Versions of Works Activity Ideas

The following is a list of compiled ideas that any teacher can adapt for any unit. Remember to think outside the box and allow your students to showcase their creative skills.

Rewrite a famous poem in modern language

Take Shakespeare (or any author/novel) and create a parody or satire about one of his plays, a character, or a particular part, like a soliloquy or favorite scene

Write your own Hero’s Journey , where you are the hero

Create your own Greek god or goddess! Or take yourself or someone you know and make them a Greek god

Take an important premise from a work of literature and apply it to your own life

Related Activities

Check out these modern day adaptation activities from our guides on "The Raven" , The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street , and The Outsiders .

How to Create Parodies, Satires, and Modern Adaptations

Review terms (introduction).

Introduce students to the terms "parody," "satire," and "modern language" by providing definitions and examples. Show real-world examples of these adaptations through videos, TV shows, or viral videos to illustrate their application and relevance.

Review the Literary Work (Preparation)

Ask students to revisit the literary work they have studied and identify important concepts, themes, character traits, and defining elements. Instruct them to select elements that capture the essence of the work and can be effectively parodied or satirized.

Create a Storyboard Using the Writing Process (Drafting)

Guide students to create an outline and a first draft of their adaptation. Using a three or six-cell storyboard, students can summarize the work with humor and brevity. Encourage students to consider their creative vision and sequence of events while drafting their adaptation.

Polish and Finalize the Storyboard (Revision)

Have students revise their draft based on feedback and their own reflections. Prompt them to think about how their adaptation reflects the original work and their intended humorous or satirical elements. Guide them in creating a final storyboard that depicts their modern-day adaptation.

Explore Activity Ideas (Extension)

Provide students with a list of activity ideas for modern-day adaptations that can be applied to any literary unit. Encourage them to think creatively and showcase their skills. Ideas include rewriting a famous poem in modern language, creating parodies or satires of Shakespearean plays or characters, crafting a personal Hero's Journey, inventing a Greek god or goddess, or applying a literary premise to their own lives.

Frequently Asked Questions about Parody, Satire, and Modern Adaptation

What are parody, satire, and modern adaptation-based communication cards and how can they be used in the classroom.

Parody, satire, and modern adaptation-based communication cards are cards that feature humorous and exaggerated statements or scenarios, designed to encourage critical thinking, creativity, and communication skills. They may include elements of parody, satire, or modern adaptations of classic stories. You can use these types of communication cards as a prompt for classroom discussion, debate, or writing exercises. They can also be used as a tool for developing students' empathy and understanding of different perspectives.

How do I choose the appropriate parody, satire, and modern adaptation-based content for my classroom?

When choosing satire-based communication cards for your classroom, consider your students' age, maturity, and cultural background. Set clear expectations, and monitor discussions to ensure that they are respectful and productive. Encourage students to listen to each other's perspectives and avoid personal attacks or disrespectful language.

What are some benefits of using parody, satire, and modern adaptation-based communication cards in the classroom?

Using satire-based communication cards in the classroom can help develop critical thinking, creativity, communication skills, and empathy. It can also make learning more engaging and enjoyable for students.

What are some things to avoid when including parody, satire, and modern adaptation in lessons?

When including parody, satire, and modern adaptation in lessons, it is important to be mindful of the following things to avoid: offensiveness, inappropriateness, lack of relevance, lack of context, lack of balance, and lack of sensitivity. By being mindful of these things to avoid will ensure that the activities you design are appropriate and also effective.

• Detective Comics #431 • Marxchivist • License Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)
• Flash Comics #78 • Marxchivist • License Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)
• The War of the Worlds • Marxchivist • License Attribution (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)

Pricing for Schools & Districts

Limited Time

• 10 Teachers for One Year
• 2 Hours of Virtual PD

30 Day Money Back Guarantee • New Customers Only • Full Price After Introductory Offer • Access is for 1 Calendar Year

• 30 Day Money Back Guarantee
• New Customers Only
• Full Price After Introductory Offer

Limited Time. New Customers Only

Back to school special!

Purchase orders must be received by 9/6/24.

30 Day Money Back Guarantee. New Customers Only. Full Price After Introductory Offer. Access is for 1 Calendar Year

Generating a Quote

This is usually pretty quick :)

Quote Sent!

Email Sent to

• Articles , Fun , Writing

How to Write Great Satire (With Examples)

Satire is a genre of literature and performing arts, often characterized by its use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues. It’s a powerful tool for offering commentary on and criticism of its subject.

What Satire Is

Satire, as a genre, is more than just making jokes or mocking societal elements. It’s a sophisticated form of critique that’s carefully dressed in humor, insight, and relevance. Let’s delve deeper into what constitutes the essence of satire.

Satire is Critical

Satire fundamentally aims to expose and critique the flaws, faults, and shortcomings of its subjects, which could range from individuals and organizations to broader societal norms. This critique often comes with an undercurrent of moral or social improvement. Satire is not just about pointing out what’s wrong; it’s about holding up a mirror to the subject, often in a way that motivates reflection and, ideally, change. It’s a form of social commentary that seeks to bring to light the underlying issues that might otherwise go unnoticed or unaddressed.

Satire is Humorous

Humor in satire is not just for laughs; it’s a strategic tool. While satire might not always provoke outright laughter, it uses humor to make its critique more palatable and engaging. Techniques like wit, irony, and exaggeration are the hallmarks of satirical humor. They serve to soften the blow of the critique, making the message more accessible and less confrontational. This subtle infusion of humor is what often allows satire to deliver its message effectively, making complex or sensitive issues more approachable.

Satire is Usually Insightful

Effective satire goes beyond mere criticism; it is inherently insightful. It’s not just about highlighting problems but also about offering a deeper understanding of the issues at hand. Satire encourages the audience to think more critically and to see beyond the surface of the subject being satirized. It often provides a new perspective or sheds light on aspects of an issue that may not have been apparent before. This insightful nature of satire is what gives it depth, transforming it from mere comedy into a thought-provoking critique.

Satire is Often Timely

Satire is often at its most powerful when it is topical and relevant, focusing on current events, social trends, political happenings, and prominent figures. By engaging with contemporary issues, satire stays connected with its audience, offering commentary that is immediately recognizable and relatable. This relevance is crucial as it allows satire to comment on the pulse of society, reflecting and critiquing the world as it is at that moment. Topical satire can influence public opinion and contribute to the discourse on current issues, making it a dynamic and impactful form of expression.

What Satire Isn’t

Satire is often misunderstood, sometimes conflated with mere comedy or other forms of humorous expression. Understanding what satire isn’t is crucial for appreciating its unique character and purpose. Let’s demystify this by exploring common misconceptions about satire.

Satire Isn’t Merely Funny

While humor is a fundamental component of satire, it’s a mistake to equate satire with mere comedy. Comedy aims primarily to entertain and amuse, whereas satire uses humor as a means to an end – that end being critique and social commentary. Satire embeds its humor within a context of criticism; it’s not just about making people laugh, but making them think and question.

Satire is Not Always Negative or Desctructive

A common misconception is that satire exists solely to criticize or tear down its subjects. While critique is a key element of satire, it’s not just about highlighting the negative. Satire often has constructive goals – it aims to expose flaws and follies to prompt introspection, discussion, and even change. It’s not destruction for the sake of destruction, but rather, a tool for shedding light on issues with the hope of improvement.

Satire Isn’t Always Obvious

Satire is not always immediately obvious or overt. It can be subtle, requiring the audience to engage and recognize the layers of meaning beneath the surface. This subtlety is part of its effectiveness; it invites deeper reflection and analysis, allowing for a more nuanced understanding of the issues at hand. This complexity means that satire can sometimes go unrecognized or be misinterpreted by those not attuned to its subtleties.

Satire Isn’t the Same as Parody

While both satire and parody use humor, they serve different purposes. Parody primarily focuses on imitation and exaggeration of a particular work, style, or genre for comic effect. It doesn’t inherently carry a critical message about broader societal issues, which is a hallmark of satire. Satire, on the other hand, while it may use parody as a technique, always has a deeper, often critical, intent.

Satire is Much More Than Sarcasm

Sarcasm is often blunt and straightforward in its ridicule or irony, and can sometimes be mean-spirited. While sarcasm might be a component of satire, satire is much broader in scope. It encompasses a wider range of humor and irony, and unlike sarcasm, it is often less about personal ridicule and more about critiquing societal structures, behaviors, and norms.

How to Write Great Satire

Choose your target.

Whether you’re poking fun at political ideologies, societal norms, cultural trends, or specific events or individuals, choosing your target is the first step in writing great satire. The key is clarity; your audience should easily be able discern what you’re satirizing. For instance, Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” didn’t just criticize poverty in Ireland; it satirized the heartless attitudes of the wealthy towards the poor.

While ideologies, norms, and trends are common fodder for satire, the choice is vast and varied. The key is to find a subject that resonates with you and your intended audience. For example, in “Catch-22,” Joseph Heller chose to satirize the bureaucratic absurdities and paradoxes of war, targeting not just the concept of war itself but the illogical nature of bureaucracies in a high-stakes environment.

When selecting your target, it’s also crucial to consider its relevance and timeliness. Satire that connects with current events or enduring societal issues tends to have a stronger impact. The TV show “South Park,” for instance, has built its reputation on rapidly responding to current events, making its satire feel immediate and pertinent.

Another aspect to consider is the universality of your target. While it’s tempting to choose a niche subject, broader topics often have a wider appeal. This doesn’t mean you should shy away from specific targets, but rather, find ways to make them relatable to a larger audience. “Veep,” for example, while set in the specific world of American politics, uses universal themes of power, ambition, and human folly, making it accessible and amusing to a wide range of viewers.

Finally, approach your chosen target with a blend of critical insight and empathy. Satire is not just about mockery; it’s an opportunity to offer a deeper critique of a subject, potentially inciting thought and discussion. The British show “The Office” satirizes the mundanity and absurdities of everyday office life, but it does so with a sense of understanding and empathy for its characters, enriching the satire.

Find the Absurdity

The essence of satire lies in exaggeration. Identify the inherent absurdities within your subject and amplify them. Imagine satirizing a political policy about increased surveillance. You could depict a future where drones follow citizens to ensure they floss daily. The exaggeration here emphasizes the overreach of surveillance in a humorous, yet thought-provoking way.

In satire, exaggeration isn’t just a stylistic choice; it’s a tool to uncover and magnify the absurdities inherent in your subject. The goal is to transform what might be a subtle or overlooked flaw into something glaringly obvious and, ideally, laughable. This process of magnification not only entertains but also encourages your audience to reconsider the subject with a more critical eye.

To effectively find and amplify absurdity, start by observing the nuances of your target. Look for contradictions, hypocrisies, or simply the oddities that often go unnoticed. For instance, if you were satirizing the complexities of modern relationships, you might depict a scenario where a couple communicates solely through social media updates, despite living together. This exaggeration highlights the absurdity of over-reliance on digital communication in personal relationships.

Another approach is to push a logical premise to illogical extremes. Take the example of satirizing consumer culture. You could create a world where people take extreme measures, like trading essential life experiences or memories, just to purchase the latest trendy product. This not only lampoons consumerism but also subtly comments on what we value as a society.

Satire often thrives in the realm of the ‘slippery slope.’ Take a policy, trend, or behavior and ask, “What if this were taken to its extreme?” This method was famously employed in Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World,” where the pursuit of happiness through technology and control is pushed to dystopian extremes, reflecting on the potential consequences of our own societal choices.

It’s important to balance your exaggeration so that the absurdity is evident but not so outlandish that it becomes unbelievable. The best satirical exaggerations are those that make the audience pause and think, “This is ridiculous, but it could happen,” or “This is an exaggeration, but it reflects a real issue.”

Use Irony and Contrast

Satire thrives on the disparity between reality and expectation. Irony is your ally. Illustrate the gap between how things are and how they ought to be, or between public perception and reality. Consider how George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” uses animals to depict the irony of a revolution that ends up mirroring the oppression it sought to overthrow.

Irony can be a subtle and effective way to highlight the ridiculousness of a situation. For example, satirizing the inefficiency of a bureaucratic system by portraying a department dedicated to reducing paperwork that, in fact, generates more paperwork. This ironic twist not only induces laughter but also underscores the problem in a memorable way.

One powerful form of irony is situational irony, where the outcome of a situation is the opposite of what you would expect. An example of this can be found in Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal.” Swift ironically suggests that the poor in Ireland sell their children as food to the rich. This shocking proposal starkly contrasts with the expected discourse on poverty, thereby highlighting the severity of the issue and the indifference of the elite.

Another way to utilize irony is through verbal irony, where what is said is the opposite of what is meant. This is often seen in satirical dialogues, where characters may speak in praise of something that the author intends to criticize. For example, in the television series “Veep,” characters often make grandiose statements about political integrity that are blatantly at odds with their actions, thus satirizing the duplicity often found in politics.

Contrast is equally important in satire. It can be used to juxtapose the ideal with the real, the powerful with the powerless, or the past with the present. This contrast can be seen in “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, which uses the lavish lifestyle of the 1920s to contrast with the emptiness and moral decay of the characters’ lives, thereby critiquing the American Dream.

Another effective use of contrast is highlighting the difference between a character’s inner thoughts and outward actions. In “Dr. Strangelove,” the outward decorum and politeness of the military and political leaders starkly contrasts with the absurdity and horror of the nuclear war they are navigating, satirizing the cold war mentality and the absurdities of nuclear strategies.

The use of irony and contrast in satire is not just about creating humor; it’s about crafting a narrative that forces the audience to question and think critically about the subject at hand. By highlighting the discrepancies between reality and expectation, between what is said and what is meant, and by juxtaposing opposing ideas or values, satire can effectively critique and comment on the various facets of human society.

Balance Humor and Critique

Balancing humor and critique is the delicate tightrope walk at the heart of satire. The most impactful satirical works aren’t just amusing; they serve as a mirror, reflecting societal issues through the lens of humor. This balance is key in transforming satire from mere comedy to a potent form of social commentary.

Mark Twain, a maestro of this balance, wielded humor not as an end in itself but as a means to unveil deeper truths. In “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” Twain uses the innocent perspective of a child to subtly critique the entrenched racism and moral hypocrisy of antebellum America. The humorous escapades of Huck and Jim on the Mississippi River are juxtaposed with the stark realities of slavery and societal prejudices, creating a narrative that is as thought-provoking as it is entertaining.

Another classic example is found in the works of British author Jonathan Swift. His essay “A Modest Proposal” is a masterclass in this balance. Swift uses dark humor, proposing that the poor sell their children as food to the rich, to deliver a scathing critique of the British exploitation of Ireland. The absurdity of the proposal, delivered with a straight face, heightens the underlying critique of societal indifference to the plight of the impoverished.

Jane Austen also excelled in this balance through her use of wit and irony to critique the social norms of her time. In “Pride and Prejudice,” Austen uses the character of Elizabeth Bennet and her sharp wit to both entertain and to subtly question the societal expectations placed on women, particularly regarding marriage and social status.

In modern times, television shows like “The Office” have continued this tradition. The show uses situational and character-driven humor to critique modern office culture, corporate management, and human relationships. The seemingly mundane setting of an office is transformed into a canvas for a humorous yet insightful commentary on the absurdities of everyday work life.

The key to achieving this balance lies in the subtlety of the critique. The humor should not overshadow the commentary; instead, it should be used to enhance it. This is achieved through careful crafting of characters, situations, and dialogues that are amusing on the surface but carry a deeper, often critical, meaning.

Great satire thrives on subtlety. It’s akin to a cleverly laid trap; the audience stumbles into realizations, rather than being directly confronted with them. This art of being implicit in your criticism is what separates good satire from mere parody or slapstick humor.

In “Parks and Recreation,” the character of Ron Swanson exemplifies a different approach to subtlety in satire. Swanson’s extreme libertarian views and his comical disdain for government, despite being a government employee, offer a nuanced critique of political ideologies and bureaucratic inefficiencies. The show refrains from directly mocking or condemning these views. Instead, it cleverly exaggerates them within a relatable and humorous framework. This leads viewers to reflect on and find humor in the paradoxes and contradictions inherent in real-world politics and government operations.

Similarly, consider the classic British sitcom “Yes, Minister.” The show never explicitly states its critique of bureaucratic inefficiency and political maneuvering. Instead, it uses the interactions and situations its characters find themselves in to highlight these issues. The audience is left to connect the dots, enjoying a laugh while simultaneously pondering the complexities of government and politics.

Subtlety in satire also involves using metaphors and allegories. Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis,” while not traditionally satirical, uses the absurd situation of a man turning into an insect to subtly comment on alienation, dehumanization, and the absurdity of modern life. The reader is drawn into a bizarre narrative, only to slowly realize the underlying commentary on society.

The effectiveness of subtlety in satire is also about timing and pacing. The humor and critique should unfold at a pace that allows the audience to engage and reflect. It’s about dropping hints, not revealing the entire joke or critique upfront. The reveal, when it comes, should feel like a discovery to the audience, a reward for their engagement and understanding.

In crafting subtle satire, it’s important to maintain a balance. Too obscure, and the satire loses its impact; too obvious, and it becomes preachy. The goal is to encourage the audience to think critically, to question and to see the deeper meaning behind the humor.

Know Your Audience

Understanding your audience is crucial in satire. The success of a satirical piece often hinges on how well the creator knows the beliefs, values, and sensitivities of their audience. Misjudging the audience can result in satire that is either too obtuse or too offensive, ultimately causing the piece to miss its mark.

One of the pitfalls of not understanding your audience is creating satire that is too esoteric. If the references, language, or the context of the satire are not accessible to the intended audience, it can lead to confusion rather than amusement or enlightenment. For instance, a satirical piece heavy with obscure literary references might resonate with an academic audience but could be lost on a general readership. This disconnect can make the satire seem aloof and unengaging.

On the other end of the spectrum, satire that is too blunt or heavy-handed can alienate the audience, especially if it crosses the line into insensitivity or offensiveness. For example, a satirical piece that makes light of a sensitive or traumatic event without considering the potential impact on those directly affected might evoke anger and backlash rather than prompting reflection or debate.

Stay Relevant: The Impact of Timeliness in Satire

In the world of satire, staying relevant and timely is paramount. Satirical works that tap into current events, social trends, and political happenings tend to resonate more deeply with audiences. This relevance not only enhances the humor but also sharpens the critique, making it a powerful tool for commentary on contemporary issues.

“Saturday Night Live” (SNL) exemplifies the effective use of current events in satire. The show’s sketches often reflect and comment on the latest political developments, pop culture phenomena, and societal trends. For instance, SNL’s political parodies, which have featured impressions of various U.S. presidents and political figures, capture not just their mannerisms but also the essence of the political climate. This timely reflection ensures that the satire is not just funny, but also poignant and thought-provoking.

Websites like “The Onion” and “The Babylon Bee” have taken the art of satirical news to a new level. These platforms publish articles that mimic the style and appearance of traditional news but with a satirical twist. They cover a wide range of topics from politics to culture, often commenting on recent news and events. For example, “The Onion” might publish a piece with a headline that’s a hyperbolic take on a current political issue, offering a humorous yet incisive critique of the situation. “The Babylon Bee” similarly uses satire, often with a more conservative slant, to comment on cultural and political issues, highlighting the absurdities in recent events.

Social media has become a fertile ground for satirical content. Memes, tweets, and short videos that satirize current events can go viral, spreading rapidly across social platforms. Yes, a meme can certainly be considered satirical. Satire often thrives on brevity and impact, qualities inherent in memes. These snippets can quickly and effectively convey commentary through a blend of images and text. This immediacy allows satirists to react quickly to events as they unfold, engaging with a broad audience in real-time. The speed and reach of social media have made it an invaluable tool for satirical commentary, enabling satirists to stay highly relevant and topical.

Writing satire is a delicate art that balances humor with critique, subtlety with clarity, and relevance with creativity. By choosing a clear target, finding the absurdity in the subject, using irony, maintaining a balance between humor and critique, being subtle, knowing your audience, and staying informed, your satirical piece – be it an article, script, story, poem, or song – can not only entertain but also offer insightful commentary.

Use AI for a Shortcut to Satire

Artificial Intelligence can write just about anything, and satire is no exception. We at Word.Studio have built a fun tool to help you quickly generate a nice blend of humor and commentary on the fly. If you would like to experiment with generating original satirical articles, try our Satirical Article Generator to draft a satirical article on just about any subject you can imagine. This is an emerging field, and AI doesn’t always excel at the nuance of humor and subtlety, but it certainly tries. You are welcome to take it for a spin to see for yourself here.

• This page was originally published by Word.Studio
• on January 10, 2024
• in Articles , Fun , Writing

How to Use a Framing Device to Tell a Story Within a Story

Show, Don’t Tell: Illustrating Through Action and Description

Active Voice vs. Passive Voice

Recently updated ai tools.

Tactful Transformer

Transform blunt and potentially harsh language into tactful, considerate expressions, ensuring sensitivity and clarity in delicate conversations.

Sales Intro Builder

Want to be able to say who you help and how you help them in 10 seconds? Use this tool custom created by Topaz Sales Consulting to create an ideal sales introduction.

Grant Proposal Writer

Write a well-structured grant proposal tailored to the specific requirements of the target funding organization.

A suite of specialized AI tools that write, brainstorm, fine-tune, and unlock new creative superpowers.  Subscribe to get full access to our entire library of tools. 

Word.Studio is LLM agnostic, which means that our tools are run by the most powerful and appropriate AI models selected for the task at hand.

• Cover Letter Writer
• Freelancer Bio Writer
• Blog Post Writer
• Professional Bio Writer
• Article Writer
• Glossary Generator
• Business Tools
• Creative Tools
• Writing Tools
• Career & Job Search
• Hiring & Recruiting
• Sales Tools
• Teaching Tools
• Storytelling Tools
• Word.Studio Tools
• Articles & Tutorials
• GPT Directory
• Prompt Templates
• AI Glossary
• AI Tool Development
• Custom GPT Development
• Terms of Service
• Privacy Policy

Word.Studio 2024 - Terms & Privacy

How To Write a Satire Essay?

20 February, 2021

13 minutes read

Author:  Richard Pircher

As a high school or college student, you definitely have your fair share of assignments. From carrying out backbreaking research on late historical figures to writing endless essays, school work can be a tad draining. However, one assignment that always seems to have students in a fix is the satire essay.

Writing an essay on satire is one of the hardest tasks you’d come across in high school or college. This kind of essay typically requires a vast knowledge of the subject matter and a great sense of humor. 

This leads us to the big question: how do you write a Nobel prize-worthy satirical essay? Let’s find out. 

What Is a Satire Essay? 

Satire is a literary device or genre employed by a significant number of professional authors. This genre is particularly aimed at criticizing a person or group of persons for their vices, wrongdoings or shortcomings. 

Usually, satire is used to shed more light on significant political or cultural issues within a society. A satire essay is a type of essay that employs devices such as sarcasm, humor and irony to mock a particular person, situation or ideology. Basically, it pokes fun at certain people or situations in an elite and sarcastic manner. 

How to Write a Satire Essay: Writing Tips

Wondering how to write a satire essay? Even though it may seem like a daunting task, writing a satire essay can be a seamless process once you apply the following tips: 

Choose an original and relevant topic

So you need to write a satire essay. The first step to take is to choose your topic. In some cases, your teacher or professor may assign a topic to you, but more often than not, you’d need to come up with a topic of your own. 

In this case, decide the area you want your essay to focus on. You could focus on a political or social situation, depending on what you want. 

However, it is advisable to choose a topic that you’re familiar with. This way, it will be easier to dig up facts and evidence to support your point of view. 

Consider your audience 

Your audience is the focal point of your essay. As such, it’s very important that you consider them at every stage of the writing process. Is your essay aimed at high school students or college professors? 

Would it be read by professionals or just your fellow students? Identifying and considering your audience will help to determine the appropriate tone for your essay. 

If your target audience is mostly made up of fellow students and friends, you can get away with using a casual tone. However, if you expect professionals to read your work, it’s advisable to go for a more formal tone in your essay. 

Add lots of humor 

What makes a satire essay so interesting? Is it the topic or the author’s writing style? Well, the major spice of any satire essay is the generous use of humor. You want to make your audience laugh at the ridiculousness of a particular person or situation. As such, the best way to achieve this aim is by applying devices like irony, sarcasm and hyperbole. 

When used tactfully, these devices can have the desired effect on readers. 

Stick to plain facts

Inasmuch as satirical essays employ devices like humor and exaggeration, it’s important to stick to plain facts when writing your essay. Adding incorrect theories or outright lies to your essay would only render it invalid in the court of public opinion. 

As such, it’s important to only state facts that can be backed up by strong evidence. For further credibility, cite your source after stating figures, theories or opinions. 

This would assure your audience that your essay is credible. If you can’t find facts or evidence to support a particular argument, then it is advisable to avoid including it in your essay. 

Use the ELP format

The ELP format is a great way to ensure that your satire essay is professional and of stellar quality. ELP is an acronym for ethos, logos and pathos. 

These three elements form a significant part of your essay and can either make or mar your work. But how and when do you employ them in your essay?

Ethos informs the readers about the issue at hand and their pre-existing beliefs. As such, this tool should be used in the introductory part of the essay to lay a foundation for the readers. 

Logos provides the audience with pure facts and figures, thereby adding credibility to your work. 

Pathos, just like the term implies, would evoke the appropriate feelings and emotions in your audience. Whether you’re trying to evoke sadness, sympathy or anger, using this tool the right way would help you achieve your aim. 

Be tolerant 

Even though a satire essay is often riddled with sarcasm and irony, it’s important that you use these devices without making any offensive statement. 

Your audience will definitely be made up of people from different walks of life. As such, you don’t want to make remarks that may be deemed to be discriminatory or offensive to a particular sect. 

Knowing the boundary between satire and being outrightly offensive is a delicate art that requires practice and a keen understanding of human psychology. However, to ensure that your essay is in no way offensive, you could ask for second opinions from your colleagues or teacher. 

How to Find Original Topics

With how difficult satire essays are, you’d think no one would be writing them. However, a quick Internet search would show you an abundance of already-written satire essay topics. In fact, choosing a topic that has not already been written by someone else can be a daunting task. 

If you’re trying to find original satire essay ideas or topics, here are a few tips that may help you: 

Find major political or cultural events

If you look around you, you’d definitely find a wide range of interesting political or cultural events that would make for a brilliant topic. Go through published articles, media publications and the news to find resources for your dream topic. 

Brainstorm interesting ideas

Once you’ve gone through the resources listed above, you can then go on to brainstorm any ideas you may have come up with. Ensure that your topic is interesting and witty enough to catch the attention of your readers. 

70 Satire Essay Topics 

Struggling to find original satire essay topics that would interest your audience? Well, here are some sample topics on different subject matters that would definitely inspire you:

• The royal family and Princess Diana: a mystery that never got solved
• What would today’s world look like if the Holocaust had never happened? 
• The best American presidents in history vs Donald Trump: a tale of two worlds 
• How World War II should have turned out
• What was so special about Attila the Hun anyway? 
• More than just his height: a review of Abraham Lincoln’s policies 
• The real truth behind Thanksgiving: why was it created? 
• Adolf Hitler and the Holocaust: a not so shocking tale of his prejudice 
• The never-ending cold war between Catholics and Protestants: how it all started
• Why slave trade should have been abolished before it even started
• Trump: analyzing why political leaders should steer clear of social media 
• Politicians and broken promises: a match made in heaven
• Is political correctness the perfect cure for all modern ailments? 
• The gun-slinging citizen: an analysis of the legalization of guns and fire-arms in the United States 
• Freedom of speech and what happens after you make your speech in today’s world
• How to deal with electoral loss: handy tips from the best losers
• Pro-life VS Pro-Choice: the never ending moral argument between conservatives and liberals 
• How to satisfy the United States’ healthcare needs
• Why the death penalty should have died many centuries ago

Marriage and Family 

• Being a cool parent in today’s world: everything you need to know
• Is married life really overrated? Asking for a single millennial
• The United States’ secret behind its high divorce and separation rates
• The perfect recipe for a peaceful divorce in today’s world 
• Should same-sex marriage be legal in every part of the world? 
• Saving for the kids’ college: the bane of every married couple 
• Big weddings or small weddings? The ultimate introvert-extrovert war
• Trying to have a tight family discussion: a how-to guide
• Should women walk on hot coals barefoot to please their fiancé’s parents? 
• Why the internet is the perfect place to seek relationship advice
• Why true love is as real as Santa Claus and Jack Frost
• All is fair in love and war: is it really? 
• What happens when you fall in love with two different people? 
• Why millenials should normalize leaving first dates immediately it becomes awkward 
• How to start a conversation on a first date without being awkward
• Cohabitation: ten lies you’d find on the internet in today’s world 
• Why dating sites should have existed in the 18th or 19th century 
• Finding love in the 21st century: are dating sites the modern version of arranged marriages? 
• How pickup lines determine the start of a strong modern relationship 
• Should there be an age limit on love between adults? 
• The slow yet sure eradication of chalkboards from modern classrooms
• Why dropping out of school is an under-rated decision for millenials 
• Are good grades a social construct created to frustrate students? 
• Why the social pyramid in high school exists and how to navigate it
• Dealing with bad grades: the ultimate guide to getting over a failed exam
• Should parents panic when their child drops out of school? 
• Why detention is a failed attempt at disciplining high school students 
• Online learning: has the pandemic done anything for school truants? 
• Why bullying and bullies should be eradicated from high school systems
• Should you be a wallflower or social butterfly in high school? 
• How television and social media slaughtered newspapers and buried them
• Does the media truly influence people’s lives and decisions in today’s world? 
• The Media and political leaders: who is a better liar? 
• Fake news: how to squash its occurrence in today’s media 
• Television vs social media: which one played a bigger role in COVID-19 sensitization? 
• Is Facebook a peeping Tom? How social media ruined everyone’s privacy
• Is the free press really free or is it being controlled by puppet strings? 
• Censorship vs free speech: what do millennials really need? 
• Scandals and brand wars: is there anything like bad publicity? 
• Why free publicity never works for brands and modern celebrities 
• How to become a millionaire without robbing a bank or grocery store
• Money can’t buy you happiness: the biggest lie ever told to mankind
• Why being broke can be the ultimate death sentence for anyone
• How to save money without literally starving to death in today’s world
• Why working hard does not necessarily translate to more money for you
• Should billionaires exist? Analyzing Jeff Bezos’ wealth and the plight of Amazon’s workers 
• Why financial books are a complete waste of money and valuable time
• The gender pay gap: how to close it in the 21st century
• Why does money have a therapeutic effect on most people? 
• Analyzing Robinhood’s lifestyle: is it okay to steal from the rich and give to the poor? 

Satire Essay Examples 

Still not sure how to write the perfect satire essay? Well, in this case, you can always refer to a well written satire essay example. Here are some satire essay examples that would definitely set you on the right track:

https://thecampanile.org/2019/10/23/satire-why-climate-change-is-fake/

https://manysmallvoices.wordpress.com/tag/satire/

Write a Satire Essay with HandMadeWriting

With these few tips and examples listed above, you can now go on to draft your very own satire essay. However, if you’d rather not go through the hassles of writing it yourself, you can hire HandMadeWriting essay writer services. 

With us, you are guaranteed a stellar, well-written satire essay that would definitely impress your teacher and audience. 

A life lesson in Romeo and Juliet taught by death

Due to human nature, we draw conclusions only when life gives us a lesson since the experience of others is not so effective and powerful. Therefore, when analyzing and sorting out common problems we face, we may trace a parallel with well-known book characters or real historical figures. Moreover, we often compare our situations with […]

Ethical Research Paper Topics

Writing a research paper on ethics is not an easy task, especially if you do not possess excellent writing skills and do not like to contemplate controversial questions. But an ethics course is obligatory in all higher education institutions, and students have to look for a way out and be creative. When you find an […]

Art Research Paper Topics

Students obtaining degrees in fine art and art & design programs most commonly need to write a paper on art topics. However, this subject is becoming more popular in educational institutions for expanding students’ horizons. Thus, both groups of receivers of education: those who are into arts and those who only get acquainted with art […]

It's Lit Teaching

High School English and TPT Seller Resources

• Creative Writing
• Teachers Pay Teachers Tips
• Shop My Teaching Resources!
• Sell on TPT

How to Teach Satire to High School Students

As English teachers, we love satire! What’s not to enjoy when you’re reading funny, witty literature? However, when it comes to teaching satire, it’s not always a bunch of laughs. Satire is a complicated concept that your students might struggle to understand. In this post, I hope to share some tips for teaching satire to your high school English students. 

Need a satire lesson NOW ? Grab my done-for-you Satire Introduction Lesson here.

Why Teach Satire?

Satire is a powerful tool for commentary, critique, and, most importantly, humor. Introducing high school students to the art of satire can be a rewarding, fun, and enlightening experience.

Cultivate Critical Thinking

Satire challenges students to think critically about the world around them. By analyzing satirical works, students learn to identify underlying issues, question societal norms, and understand the power of satire in bringing attention to important topics.

Enhance Language Skills

The study of satire hones language skills by requiring students to grasp subtle nuances, wordplay, and irony. By closely examining satirical texts, students improve their vocabulary and gain a deeper understanding of rhetorical devices.

Engage with Contemporary Issues

Satire is a timeless genre that adapts to reflect the concerns of each generation. Teaching satire allows students to connect with and comment on contemporary issues in a relatable and humorous manner.

Separate Fact from Fiction

More and more we’re seeing students unable to distinguish between real news and satire. Teaching students about satire directly will show them how to distinguish false stories from real ones. 

I can’t tell you how many times a student has come to me with an Onion news article believing it was 100% real. Teaching satire can help our students avoid tragedies like this.

Grab a FREE Copy of Must-Have Classroom Library Title!

Sign-up for a FREE copy of my must-have titles for your classroom library and regular updates to It’s Lit Teaching! Insiders get the scoop on new blog posts, teaching resources, and the occasional pep talk! 

Marketing Permissions

I just want to make sure you’re cool with the things I may send you!

By clicking below to submit this form, you acknowledge that the information you provide will be processed in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

You have successfully joined our subscriber list.

How to Teach Satire to High School Students Step #1: Definitions and Examples

Begin by defining satire and providing examples from various mediums such as literature, film, and cartoons. Help students understand the diverse ways in which satire can manifest.

Give students a broad overview of satire as a genre. 

It might help to discuss some modern-day examples. If you mention SNL , Family Guy , The Simpsons , or The Daily Show , your students are bound to have an “a-ha” moment. 

It’s important to emphasize to students that satire isn’t just humor–it’s being funny while critiquing society. 

How to Teach Satire to High School Students Step #2: Analyze Satirical Techniques

Break down satirical techniques, such as exaggeration, irony, parody, and sarcasm. Encourage students to identify these elements in different media examples and discuss their impact on the overall message.

Go through satirical techniques one by one and offer examples of each for students. 

YouTube clips can be especially helpful here. 

Combing YouTube for examples of satirical techniques can take hours–trust me on this. If you’d like to skip this step, you can grab my done-for-you Satire Introduction Lesson. 

One of the resources you’ll get In this lesson is a slideshow with a list of satirical techniques and links to pertinent examples. 

You can, however, take examples from any media. Political cartoons might be another great place to find short, quick examples of each technique. 

How to Teach Satire to High School Students Step #3: Examine a Longer Work

Once students have a foundational understanding of satire and satirical techniques, it’s time to put that knowledge into practice. 

Give students a longer, but easy-to-understand piece of satire to analyze. You don’t want this first big example to be too long, too complex, or require a lot of context to understand. 

In my Satire Introduction Lesson , I use Dr. Seuss’s “The Lorax.” The film Shrek is another great example if you have the time. 

These examples don’t require days of background building or high reading levels to understand. Students can jump right in and start looking for satirical techniques and the overall message. 

Ask students to identify as many techniques as they can and to try and find the criticism being made of society. 

How to Teach Satire to High School Students Step #4: Increase the Difficulty

Now that students have some practice under their belts, it’s time to let them analyze something even more difficult. 

Chances are, you wanted students to learn about satire because you had a longer work you wanted them to analyze. Now’s the time to introduce that text. 

“A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift is a classic satirical text that students could analyze next. Mark Twain and George Orwell are other classic authors whose works you can explore. 

If you’d rather students analyze images instead of or in addition to text, The National Archives and Records Administration put out this wonderful PDF . It’s full of political cartoons with some historical backgrounds and an explanation of the satire behind each. 

Whichever text you choose, be sure to prep students accordingly. Review the historical context of the text and frontload any necessary vocabulary. 

If students still struggle, you may want to consider letting them work in partners or groups. 

How to Teach Satire to High School Students Step #5: Have Students Create Their Own Satire

If you still have time in your satire unit, consider challenging students to create their own satirical work. 

Start by having students choose an aspect of society today to criticize. 

You can let them choose their medium–video, political cartoon, essay, etc.–or assign one to the class. 

Make the requirements very clear. Do they need to include one satirical technique? Or at least three? Does their political cartoon need to be inked or in color? 

Be sure to give your students a comprehensive rubric before they begin working. Then, enjoy the results!

You’ll want to also find a way for students to enjoy one another’s work whether you host a gallery or upload everyone’s work for all to enjoy. 

Teaching satire to high school English students is an enriching journey that goes beyond the confines of the classroom. By exploring the nuances of satire, students not only develop a deeper appreciation for literature but also cultivate critical thinking skills that will serve them well in navigating the complexities of the world. 

As educators, let us empower the next generation with the wit and wisdom that satire offers, encouraging them to engage thoughtfully and humorously with the world around them.

You can save time and tons of prep work by starting with this Satire Introduction Lesson . Inside, you’ll find an editable slideshow, a student handout, an exit ticket, and a graphic organizer for analyzing any satire. 

How to Write a Satire Essay

If you do not have the slightest idea of writing a sarcasm essay, study this full post to gain in-depth knowledge of what this educational task requires, how to begin, and finish it. Composing such a piece requires you to apply funniness to clarify particular issues. The essay can be complicated and hard to draft if you do not understand the basics.

The trick to crafting a high-quality piece is to employ humor to illustrate or explain controversial human problems or inadequacies on the subject matter.

Perhaps the extensively renowned satirical essays are expounded on political situations. An ideal instance of a practical satirical article is Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update. The information introduced is authentic, yet the truths are misrepresented and curved in a manner that conjures a comic disposition.

In some instances, a professor might not give a specific topic. However, monitoring existing subjects and occasions that cover a particular circumstance or theme can give you pointers on what to draft about. It’s hard to determine what news is satirical in a political setting. Therefore, you have to explore reliable data to support your claims.

Table of Contents

What is a Satire Essay?

A satire essay definition denotes a kind of writing whereby the theme is mocked. Literary devices such as hyperbole, imagery, sarcasm, and irony are used to make the article more vibrant and intriguing. While such a paper can have a word limit of 250, it can extend and cover several pages depending on the instructor.

Guidelines on How to Write a Good Satire Essay

“How do I compose an intriguing satire essay?” It is among the top queries that learners who are encountering this article for the first time ask. Although acing such a task is essential, the ideal way to make your essay attractive is to add humor and hyperbole. Some of the top satire essay guidelines that will ensure your work is top-notch include:

Comprehend your assignment. Before you start composing a satire essay, it’s critical to understand its essential prerequisites and rules.

Utilize the principal storyteller’s point of view. Storytelling works to create a vivid picture so that the professor understands quickly. It’s also a way to avoid miscommunication.

Write an outline of what you want to discuss and ensure you follow them keenly. It helps to stay focused on your writing.

Top 4 Tips for Writing a Satire Essay

If you do not know how to compose a satire essay worthy of a good grade, then you might create content that makes you come off as rude. To avoid that, here are some satire essay tips that can help you compose quality content.

Use ethos, logos, and pathos for each contention you present to convince the professor. Ethos advises individuals regarding their convictions and issue. Logos demonstrate to the group of spectators with certainties and insights. Tenderness brings out sentiments and suitable feelings to the topic: compassion, sympathy, trouble, etc.

You need to figure out how to utilize parody and incongruity in the most tolerant manner with no hostile comments. It ensures that you do not cause any offense.

• Counterclaims

Utilize counter contention to challenge and convince the reader. For starters, they will consider you an expert essayist since you present a goal analysis instead of adhering to just your assumptions. The counterclaim will assist you with looking at the issue from another point of view. Besides, it’s essential for you as an author to demonstrate why the counterclaim won’t work.

• Trustworthy sources

To compose a satire essay requires one to use credible sources that act as proof to support your arguments.

Experts Guidelines on How to Start a Satire Essay

Conceptualizing is a ground-breaking framework for finishing any scholarly task, and it’s instrumental in designing your satire essay. Try an air pocket outline. This primary and successful instrument empowers word relationships with reasonable topics to bring out numerous pertinent components and pick the best ones.

It will assist you in choosing how to move toward your task. After selecting a decent topic for your paper, build up a solid theory to grab readers’ eye, and come to your meaningful conclusion.

Expert Tips on How to End a Satire Essay

Keep in mind, composing a satirical essay can be enjoyable. It should mirror your genuine beliefs on the current issue. Much like intelligent essay writing, you have some innovative opportunity when composing a satire essay.

Make sure to back up your feelings with credible proof about the subject matter. That is the thing that makes it successful – joining actual solid facts with a turn that impacts readers to think a specific way. Sarcastic composing is exceptionally powerful and obstinate, so when perusing your last draft, ensure that you can feel a draw of influence.

An Excellent Satire Essay Outline

For the most part, in the satire essay format, it is critical to comprehend the assignment before you start composing the task. Have you been approached to caricature a specific topic or a particular zone of culture? To what extent should your essay be? Is there any specialized prerequisite that you have to know to finish your paper? What style ought to administer your configuration decisions? Do you have to compose things as an outsider looking in?

The Perfect Satire Essay Structure

Like any other piece of writing, this type of essay is not different. It follows the same structure to come up with a winning piece. An organized essay is classified into three portions. These are:

• The introduction;
• Conclusion.

The content for each section is discussed in the text below.

The Perfect Satire Essay Introduction

With regards to your essay’s introduction, ensure your opening sentences motivate the professor to read further. You may begin with a smart adventure or even a statement from a renowned person.

Concerning how to compose the first paragraph for a satire essay, give your perspective and a short explanation concerning why you chose that subject. Challenge the feelings of your group of spectators and encourage them to uncover their sentiments in this fragment.

Writing Your Satire Essay Body

Concerning your satire essay structure, the body utilizes the ELP strategy. What is the ELP procedure? The condensing’s represent ethos, logos, and pathos:

• Ethos: This is where the issue is characterized, and the importance is explained to one’s crowd utilizing satirical elements like mockery to uncover shortcomings, for example, lip service. In this segment, you also need to portray your thinking and discover your perspective towards the current issue.
• Logos: This is the part of your essay where you have to give your readers genuine proof. Parodies are intended for people; however, this joke must be joined by precise data. In this way, in this area, you have to present the subsequent contention and afterward back it up with facts.
• Pathos: Emotions with regards to these sorts of essays, are viewed as fundamental. In the third paragraph, try to deliver content that will make anyone giggle hard.

The Perfect Satire Essay Conclusion

This section of your essay repeats your hypotheses and afterward thinks of a sensible clarification to the contention.

Order Your Satire Essay Today!

From picking a topic, choosing things that appear to be absurd, composing the essay, and writing this essay can be overpowering. In such scenarios, we are here to help. Our academic essay writers can assist you at any phase in the composing procedure, regardless of whether it is conceptualizing thoughts or composing a custom satirical essay based on a specific topic. To get a high-quality essay that improves academic performance, get in touch with us today!

• How it works
• Top Writers
• TOP Writers

How To Write A Satire Essay

This article will guide you on how to write a satire essay in detail and will explain what a satire essay is as well as show you some examples. The text uses satire to make you understand its main objective. Assignments on this topic are known to be the most challenging for most students. In these kinds of essays, students need to show their expertise in content and subject area. Similarly, they should use humor to point absurdities found in our real-life situations . Although satire essays are full of humor, there are those without or minimal instances of humor. Most of them are expressed in a serious tone which shows that readers should take them seriously.

There are advantages of writing these kinds of essays more so to those individuals wishing to master the art of writing. Once you have learned how to infuse irony, humor, and hyperbole, you will discover them not only being fun but also easy to write.

• Learning your Task

It’s crucial for you to understand every aspect of your writing assignment. You should be in a position to point out the following:

If your homework intends to satirize a given cultural topic

• The length of the essay

Our formatting guide will help you select the right format to use while writing your assignment. You might be in a dilemma not knowing whether to write your paper in first, second or third person point of view. For those who have never read satire essays before, you should consider reading the work of Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal who is well known for these types of pieces. If you are wondering where to find them, then consider the site “The Onion” which usually deals with the topics in politics.

While writing your assignment, incorporating satire enables you to write the essay in a first person’s point of view. This makes you point out issues in the society especially those concerning society and culture. Using an example where this article points women’s demeaning which is being explained by Trump’s Hollywood tapes leaked information (“Satire Essay,” 2019). Meme proposing that female gender should not oppose what amen say suggest that they are annoyed by his utterances. This is clearly shown through the work of E.L. James’s Fifty Shades of Gray showing a romantic relationship between female and male where the male is in total control and the woman is expected to submit to him.

Topics of Satire Essay

When writing a satire essay on any topics, it’s good to point out the significant events of culture and politics. The most common ideas you should consider while writing:

• Border Walls
• Hillary Clinton
• Donald Trump
• Barack Obama
• Immigration reform

A list of satirical topics is endless and if you are unsure of what to select contact our support team who are ready to help you any time.

Brainstorming of Any Satirical Essay

Any good essay writing process begins with brainstorming. Brainstorming is a useful tool for all essay writers that plays a significant role even in writing a satirical essay (“Satire Essay,” 2019). While there are familiar writing outlines employed in the initial stages of planning, there are other methods that work perfectly well when it comes to satire writing tasks. One of the tools that are commonly used and we like most is the use of a bubble map. A bubble map is a simple tool that would be used starting from elementary schools onwards. The tool associates words in line with your topic of interest. For instance, if you decide to write a bubble map for any prominent figure in the society say, Donald Trump, you will diversify and use words like businessman, father, married, adulterer, divorced, New York City, orange, billionaire, bombastic, real estate, and home alone.

You can see from the above bubble map how those words bring out elements that are associated with Donald Trump. When it comes to descriptive essays on a dog, there would be some words in the middle like the name of that given dog (“Satire Essay,” 2019). When using the bubble map, you should be aware that the words you choose should not be your own words you decide to use while writing your essay. The words used should aid in exposing an issue and further directs on the ways of approaching it satirically.

Thesis Statements in Satire Essays

After deciding on the right topic, you should then come up with a good thesis statement for your essay. You may be wondering what a thesis statement is. Thesis Statement is merely a road map of your piece that is always one or two sentences. It helps your readers understand the primary objective of your essay. Regardless of your essay type, the structure of your thesis statement always remains the same except in satire essay where it differs slightly. In satire essays, it is different unlike situations when one is proposing a real idea.

Below are some examples of Thesis Statements:

To ensure the safety of your jewelry, you need to be conspicuous on it, ensure valuable jewelry is stored in a vault or deposit box that is safe, also, do not travel with excessive jewelry than (Author: Kim Kardashian-West)

Having a successful marriage is extremely simple: you have to identify your second wife while married to your first wife and have more children with her before you get married. (Author: Brad Pitt)

From the above examples, it is clear that the most satirical element in the essay is the individual writing it. Also, the target audience can be part of the satire. When Jimmy Carter wrote to Trump a letter informing him not to worry of offending women is satirical in a way since both Jimmy and Trump are respected figures in the United States of America.  The case of Bill Clinton is writing a letter to Barrack Obama to guide him on how to be a good husband while in the White House is Irony in itself. This is because Obama is well known for his excellence in family matters and he is perceived to be an excellent husband too. On the other hand, Bill had a lousy legacy as he had an affair outside marriage while in office. Finally, criticisms of Maddona of Lady Gaga of publicity or even Peter Rose Criticizing Tom utilize all aspects of double-satire.

Resources for Satirical Essays

A wide range of satirical essays is based on events happening in the current century. Though citing them directly may not be compulsory at the moment, it is essential for you to know the real facts and issues that are associated with a given situation (“Satire Essay,” 2019). It is even ironical for you to identify the satiric news sites. In this modern time, this would be much more difficult to notice concerning political context. To avoid all these troubles, you need to be careful while selecting your topic and ensure your sources are unbiased and academically reliable.

It can be difficult finding a reliable source for your essay. To be sure you have the right sources, use the sources that are not more than three years old and from reputable publishers like newspapers, magazines, and .com and .org websites. However, you are free to use sources for more than three years old, but you should inform your readers of any change of information in the concerned period.

Additionally, you might have been discouraged to use sources like Wikipedia, Britannica, and Encyclopedia while doing your writing assignments. The advice is good as these sources are not regarded as reliable sources in the scholarly world. However, do not allow the ban to prevent you from using the references (“Satire Essay,” 2019). They can give an excellent overview of your topic and give you resources you can research for further information.  Google scholar is another great search engine that gives you an opportunity to limit the kind of resources you want to look at. With the above search engine, you can find either academic or scholarly articles and would support you in finding the best academic and scholarly writing.

Other generic sites like CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC are also good sources of information while writing satire essays. Also, you can make use of other local and major networks as they are good sources of news. The above news channels have programs that are not sources but are both social and political commentary. While using these shows, you need to be careful as they sometimes present information to the readers in a biased way or give unreliable information. As you write be aware of possible biased information especially when selecting your sources.

Citing your Sources

If you decide to incorporate all your resources in your satirical essay, you will have to cite all academic sources to back-up any claim you make on certain political styles. If your essay is based on actual dates, rare facts, and figures, you need to cite all your sources. In such cases, you will be directed on the formats to use, or you will have to decide on your own . The most commonly used academic citation styles for undergraduate students are the American Psychology Association (APA), modern language association (MLA), and Turabian or Chicago. Unless in your assignment there are clear instructions on the type of format to use, go for the writing style you understand best.

Examples of Satire Essays

As a student, it’s easy for you to digest a concept if you are given an example. Thus, our model will not only help you understand how you can write an amazing satirical essay but will also help you master how you can format your essays correctly. On our site, you will get an excellent satirical essay. Just fill in the order form.

We hope that after reading our article on satire and using our provided examples, you will be more confident than before to confront any satire essay throughout your academic journey. Even after reading our article and examples you might still encounter challenges right from topic selection to completing your essay . Remember Tutoriage writing service is here for you. We have a complete team of tutors ready to help you in any challenge you encounter in your writing process from topic selection to writing a flawless piece. To get more insight, go to our website.

If there’s any genre of literature designed to make fun of humankind, it’s satire. In both prose and poetry, writers have employed satirical techniques as far back as Ancient Egypt, utilizing the conventions and elements of satire to write about our follies.

Satire writing has become more popular in recent years. This is partially due to the internet: greater access to information has given writers more follies to satirize. It also helps that satirical publications, like The Onion and Reductress , have amplified satires about the modern day.

While headlines like “ Overly Cautious Pregnant Woman Only Going To Ride Roller Coaster 6 Or 7 Times ” seem silly and unsophisticated, there’s actually a fine art to satire that many readers and writers overlook. This article covers the basics of how to write satire: the different types of satire, the various elements of satire, and different satirical techniques essential to the form. Along the way, we’ll analyze those elements and techniques through some satire examples.

But first, what is satire? It’s important to understand both what it is and what it isn’t . Let’s define satire accordingly.

Satire Definition: What is Satire?

Satire is the art of mocking human follies or vices, with the intent of correcting or criticizing those shortcomings of human nature. It is, quite simply, a tasteful means of ridiculing human behaviors, institutions, and politics.

Satire definition: the art of mocking human follies or vices, with the intent of correcting or criticizing those shortcomings of human nature.

Now, satire isn’t just senseless ribbing. Writing about something with sarcasm, irony, or condescension doesn’t make something satirical. Nor does it count if you simply make fun of something: an essay that laughs at arson victims, for example, would just be cruelty.

Rather, satire must criticize a specific action, belief, or institution. It must poke holes in the logic of those actions, beliefs, or institutions, without ever explicitly stating the humor. Finally, it must showcase this flawed logic with the intent of creating awareness and inciting change.

Let’s use an Onion article as an example. Read this brief story: “Mark Zuckerberg Asks Hawaiian Neighbor To Cut Down Unsightly, Overgrown Rainforest”

The title alone makes for a great bit of satire, but let’s break down what the article is doing.

• Realistic fiction: For starters, this never happened—but it sounds like something that would.
• Ironic use of “lack of respect”:   Zuckerberg finds the forest’s presence to be disrespectful, though his request to disrupt the natural land is far more disrespectful.
• Hyperbolic language: Phrases like “unkempt biome” and “obnoxious waterfall” are hyperbolic and unusual, signifying the comedy of the article.
• Scornful Tone: The writer of the article clearly expresses a scornful, satirical tone.
• Subtlety: The article never says “Mark Zuckerberg is a bad person.” But it does quote him as calling native Hawaiians “disgusting nuisances,” using a word play device called “paraprosdokian.”
• Logical extremes: The idea behind this article is that a billionaire is making unreasonable, hurtful demands to satisfy his own comforts. This article takes that idea to a logical extreme.
• Juxtaposition of incongruous features: There’s no HOA for Hawaiian rainforests. The inclusion of this detail satirizes the bureaucracy that wealthy people use to their advantage: if there was a rainforest HOA, it would certainly come to Zuckerberg’s benefit.

We’ll examine these elements of satire more closely in a moment. For now, take note that all of these elements—irony, juxtaposition, hyperbole, etc.—are working together in this short but highly effective article.

Elements of Satire

Whether you’re writing Juvenalian satire or Horatian satire (terms we’ll define in a bit), the following elements are useful to writing satirical works. You’ll notice some of these elements working in both the above article and the satire examples we include later on.

• Realism: A work of satire must sound like it could actually happen in the real world. Now, this isn’t always easy, especially if your essay is about a politician condoning the consumption of newborns. What’s important is that satire does not draw attention to its own farce . The story must ostensibly treat its subject matter seriously, even when it uses literary devices in jest.
• Irony :  Irony is when the opposite of what’s expected actually occurs. It is a contrast between “what seems to be” and “what is,” surprising and provoking the reader. Irony is pivotal to satire, as it allows the story to seem realistic while being hyperbolic, while also amusing the reader or challenging a certain assumption the reader has made.
• Hyperbole: Hyperbole is language that is incommensurate with the thing being described. For example, let’s say you walk outside on a hot July day, and you say “it’s a million degrees outside!” Hyperbolic language often makes for great satire writing. Note that “understatement” is an effective form of hyperbole as well.
• Tone: Tone refers to the author’s attitude towards a certain topic. Because the intent of satire is to criticize or make fun of something, the tone of a satire piece might be ironic, sarcastic, mocking, critical, or simply satirical.
• Subtlety: Satire writers need to strike a fine balance between realism and absurdism. The story should seem possible in the real world, but it should also lean into comedy and farce without explicitly stating the thing that’s being satirized .
• Logical Extremes: A logical extreme is when an idea or argument is amplified to a hyperbolic, but still possible, conclusion. Let’s take the argument “Cats are evil.” A logical extreme of this would be “ Kitten Thinks Of Nothing But Murder All Day .”
• Juxtaposition of Incongruous Features: Juxtaposition refers to the close placement of two related objects in text. In satire, writers will juxtapose incongruous features—items which don’t belong next to each other, but are written about as though they do. An example of this would be “ Geologists Find Historical Record of Last 3 Million Years in Woman’s Makeup Brushes .”

It is important to recognize that satire is all about imitation . The story seems like something that could or has happened in the real world, with only slight adjustments to make the story farcical or hyperbolic. These changes—these juxtapositions, hyperboles, and logical extremes—amount to a subtle, yet evocative, critique of the satire’s subject.

Works of imitation are often satire. Parody, for example, is a satirical imitation of another work of art, literature, or media. Similar to parody is the burlesque, which treats a serious work of art as something caricatured and risible. Slapstick, finally, can be satirical, especially when the characters of a slapstick comedy are public figures that the author views as unintelligent.

Pay attention to these elements at play in the satire examples we share throughout this article.

Satire vs. Parody

Because works of parody are intended to mock, riff, or imitate other works of art, parody is often confused with satire. Although parody can produce satire, there are a few key differences between the two.

Parody is always the comical imitation of a certain style or genre. One example of this is Don Quixote, a novel which parodies the romance novels of 17th century Spain. Another example is Candide . Candide is ostensibly a work of satire, but it uses parodies of the romance and adventure novel—for example, the picaresque and the bildungsroman—to construct this satire.

In media, parody is a huge aspect of Saturday Night Live skits. 1-800-Flowers , for example, is a parody of flower commercials on television.

Satire is much more complex than parody.

Satire is much more complex than parody: for one, it is much subtler than the parody, and for another, it specifically criticizes an idea, argument, or person. Parodies can make fun of certain styles or conventions without attacking a particular person or idea—though a parody can also be critical.

In short, parody is a work of imitative art that can stand on its own, or it can contribute to the development of a work of satire, but it is not the same as satire itself.

Satire vs. Sarcasm

A similar dilemma emerges with satire vs. sarcasm: they seem the same, but one is actually an element of the other.

Sarcasm is the use of ironic language to poke fun at another person’s faults. It is verbal irony with the intent of making fun. Let’s say you drop your phone and the screen cracks. Your sarcastic friend (or enemy!) might say “That was so graceful,” implying that what you did was the opposite of graceful.

Sarcasm, thus, is one of the elements of satire. A work of satire might have a sarcastic tone, employ sarcastic description, or rely heavily on inverted language.

People often employ the adjectives “satirical” and “sarcastic” as if they’re synonyms. They are, but they mean slightly different things. “Sarcastic” means “using wit and irony to hurt someone,” whereas “satirical” means “using wit and irony to expose or criticize human folly.”

Satire in Poems

Although most satire examples you’ll find are works of prose, you can also find satire in poems. Satirical poetry relies on the same techniques as works of prose do, but because the poem is constrained by poetry form , the poet must be much more discerning about which elements of satire to include in the poem.

Classical poets such as Dryden, Swift, and Shelley employed satire in poems, but let’s look at an example from the modern day: Read “Thank You For Waiting” by Simon Armitage .

The satire is readily apparent in this poem. The format riffs off of the language that airlines use to board their passengers. By taking this language to its logical extreme, the poem effectively satirizes the artificial class divisions perpetuated by airlines, corporations, and other wealthy, capitalist institutions.

What are the two types of satire?

What are the two types of satire? Literary theorists organize works of satire into two categories: Horatian and Juvenalian. These categories come from the names Horace and Juvenal, two poets of Ancient Rome.

Horatian satire is a typically lighthearted work that pokes fun at mankind’s follies. It is not caustic or overly critical. Rather, it laughs at the failings of mankind with a certain amount of sympathy, telling the truth about our imperfections with a smile.

By contrast, Juvenalian satire is much angrier, and is written with the intent of criticizing and condemning a certain person or institution that the satirist views as evil. These pieces of satire usually confront social and political issues.

There exists a third and less frequently discussed form of satire called the Menippean satire. This type satirizes certain ways of thinking, rather than particular individuals or groups. It tends to be a novel-length work that focuses on societal norms, often including philosophical discussions. Named after an Ancient Greek satirist, a contemporary Menippean satire might poke fun at, for example, altered states of consciousness ( Alice in Wonderland ).

The Menippean satire has its own history and genre conventions which are beyond the scope of this article. To learn more about those conventions, start here .

In the meantime, let’s look at some Horatian satire examples and Juvenalian satire examples.

Horatian Satire Examples

The Horatian satire is the most lighthearted form of satire. As such, these works of literature and journalism are intended to make you laugh—but that doesn’t mean a Horatian satire cannot also be thought-provoking.

Here are a few examples from literature:

1. Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift

Gulliver’s Travels is a novel that satirizes the “travelers’ tale,” a subgenre of literature that was especially popular during the ages of exploration. In the novel, Lemuel Gulliver’s travels take him to a land of tiny people (Lilliput), a land of giants (Brobdingnag), a floating island of the arts (Laputa), and a land of talking horses (the Houyhnhnms).

Throughout these travels, Gulliver often compares the societies and governments of the people he meets with that of 18th century Europe. Each land has its own problems, taken to logical extremes. The Houyhnhnms, for example, are honest and upright people who don’t have a word for lying. (Their name is an onomatopoeia for the sounds horses make.) Yet, they’re happy to suppress Gulliver’s status as an outsider to the local humans (the Yahoos), indicating that they believe silence is better than lying.

Additionally, the character Gulliver is rather easily misled and rarely employs critical thinking. As a result, his outlook on humanity becomes more and more depressing as the story progresses, because he becomes aware of the flaws in each of these societies and comes to believe that all men are the same, rather than recognizing the nuances in human civilization and psychology.

As a result, each element of the story is carefully crafted satire. It’s Horatian satire because many of the situations are intended to make readers laugh, such as the Brobdingnag giants crafting a tiny house that they can carry Gulliver around in. Nonetheless, the novel prompts readers to examine the ways they react to different cultures and lived experiences, as well as coming to terms with the fact that there is no ideal government.

2. The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales is noteworthy for a number of reasons, namely that it popularized the use of English vernacular in literature (when, previously, English was seen as a commoner’s language, and literature was written in Latin or French). Partially written in prose and partially written in verse, The Canterbury Tales provides an interesting window into culture and society during the turn of the 15th century.

It is also, when closely examined, a work of satire on the peoples of England.

The Canterbury Tales revolves around a group of pilgrims regaling each other with stories of their lived experiences. Those experiences range widely: characters include a friar, a knight, two nuns, a shipman, a physician, a cook, a pardoner, and many more. Each person’s tale is inevitably informed by their class and social standing. As a result, their stories end up being satires on the lived experiences they represent and, more broadly, satirize elements of medieval society as a whole.

For example, the Nun’s Tale satirizes “courtly love,” a literary genre (and true-to-life representation) of what relationships looked like among the ruling elite. The Nun’s Tale takes place in a barnyard, not in the high courts, which makes a mockery of the acts of chivalry described by the Nun.

The 15th century was a time of great social upheaval for Europe, particularly England, where the emergence of a merchant class and a (non-religious) intellectual class spawned new ideas about the structure of society. The Canterbury Tales capitalizes on these changes by satirizing the societies and psychologies of people in each class.

3. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court is most frequently heralded as one of the first time travel novels. Apart from this, it is also a hilarious Horatian satire on the values of medieval Feudalism.

In the novel, Hank Morgan, an engineer from Connecticut, inadvertently travels to 6th century England after being struck in the head. Hank convinces the people of his “magical powers” by telling them about the future. Doing this, he gains power in King Arthur’s course and tries to bring modernity to the 500s. This results in a satire of the values and institutions in both medieval society and 19th century America.

For example, Merlin creates a veil of invisibility, which Sir Sagramor wears in a duel against Hank. Hank pretends that he can’t actually see Sir Sagramor, satirizing the superstitions about magic, as well as the institution of chivalry, prominent in medieval England.

Through the juxtaposition of incongruous societies, Mark Twain pokes fun at human society 1300 years before Twain’s time, while also demonstrating parallels between people then and now.

For contemporary satirical journalism, The Onion and Reductress are both generally examples of Horatian satire, though both are occasionally Juvenalian.

Juvenalian Satire Examples

While Juvenalian satire can certainly make readers laugh, the intent is to ridicule the actions and philosophies of certain societies and institutions. As such, the following Juvenalian satire examples often bear resemblance to the politics of their times, taking political philosophies to their logical extremes.

1. “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift

“A Modest Proposal” is quintessential Juvenalian satire. Written in 1729, the essay satirizes British policy concerning Ireland, as Britain’s occupation of the Irish state routinely caused famine and strife. The essay was originally published under the title “A Modest Proposal For Preventing the Children of Poor People From Being a Burthen to Their Parents or Country, and For Making Them Beneficial to the Publick.”

The essay’s satire is effective precisely because of its shock value. Swift first describes the plight of Ireland, particularly the suffering of its many beggars and hungry citizens. Then, without warning, Swift’s essay pivots to the nutritional value of eating 1 year old babies (a juxtaposition of incongruous features, and an argument taken to its logical extreme).

Much of the essay is then devoted to the logic behind eating infants: the many ways they can be cooked, the financial benefits, and how it will resolve other issues like murder and taxation. The essay amounts to an argument that is almost convincing. If the reader doesn’t think about the morality of eating children, the satire is almost actually effective in proposing that the consumption of infants is pragmatic policymaking.

Nonetheless, the reader comes to sympathize with the Irish and hate the narrator of the essay, effectively undermining the policymaking decisions of 18th century Britain. Because this essay is criticizing British policymakers and their treatment of the Irish people, there is no doubt that the caustic tone of this piece makes it Juvenalian satire.

You can read “A Modest Proposal” for yourself at Project Gutenberg .

2. Animal Farm by George Orwell

Animal Farm is a Juvenalian satire that retells the establishment of the Soviet Union with farm animals in place of political leaders. As such, it adapts the form of the fable into a satirical novella about Trotsky, Lenin, Stalin, and the dramas that unfolded with the overthrow of the Russian monarchy.

Animal Farm begins on an old, dilapidated farm, run by the careless taker Mr. Jones, who represents the monarchy. The pigs band together around the wisdom of Old Major, an elderly pig who represents Lenin, as well as Karl Marx and his teachings. Inspired by the prospect of freedom from Mr. Jones, the animals revolt and claim the farm for themselves.

Much like the beginnings of the Soviet Union, the newly run Animal Farm begins in prosperity. The animals work to modernize the farm and make it self-sustaining, able to nurture all of the animals equally.

Before long, however, some of the farm’s leaders begin to grapple for power. Snowball, who represents Trotsky, tries to maintain the ideals of equality and progress espoused by Old Major (a philosophy called Animalism in the book). Napoleon, who represents Stalin, wants to seize power for himself. To do this, he uses a pig called Squealer, who represents Molotov, the Soviet Union’s head of propaganda. Squealer convinces the farm animals that Snowball is conspiring against the farm, even though it’s really Napoleon who’s conspiring.

The novella then follows how Napoleon abuses the language of progress to satisfy his own needs, hoarding wealth from the farm animals he claims to represent.

What makes this a work of Juvenalian satire? For one, it’s no subtle insult that the leaders of the Soviet Union are represented by pigs. But the work’s satire comes from its farcical resemblance to Europe’s political situation in the first half of the 20th century. Orwell takes Soviet propaganda to its logical extreme, showing how easy it is to manipulate an entire farm (or country!) through the manipulation of words and ideas.

3. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Another work of mid-century satire, Brave New World satirizes the ideal utopian society, presenting a world in which everyone is happy and nothing has meaning. In the novel, people are artificially manufactured and born into a certain social class, based on the intelligence and strength they are bestowed upon their manufacturing.

The novel primarily follows Bernard Marx, a high class citizen who starts to question the social structures of the utopia. The society functions in large part due to Soma, a drug that manufactures happiness and is frequently taken by all citizens of the world. Soma allows people to be satisfied with their place in society, so nobody questions the flaws in this apparent utopia—except for Bernard, who doesn’t consume the drug, as well as Bernard’s friend Helmholtz, a writer who struggles to write when he can’t experience his own suffering.

The novel follows Bernard’s reckoning with society, including his witnessing the lives of Native Americans who don’t live in the modern world, and what happens when those Native Americans, who don’t live a manufactured life, find themselves in the manufactured realities of the “utopia.”

What makes this a piece of satire is the extension of social ideals to their logical extremes. For example, the people in Brave New World are sexually liberated, in part because the society has controlled for the possibilities of pregnancy and STIs. When John, a Native, falls in love with Lenina Crowne, he ends up committing suicide because he can’t support her sexual freedom, suggesting there’s a certain loss of humanity that comes from this liberation.

Another example is a satire of contemporary media. Before John commits suicide, he exiles himself to a lighthouse, where he self-flagellates in the hopes of purifying himself of modern civilization. What he doesn’t know is that he is secretly being filmed. When that film is released, all of society zeroes in on John and his strange behavior. This spectacle resembles, in large part, our contemporary lust for information, to the point that we invade each others’ privacy. Huxley wrote this novel far before the advent of social media, but now that we’re constantly filming each other for fame and spectacle, how far off was he?

How to Write Satire

How did the great satirists of history pull off such effective works of literature? In addition to having savage wits and keen eyes for politics, satire writers followed a few strict rules. Here’s how to write a satire in 5 steps.

1. How to Write Satire: Familiarize yourself with satirical techniques

Satire is a difficult genre to pick up, which makes it essential to read like a writer . Read the satire examples we included in this article, and analyze how the following satirical techniques are employed:

• Logical Extremes
• Juxtaposition of Incongruous Features

These elements of satire, when employed strategically, combine to make effective, poignant, and gut-busting stories.

2. How to Write Satire: Begin with a topic or issue you’d like to satirize

Satire can criticize both local issues and global ones. The Canterbury Tales satirizes the stories and personalities prominent in medieval England; conversely, Brave New World criticizes the Western view of utopia and the direction of global society.

Regardless of what issue you choose, do your research. It’s important to understand the arguments for and against a certain issue, and the logic and reasoning behind those arguments. That way, you can take those arguments to their logical extremes, undermining the rhetorical strategies used in favor of the issue you’re against.

For example, let’s say you wanted to write a piece of satire on removing the penny from U.S. circulation. An argument in favor of this is that it could curb inflation. You could then take this argument to its logical extreme. Imagine a country in which we made every coin out of pure gold, and everyone starts fighting with each other for change? Or, imagine a country in which the lowest monetary denomination is the $10 bill, and, again, everyone starts fighting with each other for change?

3. How to Write Satire: Build a narrative

Once you have a topic and a stance on that topic, build a story around the argument you’re trying to undermine.

This is where the art of storytelling , and elements like character, plot, and setting, can prove extremely useful. For example, read this brief Horatian satire from The Onion: ‘ This City. These People. All Sheep, And I Am Their Shepherd,’ Says Eric Adams, Looking Out Over New York .”

NEW YORK—Clasping his hands behind his back and looking out over Manhattan’s iconic skyline, New York mayor Eric Adams was reported to have said, “This city. These people. All sheep, and I am their shepherd,” as he launched into a monologue Wednesday. “I and I alone am the line between order and chaos, guiding toward the light these confused, woeful masses who wander in darkness,” said Adams, who reportedly cast his gaze on the citizens below and contemplated how fortunate they were to have a place in the palm of his merciful hand. “Without me, without my power and my will, each of these 8 million souls would be condemned to a wretched life and death amidst a twisted, seething cesspool of humanity. As they cling to a crumbling precipice, they reach out, in their desperation, to the one man whose whims control their destiny: to me, to their protector, to New York’s greatest benefactor, to Eric Adams!” At press time, sources reported Adam had retired for the night to his apartment in New Jersey.

If you know anything about New Yorkers, you know we always hate the mayor. Let’s deconstruct what this piece is doing:

The issue: At the time of this article’s publication, Adams has been NYC mayor for just over 4 months. In that time, he’s had a formidable media presence, but he often sounds a bit self-aggrandizing when he talks about the city and the role he’s going to play in running it. In a recent video message, he’s quoted saying “I will not stop until the peace we deserve becomes the reality we experience.” The issue is that the mayor might be all words, no action—especially when those words are already overwrought.

The satire : This article amps up the melodrama, taking Adams’ speech to a logical extreme. The parody of his melodrama builds Adams up to be a god-like figure, as he is the difference between “order and chaos,” between “life and death.” He is even “the one man whose whims control [New York City’s] destiny.”

The storytelling: This article makes a sort of caricature of Adams. A caricature is a type of characterization in which the character is one dimensional and distorted for the audience’s pleasure. The story, here, is that Adams went off on a monologue before retiring to his non-NYC apartment, making the story’s structure a satire for his administration: all talk, no action.

4. How to Write Satire: Surprise the reader

All works of satire have an element of surprise. The reader shouldn’t be able to expect where the story goes, otherwise it’s not doing a good job of delighting and provoking the reader. As such, your satire should have a twist, even if that twist doesn’t occur until the final sentence.

Pay attention to the twists in the above satire examples. In “A Modest Proposal,” the twist is the proposal itself: that the solution to Ireland’s poverty is to cook and consume 1 year olds. In The Onion article about Eric Adams, the twist is that he goes home to New Jersey.

The twist should both surprise the reader and advance a certain satirical argument. Whatever you do, be clear about what you’re mocking and criticizing, because this will inform what your twist is and help you stick the landing.

5. How to Write Satire: Edit for clarity and laughs

Can you make your story more ironic, hyperbolic, or realistic? Are you juxtaposing unalike items in clever ways? Is it clear who or what your satire is criticizing? Ask yourself these questions as you edit your piece: the goal is to distort reality just enough that the reader knows this is satire, but to still be hyperbolic and ironic, even if the work is more Juvenalian than Horatian.

Learn How to Write Satire at Writers.com

Ready to laugh at the world? The instructors at Writers.com are eager to help you polish your works of satire. Take a look at our upcoming writing courses , and write satirical stories and books alongside our award-winning instructors .

Sean Glatch

Excellent presentation, Sean. It gave me some structural ideas for a collection of poems and epistles in the vein of Horace and Juvenal. I’ve previously published a parody of Voltaire’s Candide. My story is called: The Alchemy of Happiness. ( which is the title of a book by a Muslim scholar from the 10th century.

This article was very informative. Never before did I realize how this kind of literary work employed so many advanced literature concepts. I have never had to call to action this many skills for one satirical essay. I am definitely using different parts of my brain.

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

• Essay Topic Generator
• Summary Generator
• Thesis Maker Academic
• Sentence Rephraser
• Read My Paper
• Hypothesis Generator
• Cover Page Generator
• Text Compactor
• Essay Scrambler
• Essay Plagiarism Checker
• Hook Generator
• AI Writing Checker
• Notes Maker
• Overnight Essay Writing
• Topic Ideas
• Writing Tips
• Essay Writing (by Genre)
• Essay Writing (by Topic)

Writing a Satire Essay: Guide and Examples

Satire has many forms that can be used to write works practically about any topic. Knowing where to start can be tricky if you have never encountered similar tasks at school before. But there’s no need to worry! Our team has developed this helpful guide for such an occasion. We will explain the basics of satirical essays and provide valuable tips on making them.

This article will also provide plenty of topic ideas on popular themes to make your work less stressful. You’ll also get to check out several satire essay examples that can serve as an inspiration for your work. Use our guide to make your paper come out great!

😁 The Basics of Satirical Essays

🔎 types of satire, 📝 writing a satire essay.

• 💡 Best Satirical Topics
• 🤩 Satire Essay Examples

📎 References

The American historian Barbara W. Tuchman states, “Satire is a wrapping of exaggeration around a core of reality.” This quote perfectly describes this exciting and controversial genre. But what is the definition of satire anyway? It’s the art of making something ridiculous, laughable, or discrediting. Satire is one of the oldest literary genres, dating back to Ancient Greece and the rhetorician Quintallian . It has different types, but their purpose is largely the same.

You can use satire to make fun of political ideologies, excessive militarism, or the pitfalls of modern society.

That’s precisely what many authors like George Orwell, Terry Pratchett, Joseph Heller, and Jaroslaw Hasek did in their works. They give a funhouse mirror look at real or fictional concepts and, sometimes, a mix of both.

Every essay type has an essential role, and this one is no exception. A satire essay serves the same purpose as its larger counterparts. It lets you poke fun or criticize things you find absurd. A paper can ridicule anything from the agony of bureaucratic procedures and nonsensical laws to the media climate and pop culture scene. It allows you to voice your opinion on these matters in a lighthearted and fun way.

Essentially, you can use three types of satire in your essays. Check them out before approaching a new piece of writing. This way, you’ll better select the most suitable for your subject and writing style .

Writing a satirical essay has much in common with other examples of this genre. You need an introduction, body paragraphs , and a conclusion. This section outlines the steps that will help you in this process. Read on to learn how to perfect your satire essay!

• Step 1 : Select a topic. Find a subject that’s preferably already ridiculous or ironic. Your goal is to make it look even more exaggerated. Political c artoons are an excellent place to find a suitable theme for your essay.
• Step 2 : Make your point through a hyperbole. Keep in mind that a hyperbolizing doesn’t necessarily mean lying. Instead, exaggerate the facts to highlight how absurd they are. For example, you can talk about how Norway’s economy is thriving thanks to the sheer amount of salmon they consume yearly.
• Step 3 : Present your ideas through irony . This literary device uses words and phrases to tell the opposite of what they mean. It allows you to show a disconnect between someone’s expectations and what happens in reality.
• Step 4 : Make it humorous. Keeping up a light tone can be challenging. But you should still do your best, as humor is a great way to get people to side with you and accept your position on an issue. It can win people over faster than weighted and meticulously explained opinions.

💡 Best Satirical Topics for an Essay

A satirical essay can be about any theme you like, from literary works to global events. To keep you from losing your head in this sea of possibilities, we’ve decided to present some of the funniest and most engaging topics for your writings.

But before we get started, here are some ideas on how you can come up with a cool satirical topic for your paper:

✅ Personal Experiences. Reflect on the moments from your life that struck you as odd or downright hilarious. Maybe it’s when you mistook a raccoon for your neighbor’s cat. Funny experiences often harbor unique insights that, when shared, can resonate with others due to their unexpected humor.

✅ Social Norms and Expectations . Explore instances when societal norms clash with reality. Let’s imagine your coworkers dressed in regular clothes to work while you and your friend dressed in Halloween outfits. By dissecting these contradictions, you can craft a story that entertains and subtly challenges societal norms.

✅ Current Events and Trends . Take a satirical lens to recent happenings, whether it’s an obsession with a new TikTok trend or an outfit from Rihanna or Doja Cat that other influencers are rushing to copy. Amplify the absurdity of these events to highlight their often-overlooked humorous side while satirizing the public’s reactions surrounding them.

✅ Everyday Life Observations . Delve into the nuances of daily life that typically go unnoticed. It could be the funny habits of your soulmate or people’s behavior on public transportation or elevators. By magnifying these quirks, you can reveal the hilarity and peculiarity of the routines we take for granted.

School and Education Satire Topics

• How to master Google search for your academic pursuits.
• The art of procrastination : How to avoid studying until the last minute.
• How to ace an exam without studying.
• The myth of a perfect student and how it wrecks the lives of collegegoers.
• A satirical look at the pitfalls of contemporary American education.
• College application essays: The most needless thing and how to ace it.
• Why you should spend years earning a degree you’ll never use.
• Group projects and how to survive them.
• Funny utopian school: Where homework is banned and recess is eternal.
• The unfair world of homework assignments.

Technology and Social Media Satire Topics

• The Me generation: How social media raises an army of narcissists.
• Informational addiction: Truth or even scarier truth?
• Why you should post everything online.
• Artificial Intelligence: Our doom or salvation?
• The virtues of being a social media star.
• Social media and its effect on your personal life.
• How to wreck your life with Facebook.
• TikTok and the modern media contagion.
• Top 10 apps that ruin your life.
• How to live one day without technology and stay sane.

Historical Satire Topics

• A satirical look at the rise and fall of the Roman Empire.
• The Third Reich’s WWII propaganda: A study in ridiculousness.
• Fighting for peace: A short look at the arms race.
• “Let them eat cake” and other phrases that changed history.
• Historical influence of satire on the American Dream perception.
• How the Cold War shaped American satire of the late 20th century.
• Medieval gun control: Unsheathing the hilarity of sword registry laws.
• The rise of authoritarianism and political satire.
• 1812 and the folly of Napoleon.
• Slavery in the land of the free.

Politics and Government Satire Topics

• The wonderful world of the two-party system.
• Political promises: A study in honesty and integrity.
• A satirical look at the theatrics of political ads.
• The department of bureaucratic ballet: A satirical look at the government’s efficiency.
• How the US bureaucracy became the monster everybody loves to hate.
• A crash course in gaining political power without the fuss of democracy.
• Political dodgeball: Avoiding questions made easy.
• Ingenious solutions: How politicians promise to solve everything with catchy slogans.
• How to survive your next Thanksgiving dinner.
• How political division brings a country together.

Social Issues Satire Topics

• Ten ways to avoid pressing social issues and feel good about yourself.
• Why pulling yourself by the bootstraps no longer works.
• Eating your way to a healthier life.
• The luxury guide to poverty: How to embrace destitution with style.
• How to become an effective cyberbully.
• The selfie pandemic: A guide to self-obsession.
• Unemployment reality shows: Who wants to be a broke millionaire?
• Remaining private in a globally connected world.
• How to become a cut-throat millionaire.
• The great overpopulation and its humorous consequences.

Literature Satire Topics

• How to bore your audience while looking important.
• Outdated language: Making dictionaries cool again.
• Crafting complex plots with just simple literary techniques.
• A masterclass in confusing storytelling.
• How to write a novel that people won’t buy.
• The art of long-winded narrative in Stephen King novels.
• Endings that made you throw books out the window.
• Breaking the fourth wall and hilarious in-text solutions.
• How to talk about books without reading them.
• A guide to nonsensical plot twists.

🤩 Fantastic Satire Essay Examples

As we all know, theory is good but practice makes perfect. This is why we want to offer you these satire essay examples. Carefully reading through them will help you understand the elements they use and what makes them work. We suggest that you also try your hand at writing essays on these topics – compare them to our samples and see where you can improve!

• Failed Leadership Can Only Be Whipped by Satire George Orwell used Animal Farm to critique totalitarian regimes that oppress the masses. The work pokes fun at many authoritarian movements, from fascism to communism, with a strong and charismatic leader usurping the top position and gaining full power. But most prominently it’s an attack on the October Revolution and the rise of Joseph Stalin as the leader. On a broader scale, Animal Farm serves as a satire of communism that ultimately didn’t meet the high expectations that the USSR’s citizens anticipated. Each character symbolizes a class or type of individual with strong and weak character traits. The novel’s antagonist, Master Jones, represents the bourgeoisie that exploits workers to death. The animals, a.k.a the proletariat, revolt and overthrow his iron rule. While things seem better for a while, thanks to the efforts and philosophy of a pig called Old Major, everything quickly turns for the worse. That soon results in many tragic events and the farm falling into the hands of another pig named Napoleon. He usurps the prime position much like Joseph Stalin did from Leo Trotsky . Any mentions of his political rival are met with brutal retaliation. Pretty soon, nobody remembers the original ideas that spearheaded the revolution. Ultimately, the pigs take over the farm and start to resemble humans. It is a masterful allegory of the oppressed becoming the oppressors. Animals become rulers of the farm, but most live in the same squalor they started with. Of course, nobody who is “ more equal than others ” ever complains.
• Political Satire and Stephen Colbert Political satire has been around almost since the dawn of American independence. Over the past couple of decades, it has become a favorite subject of many shows, including the subject of this essay — Stephen Colbert . His The Colbert Report is a prime example of how to criticize the political climate with the right amount of humor and heart. Colbert’s approach to satire pulls no punches as he famously mocked former President George Bush Jr. during a White House Correspondent Dinner. He criticized Bush’s actions, lifestyle, beliefs, and foreign policy decisions. He especially criticized the decision to invade Iraq in 2003, which resulted in hundreds of thousands of casualties. Stephen Colbert used an ironic approach to discuss such issues to draw attention to them. While this was done lightheartedly, many people sided with Colbert. That allowed him to influence public opinion without being directly involved in politics. And Colbert always encouraged his viewers to do the right thing. Even though The Colbert Report ended in 2014, the man himself remains popular with American audiences. His current Late Night Show with Stephen Colbert enjoys millions of subscribers on YouTube and hundreds of millions of views. His previous program is still popular, with new people discovering it daily.

Thank you for reading our article. Hopefully, it helped you create a perfect satire essay. And if you need to find more ideas for your work, try out our essay topic generator !

❓ Satirical Essay FAQ

What is a satire essay.

A satirical essay sheds light on the absurdities of comical aspects of life. They are often used to criticize or make fun of a concept, a person, or a trend. This type of writing utilizes literary devices of irony and hyperbole to emphasize its message. Political satire is the most popular type in this field.

How to Start a Satire Essay?

Like any essay, it should start with an introduction. Here, you explain the theme of your work and what you want to shed light upon, be it a person, an event, or a concept. A good intro starts with a hook sentence for readers. Make it fun and engaging, and they’ll likely continue reading your satirical essay.

How to Write a Satire Essay?

First, find the right topic to make the subject of your essay. Second, use hyperbole and irony to point out the ridiculous aspects of the theme. You can check out examples of satirical papers to understand how these literary devices work. Finally, make the writing full of humor to drive your point home.

• What is Satire? || Definition & Examples. – Evan Gottlieb, Oregon State University
• 7 Satire Techniques With Tips. – Indeed
• The Process for Setting up a Satire Essay. – Loudoun County Public Schools
• What Is Satire? How to Use Satire in Literature, Pop Culture, and Politics—Plus Tips on Using Satire in Writing. – MasterClass
• Satirical Writing. – Del Donno, Lone Star College-University Park
• How to Write Satire. – Alex Baia
• 4 Ways to Come Up With a Great Essay Idea. – Oxford Royale Academy
• How to Use Satire, Sarcasm, and the Power of Contrast to Expand Your Writing Repertoire. – Dawn Bevier, Medium
• Writing Satire Is Harder Than You Think. – Jeff Goins, Writer
• Choosing a Topic. – The On-Campus Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University

How To Write A Satire Essay

Quick Navigation

What Is a Satire Essay?

Satire is a form of literature in which the author uses humor, irony, exaggeration, and ridicule to criticize something. Satire essays work because they’re funny and make you think about the issue at hand.

You may be required to write a satire essay for an assignment in school or for work. You can also write one to share with friends and family members as a way of expressing your opinions on current events or pop culture.

If you’re writing a satire essay for school, make sure that your teacher knows what it is before you begin writing it. You should also be sure that they understand the guidelines of satire writing so that they can provide feedback on your work if necessary.

You can use satire in almost any topic area; however, some topics are more suitable than others. For example: politics, religion, gender equality, race relations, environmental issues and health care reform would all make good topics for satire essays. You shouldn’t create a satirical piece about topics like love or family because these subjects don’t lend themselves well to humor or ridicule without being offensive at some point along the way!

What do you write in a satirical essay?

Satire is a form of writing that pokes fun at a particular topic or person. It can be used to make a point, or it can just be funny. Satire can be used in any number of situations and genres, but in general, satire has two main goals: to entertain and to make a point.

In order to write a satire essay, you’ll need to think about your target audience and what they will find funny. If you’re writing for an audience that does not appreciate sarcasm or irony, then it would not be appropriate for you to use those types of humor in your essay. You should also consider the tone that your target audience typically uses when communicating with each other. For example, if your audience tends to use very formal language when talking with one another, then it might not be appropriate for you to use slang terms or casual language in your satire essay because it could come off as disrespectful towards them or their culture/backgrounds/etcetera).

When choosing what topic(s) to satirize, remember that there are no boundaries! The possibilities are endless! You could satirize anything from politics (both local and national) all the way down to pop culture trends like how much people love Netflix binge-watching.

Types of a Satire Essay

A satire essay is a piece of writing that uses humor and sarcasm to make a point about something. The tone of the essay is often mocking or sarcastic, and it may poke fun at people, companies, or political figures. Satire essay examples can be written in any genre, from fiction to nonfiction.

There are many different types of satire essays:

• satirical biography
• political satire
• social satire
• literary satire
• philosophical satire
• comic strip satires

Satire Essay Outline

Thesis statement (the idea you want to prove).

• First body paragraph (explain the idea)
• Second body paragraph (explain the idea)
• Third body paragraph (explain the idea)

The first paragraph should include a statement of the purpose of your essay and an introduction to the topic.

The first sentence should be a “grabber” that draws the reader in, as well as a topic sentence which states your thesis. You will use this same sentence structure throughout the essay, stating what you’re going to say in each new paragraph, so that the reader can keep track of your argument. It’s important to give yourself time to make these points clear! If you have some difficulties when writing your first satire essay, you may ask professionals to help edit or “ do my essay ” completely to get a well-written sample you may learn from.

The second sentence should transition smoothly from the first one, so that readers don’t have trouble following along when you start moving into new satire essay ideas later on. Your second sentence should also summarize your thesis statement (see above) so that it doesn’t get lost in all those other details below!

• First body paragraph: A summary of the main points from the introduction. (1 sentence)
• Second body paragraph: Thesis statement, expanded on with examples from literature/film/television/history/etc. (3 sentences)
• Third body paragraph: Why is this important today? What do you think will happen in the future with satire? Why do we need it now more than ever before? (2 sentences)
• Conclusion: Restate your thesis, add a call to action, or summarize the main points of your essay.

Tips and Tricks for Writing a Satire Essay

Writing a satire essay is a fun and challenging way to get your message across. Satire is a way to critique a topic or issue by making fun of it, which often involves exaggeration and humor. It can be used in writing for any level, from primary school to college and beyond.

You can use satire in an essay to make the reader think about an issue in a new way or to make them question their opinions on the subject matter.

Here are some tips for writing a satire essay:

• Choose an issue that you feel strongly about, or one that has been covered in the media recently
• Brainstorm ideas for what you could say about the topic or issue
• Write down your best ideas and put them in order, using bullet points or numbers so that they’re easy to follow while writing your paper later on (you may end up using only one idea from this exercise)
• Make sure that your points are clear and concise; don’t overcomplicate things by trying too hard to make them funny.

Save Time On Research and Writing

Hire a Pro to Write You a 100% Plagiarism-Free

It will be useful to read

It's possible to submit essay on time.

5 Ways to Write a Satire Essay

Satire essay generator.

Not all essays are meant to be sound serious and forbidding. At times, essays can be quite fun to read. Satire essay is one best example of a highly entertaining essay. Certain websites such as The Onion, The Satirist, or The Private Eye are widely known for their satirical essays. But first let us determine what is satire and what is a satire essay.

• Satire in Literature
• Literary Essay Writing Example

What is Satire and Satirical Essay?

Merriam-Webster defines satire as a literary work that uses wit, irony, or sarcasm to expose and ridicule human vices or foolishness. Satire is most prevalent in literary works like books, poems, essays, songs, and even in films. Using satire in a literary piece is one way of showing one’s humor creatively.

It is also one way of putting a subtle constructive criticism to the shortcomings of a certain topic that an author is discussing (may it be related to politics, social change, celebrities, etc). Satirical essays are meant to write factual information about a certain topic but twists it to make it appear comical. Your readers will be more engrossed in reading satire essay since not only they will be entertained they will also gain more knowledge about a certain topic. Examples of satire present in literature include:

• Jonathan Swift’s essay called “A Modest Proposal” talks about the societal and political issue in Ireland. The Irish are suffering from famine and the government is unable to solve this problem. Swift then cheekily suggested that in order to resolve the famine, a new form of human breeding is the solution for the economic recovery in Ireland. When deliberating his essay, Swift’s suggestion may seem horrendous but his point is to sarcastically suggest an impossible suggestion to make fun of the shortcoming of the Ireland’s government.
• The Rape of Lock by Alexander Pope satirized the upper middle class of the 18th century England. Most people who belonged in this class were vain and narcissistic. Most young men and women were fashionable, self-absorbed, and superficial.
• “Whether the nymph shall break Diana’s law, o r some frail china jar receive a flaw, o r stain her honor, or her new brocade…”.  An excerpt from Pope’s poem describes a young woman called Belinda who lost a lock of her hair seemed to her that she lost a valuable virtue of their class in this particular era. The lost lock of hair is almost similar like a precious frail china jar that cracked.

Other Forms of Satire

Satirizing politicians, celebrities, or other prominent people are most commonly spoofed in the media. Parodies are used to make fun of these people by exaggerating their chosen subject’s behavior or characteristics. Some even impersonate these people and exaggerate their looks. Parodies are prevalent in films, television, and music.

One example is the parody band called the Rutles. Established in the late 70’s, this band satirizes the Beatles and their avid supporters. They dressed up like the Beatles and poked fun of their songs by making a similar songs by the Beatles.

One example is the song “Get Up and Go” by the Rutles which is a parody from the song “Get Back” by the Beatles. Here is an excerpt of “Get Up and Go”:

Cruising down the highway doing sixty-five in the middle of the double white line His foot down on the gas and his head in the clouds He didn’t see the one-way sign Get up and go Get up and go Get up and go back home

Sarcasm is of course prevalent in satire. It is what makes satire engaging and entertaining. Sarcasm as defined in Cambridge dictionary is making remarks that means the opposite of what the person is supposed to say in order to criticize something or someone in a humorous way.  Some examples of sarcastic quotes are:

“We are all both ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid.” Benjamin Franklin

“Never argue with stupid people. They will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.” Mark Twain

“All men are the same. They have different faces so that women differentiate them.” Marilyn Monroe

But what makes satire important?

Basically, satire exists to point out the shortcomings in the society or within ourselves and to inspire change from these flaws. Through satire writing, readers will be aware of the changes they need to do in order to make a better version of themselves or in the society.

Now comes the part on how to write a satire essay efficiently.

How to Write a Satire Essay?

1. familiarize first how to write a satire essay.

When writing a satire essay, it is important to know that you have a strong motive to address your own views and opinion over a specific issue to you care about. Even if it is opinionated in its form, you can put your own perspective of this certain issue and spin it to make it funny, don’t forget to always provide the factual information of the topic you are writing about.

2. Choose the right topic to write

In choosing a topic to write, it’s best to know what topic are you want to write about. It must be something that you are highly interested in. Otherwise, if you choose a topic you are not really into it or not familiar to, you get bored in writing halfway to it. Other key points to consider is to choose a topic or an issue that is relevant to society and is relatable to everyone.

The best examples of topics to choose from are:

• current events
• health or environmental issues
• celebrities
• human vices
• holiday celebrations
• social media

It is also helpful to familiarize yourself with these topics by watching or reading the news. These kinds of topics are what people mostly have their own stand, so it’s best to choose it as you will get reactions from your readers. Don’t forget the point of writing essays is for the readers to read it. Getting reactions, whether favorable or not, means you have successfully done your job.

3. Get to the point

Finally, after poring and musing and deciding the topic you want to discuss, it’s time to figure out, what is the point of this essay I am writing about?  The things you want to consider are: What is your stand in this certain topic? Do you rule favor or not?, How can you make this topic ironic? Once you have figured out your point, you have a clear and strong idea on what will you write about.

4. Know your audience

It’s crucial for you as a writer to know who is the audience you are writing to. Are you writing for the professional readers? Or the students? These different groups of people have their own preference or style of writing. The professionals might want a formal style of writing or the students might want a casual style. The point is, by identifying your readers, it’s better to be more relatable towards them. To help you adjust your style of writing to your specific audience, here are the questions you need to answer: How do you write in casual or formal style of writing? How do you write this essay if you are writing for young people?

5. Now it’s time to write

Now you already have a gist on writing a satire essay. You already know what topic you will discuss and what will be your main point, and you already identified who will be your audience. Now it’s time to write down your outstanding essay. Of course, in order for it to be outstanding, you need some tips in order to make your essay interesting to read. Familiarize yourself with the figures of speech to use when writing a satire essay to make it more engaging to your readers. Examples of figures of speech you can use are:

Hyperbole: The use of exaggerated words for heightened effect on the reader.

My high heeled shoes are killing me!

Irony: It is the use of words used to convey the opposite of its literal meaning.

A person looking out at his window while it was raining hard. He exclaims, “ What a beautiful weather we are having today.”

Metaphor: A figure of speech that implied a comparison between two dissimilar things that have something in common.

You have a heart of stone.

Pun: Is described as ‘a play on words’. It’s structure can be on different senses of the same word or sometimes on the similar sense or sound of different words.

“Now is the winter or our discontent Made glorious summer by this sun of York…” an excerpt from William Shakespeare Richard III (Act 1 scene 1). The context of this statement by the character Richard III is that he was the son of the Duke of York.

Understatement: This type of figure of speech is when a speaker intentionally makes a situation or a person less important that it is.

“It was rather a serious evening, you know.”  Shipwreck survivor Sir Cosmo Duff Gordon, as he described the sinking of the Titanic.

You may also look up some hyperbole examples , and irony examples to familiarize yourself to these figures of speech.

Now that you have mastered on writing a satire essay, don’t forget to have some fun while writing it. In fact, it is more enjoyable to write since you are allowed to put your own creativity and your personal views in your essay. However don’t forget to cite facts to make your essay credible. But don’t forget that the main essence of satire essay is to persuade your readers to agree with your opinion. So be persuasive, be creative and showcase your talent in comedy in your satire essay.

Text prompt

• Instructive
• Professional

Write a Satire Essay about the obsession with social media

Discuss in a Satire Essay how procrastination has become a key skill for students

• Essay Guides
• Other Essays

How to Write a Satire Essay: My Personal Experience+Example

• Speech Topics
• Basics of Essay Writing
• Essay Topics
• Main Academic Essays
• Research Paper Topics
• Basics of Research Paper Writing
• Miscellaneous
• Chicago/ Turabian
• Data & Statistics
• Methodology
• Admission Writing Tips
• Admission Advice
• Other Guides
• Student Life
• Studying Tips
• Understanding Plagiarism
• Academic Writing Tips
• Basics of Dissertation & Thesis Writing

• Research Paper Guides
• Formatting Guides
• Basics of Research Process
• Admission Guides
• Dissertation & Thesis Guides

Table of contents

Use our free Readability checker

There is no such a student who has never been assigned to write a college satire essay when getting education. I am not an exception! Despite the fact that I have never had serious problems with academic writing before and I have a great sense of humor, I must admit that the satirical essay turned out not as easy as ABC. It wasn't much fun-I had to pull an all-nighter to choose a favorite topic on some social issues that would be interesting to most people in America; search for the relevant information everywhere, including media; find good examples, and finally write my work according to a certain structure. To tell the truth, the thought to order the ready satire essay from professional writers has crossed my mind because this kind of task seemed to be the most difficult one in my life. I had neither time nor the knowledge about its distinctive features. However, I decided not to email custom writers and take this challenge on my own as I didn't get used to giving up. Now, I am here sharing my personal satire writing experience with everyone who is just going to deal with this kind of the written task.  

A Complete Guide on How to Write a Satire Essay

Before I got started with my essay, I have checked a large number of funny satire essay examples belonging to different categories. While reading, it seemed to me that I would cope with this assignment easily. However, I was mistaken. In general, essay structure looked like the one other essays have but at the same time, I understood that this kind of paper has its own distinctive features and peculiarities. I had to check a lot of guides on how to write a satire essay before I got started with mine. All of them said that it's very important to find interesting controversial satire essy topics about some political, cultural, social issues. Usually knowing language on a good level is very helpful so it is better to attend English Courses if you don't have enough knowledge. Due to the fact that I didn't know much about the two last spheres, I decided to write about the famous Donald Trump. You will be able to check my piece of writing later. Before you look at the satire paper itself, you should have a clear picture of how your paper must look like in terms of structural elements. I would like to share my personal experience in structuring the satire paper in accordance with the required instructions given by my school teacher. Now, I am going to tell you how to write a satire essay the right way.  

• An Introduction I think that all of you know that the first steps you should take are to think of a killer title, which I had to change for several times after having finished and to write an introduction. I've understood that if you want to attract the reader's attention, you need to start either with the intriguing question that your reader would like to answer, or some figures.

For example, if you are going to craft an essay about the well-known politician, - find some interesting facts about his/her life and career, start your work with some shocking information. Don't forget to include a powerful thesis statement at the end of your introduction. Write just 1-2 sentences keeping in mind that they must be informative and strong, expressing the main idea, and explaining to the reader what you are going to discuss in your work. I had to rewrite my introduction 3 or 5 times until I made it perfect. Every time when rereading I tried to imagine that I was a reader. This trick will help you to understand how the paper beginning sounds, whether it is able to hook or not.

• The Main Body The process of writing the main body took me much time - a day or two if to be exact. This is due to the fact that this is a part where you are expected to provide all information on the chosen subject.

First, I had to find all the relevant materials and select those which could add some value to my paper. I used a lot of different information sources, including the Internet, published and electronic books online, magazine articles, blog posts, and a lot of various publications. I have checked every place where I could find something about Trump. I chose interesting pieces of information, gathered them like a puzzle, made sure that the main part of my essay was creative, original, and logical. Remember that it is better to stick to the 5-6 paragraph structure, which means that the main body will take the major part of your work-3-4 paragraphs. Use thematic essay examples while writing your task. The exact volume will depend on the number of facts you are going to use in your paper. The most difficult thing is to present the facts so that the reader feels where exactly you have used exaggerations, hyperbole, and another language device to poke fun.

• The Conclusion As any other kind of academic paper, a satire essay should end with the brief conclusion. I wrote a short summary of all the ideas that I have included in the main body, and then added a couple of sentences explaining the reader my point of view and the reasons why I consider my work valuable for the today's generation. Can't come up with a thought-provoking conclusion? Rely on StudyCrumb's essay conclusion generator and get a nice ending made in seconds.

Check Good Satire Essay Examples Before You Get Started

Have you wanted to see my satire essay? Here, you are! Have a closer look at the piece of writing I have submitted and got an A-grade! 

The eccentric billionaire has become a symbol of anti-establishment sentiments that have swept the United States in the recent years. Having crushed the orderly number of forecasts of numerous experts, and the results of opinion polls, a candidate from the Republican Party Donald Trump won the presidential elections in the United States. The man who promised to "drain the Washington swamp" won. But will the hopes of his supporters be justified, when Trump as the 45th president of America will take decisions in the White House? While the United States was counting votes in the presidential election, and the scales were becoming more confident in favor of Donald Trump, the website of the state migration service in neighboring Canada was working intermittently. These disruptions seem to have arisen from the fact that many Americans have decided to examine the conditions of moving to the land of the maple leaf. The number of requests in Google about how to move to Canada, also sharply increased. According to one of the pre-election polls, 28% of Americans considered the option of leaving for Canada in the event of Trump's victory. They said that the US residents had a threat to go to Canadians - this is almost traditional national fun for the presidential elections. But it is unlikely that this "fun" was so serious before. Several American celebrities - from B. Streisand and Cher to Samuel L. Jackson and Whoopi Goldberg – threatened that if Trump would become their President, they would "choose freedom": go to Spain, to South Africa, or to Jupiter. In the information battles of the pre-election race against Donald Trump heavy artillery was used. The main caliber was hit in two directions. First: Trump is a misogynist and a womanizer. Second: Trump is a puppet of the Kremlin. Donald Trump himself played along with his critics on the "Russian" direction saying "I think I will get along well with Vladimir Putin. I just think so”. Trump shared his thoughts when he announced his intention to become a president. A few months later, he said that if he would be elected, it is unlikely that there will be problems in relations with Russia. Trump gratefully accepted the praise addressed to him by Putin: "It's always an honor to be praised by a man so respected in his own country and abroad. I always believed that together, Russia and the United States could defeat terrorism and restore peace. We could also trade with each other, not to mention other benefits." The businessman and showman, producer and politician are 4 in 1 and all these personalities are in one "great and terrible person" Trump. The showman, perhaps, is the key word in this series. Donald for many years was an active organizer of the Miss USA competitions. His cameo can be seen in several movies and television series. Trump entered the history of the American show business as the host and co-producer of the reality show The Apprentice on the NBC channel. So, after the Hollywood actor Ronald Reagan, a TV star appeared in the White House. Trump is a one hundred percent challenge to the system, which it must respond to in order to get out of the current state, where Trump appeared.

Want a similar satire paper? Contact StudyCrumb and get professional writing help from experts. 

Top-20 A-Grade Satire Essay Topics for You to Choose From

• The smartest human of all the times.
• Childish labor helps businesses to flourish.
• D. Trump is the most famous President who is free in his self-expression.
• H. Clinton always takes right decisions.
• Trump and Putin have “friendly” relationships.
• Are the US citizens happy with the President selection?
• Comment on cultural differences and their influence on relationships between students.
• Media: the best invention or the worst thing ever?
• Today, people learn about their lives from the morning newspapers.
• All harmful things have a great taste.
• The best president in the US history.
• Doing nothing is fashionable today.
• A robot works better than real people.
• Politicians and comedians have much in common.
• Money values in the modern society.
• Fast food – fast weight.
• Satire in English literature.
• A family business is the worst thing that may happen to the family members.
• Living alone is much better than with anyone else.
• Boring teacher-bored students.

Choose one of the above-mentioned satire essay topics, follow the tips for writing a satire essay, and I guarantee that you’ll get a high score! Never give up and treat the satire essay assignment as a fun thing to do demonstrating your unique sense of humor! Good luck!

Daniel Howard is an Essay Writing guru. He helps students create essays that will strike a chord with the readers.

You may also like

Please log in to save materials. Log in

Education Standards

Nebraska's college and career ready standards for english language arts.

Learning Domain: Reading

Standard: Evaluate the meaning, reliability, and validity of text considering author’s purpose, perspective, rhetorical style, and contextual influences.

Standard: Analyze the function and critique the effects of the author‘s use of literary devices (e.g., allusion, symbolism, metaphor, personification, epiphany, oxymoron, dialect, tone, mood).

Standard: Construct and/or answer literal, inferential, critical, and interpretive questions, analyzing and synthesizing evidence from the text and additional sources to support answers.

Learning Domain: Writing

Standard: Communicate information and ideas effectively in analytic, argumentative, descriptive, informative, narrative, poetic, persuasive, and reflective modes to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.

Introduction to Satire

This introduction to satire includes an EdPuzzle that introduces the definition of satire, examples, explanations of four satirical techniques (incongruity, hyperbole, reversal, and parody), and practice questions. A second activity asks students to locate an example of satire online, analyze the satirical techniques used, and explain the criticism or comment expressed in the example.

This lesson is all about satire. 

Never heard of it? Don't worry, you've probably seen plenty of it! 

Here are the objectives you'll be able to demonstrate by the end of our learning:

• Locate an example of satire, such as political cartoon, satirical article, or parody
• Explain the underlying critical comment or message of the satire
• Identify at least one of the four techniques of satire being used (hyperbole/exaggeration, absurdity/incongruity, reversal, parody)

Don't worry if you're not sure what some of these terms mean. You'll be an expert soon. Let's start!

What is Satire?

If you prefer to deliver this as a whole-class lesson, or you want to add your own examples (perhaps videos?) to the slides, you can make your own copy of the slides by clicking here:  https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1GyYmci1iTBflicYY01cwmlclAjNxo0eC9qCfvP49VL4/copy

Let's dive into the definition of satire, some examples, and some practice questions!

Watch this video and answer the questions on EdPuzzle:  https://edpuzzle.com/media/5f1b13907407133f3cdd3158

Find Satire in the World

To create a slidedeck for students to add their findings and analysis, make a copy of this slidedeck and share it with your students:  https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1a6z_AG1i0T50n2s1uPjIa6q0m0zIBHxN4r1qv9Aomjk/copy

Considerations:

• You may want to make a copy of a slide for each student ahead of time. This can save confusion when there are several students on the slidedeck at once.
• Other alternatives to a slidedeck could be using a Google Doc or a Padlet. The advantage of a Padlet or Google Slidedeck is that students are able to see each other's work and naturally have a built-in audience.
• If students are still struggling with satire or satirical techniques, you might allow them to work in pairs.
• I use this as a formative assessment. This activity will give you a pulse of which students grasp satirical concepts and which ones need more help. I would not issue any grades other than completion grades for this activity. 

Now that you have a background on satire, it's time to find and analyze an example of satire NOT in the slides.

Find an example of satire. It could be a clip on YouTube, an article from a satirical website, or a political cartoon.

Link the URL of an example of satire or a screenshot/image of the example on your slide.

Write an analysis of the following:

What is the underlying message of the creator? What are they really saying about the topic?

Explain at least one satirical technique the creator is using. (hyperbole, absurdity, reversal, parody)

There are three examples for you, so you'll be able to see exactly what you need to do.

Review Your Classmates' Examples

Other wrap-up options:

• Choose 3-4 examples to discuss as a whole group
• Ask small groups to choose their top 2 slides and explain their reasoning.

Read through the examples from other classmates. Leave comments on at least 2 examples. 

Possible comment ideas:

• Do you see another strategy (hyperbole, incongruity, reversal, parody) being used that wasn't mentioned? 
• Do you notice something else the original author/artist is trying to say? 
• Is there an insightful explanation that impresses you? Compliment your classmate on that.

Seeking Social Justice Through Satire: Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal"

• Resources & Preparation
• Instructional Plan
• Related Resources

Jonathan Swift's 1729 pamphlet “A Modest Proposal” is a model for satirizing social problems. In this lesson, students complete multiple readings of Swift's essay: a guided reading with the teacher, a collaborative reading with a peer, and an independent reading. The online Notetaker tool helps students restate key ideas from Swift's essay as they read and elaborate upon these ideas postreading. After independent reading, pairs of students develop a mock television newscast or editorial script, like those found on Saturday Night Live's “Weekend Update,” The Daily Show with Jon Stewart , or The Colbert Report , including appropriate visual images in PowerPoint.

Featured Resources

“A Modest Proposal” : Based upon the text taken from Project Gutenberg, Swift’s essay has been edited to conventionalize spelling and usage, with explanatory footnotes to provide historical and social contexts.

Mock Television Newscast or Editorial Assignment : This printout guides students in the development of their own satiric television newscast or editorial script based on a contemporary social issue.

Evaluation Rubric for Mock Television Newscast or Editorial Assignment : This rubric helps in the evaluation of students’ newscasts and editorial scripts.

From Theory to Practice

• To address students’ needs, teachers should cyclically return to a variety of instructional practices that include (among other things) use of modeling, guided practice, collaboration, and independent practice.
• Pearson and Gallagher’s (1983) gradual release of responsibility model includes three parts: modeling and guiding acquisition of new content, collaborating to refine students’ understanding of it, and presenting opportunities for students to try out new content independently (p.75).

The teacher’s use of guided reading provides students with a model for critical reading and for the sharing of the moves that an experienced reader uses to comprehend a difficult text.

• Langer’s (2002) call for balancing instruction includes separated, simulated, and integrated instruction.
• Separated instruction presents students with concepts, simulated instruction allows students to apply the concepts in specific contexts, and integrated instruction provides students with opportunities to apply their learning within a large and purposeful context of their own creation.

Common Core Standards

This resource has been aligned to the Common Core State Standards for states in which they have been adopted. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, CCSS alignments are forthcoming.

State Standards

This lesson has been aligned to standards in the following states. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, standard alignments are not currently available for that state.

NCTE/IRA National Standards for the English Language Arts

• 1. Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
• 2. Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience.
• 3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
• 6. Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.
• 8. Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
• 12. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

Materials and Technology

• Computer with Internet access and projector
• Computers with word processing (such as Word) and presentation (such as PowerPoint) software
• “A Modest Proposal”
• Guided Reading of “A Modest Proposal”
• Commonly Used Satiric Devices
• Mock Television Newscast or Editorial Assignment
• Evaluation Rubric for Mock Television Newscast or Editorial Assignment
• Rubric for Assessing Guided Reading

Preparation

• Print and review the printouts for the unit: “A Modest Proposal,” Guided Reading of “A Modest Proposal,” Commonly Used Satiric Devices , Mock Television Newscast or Editorial Assignment , Evaluation Rubric for Mock Television Newscast or Editorial Assignment , and Rubric for Assessing Guided Reading .
• Download and make a copy of the deer cartoon from Narrative Magazine: Literary Puzzler: Famous Last Words . Work through the “Analyzing a Single-Panel Cartoon” section of the Guided Reading of “A Modest Proposal” printout.
• Select a mock newscast from a recent episode of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart , The Colbert Report , or the “Weekend Update” segment of Saturday Night Live for your students to view. Schedule any audio-visual equipment you may need to present it to the class. Work through the “Viewing an Episode of a Satiric Television Program” section of the Guided Reading of “A Modest Proposal” printout. Take note of the metacognitive moves that enable you to appreciate the humor of the broadcast.
• Review the websites providing background information on satire on Hodgart on The Conditions of Political Satire and on Swift’s biography and career at Jonathan Swift.biography .
• Read Swift’s “A Modest Proposal,” noting the essay’s overall structure and Swift’s use of various satiric techniques.

I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricasie, or a ragoust. (ll. 58-61)

• Complete a copy of the printout Commonly Used Satiric Devices based upon your reading of “A Modest Proposal.”
• Using the division headings on the Guided Reading of “A Modest Proposal,” jot down your own paraphrases of Swift’s ideas with the online interactive Notetaker .
• Review the PowerPoint Tool Tips .
• Review the Mock Television Newscast or Editorial Assignment and the Evaluation Rubric for Mock Television Newscast or Editorial Assignment .

Student Objectives

Students will

• Enhance their comprehension of an edited and footnoted text of Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” through multiple readings: guided, collaborative, and independent
• Identify Swift’s use of specific literary techniques in “A Modest Proposal” through collaboration
• Collaboratively identify a contemporary social problem, analyze it, and develop an outrageous satiric solution to resolve it
• Write the script for a fake newscast—supported by a PowerPoint presentation as a substitute for the blue screen graphics seen in broadcasts—as a means of presenting a satiric solution for a social problem to an audience

Session 1: Introduction to Guided Reading

• To introduce the idea of guided reading to students, begin by presenting a copy of the single-panel cartoon of two deer from Narrative Magazine: Literary Puzzler: Famous Last Words , and work through the first section, “Analyzing a Single-Panel Cartoon,” on the printout Guided Reading of “A Modest Proposal.”
• As you work with students, ask them to share what specific cognitive steps they used to understand the joke. You may need to share your steps first; however, emphasize that there are likely to be many sets of steps involved, all resulting in getting the joke.
• Introduce the idea of satire to students by presenting, reviewing, and discussing the website Hodgart on The Conditions of Political Satire .
• Ask students to give examples of books, essays, movies, and radio or television programs that employ satire. Ask them what issues these media criticize through the use of satire.
• Prepare students for their viewing of the episode of the satiric television program that you selected by reviewing the “Viewing an Episode of a Satiric Television Program” section of the printout Guided Reading of “A Modest Proposal.”
• Watch the program and discuss students’ various responses, again encouraging students to share the cognitive processes that allowed them to comprehend the satire.

Sessions 2 and 3: Swift’s “A Modest Proposal”

• Distribute the edited text of “A Modest Proposal.” Have students read background material on Swift’s life and career from Jonathan Swift.biography.
• Direct students to turn to the edited version of Swift’s pamphlet that you just distributed, pointing out the title, date of publication, and footnotes and how to use them.
• Complete the Guided Reading of “A Modest Proposal” printout. For each section, pose the question(s) before reading, and allow students to read the section and record their responses before asking them to share their understandings. Be prepared to answer their questions about how you, as an experienced reader, process Swift’s ideas. Use the Rubric for Assessing Guided Reading to evaluate students’ understanding.

Session 4: Techniques Commonly Used in Satire

• Distribute and review the printout Commonly Used Satiric Devices .
• Divide the class into pairs of students. Working collaboratively, have each pair fill in the printout with personal examples.
• Have each pair work collaboratively to locate examples of the techniques within Swift’s “A Modest Proposal.” Note that students’ responses are likely to vary widely. They may not find examples within Swift’s essay for all of the techniques.
• At the end of class, have students share their responses in either small or large groups.

Session 5: Independent Reading

• Have students review their responses to the Guided Reading of “A Modest Proposal” and their work on Commonly Used Satiric Devices .
• Working independently and using the section headings from the Guided Reading of “A Modest Proposal,” have each student paraphrase the major ideas of each section of “A Modest Proposal.” Have them use the online interactive Notetaker .

Session 6: Prewriting for Mock Television Newscast or Editorial Assignment

• Distribute and review the Mock Television Newscast or Editorial Assignment and the Evaluation Rubric for Mock Television Newscast or Editorial Assignment .
• Divide the class into pairs, and have each pair complete the prewriting section of the first printout. Note that you may wish to prescreen specific episodes of the television programs that students viewed and analyzed during Session 1 now in this prewriting section, which repeats the analytical questioning used in Session 1.
• If time permits, have students begin drafting the announcer’s script.

Sessions 7 and 8: Drafting the Mock Television Newscast or Editorial Assignment

• Have students begin or continue drafting their scripts, consulting the Web for supporting information as necessary.
• Once students are satisfied with their drafts, have them begin determining and locating appropriate visual images to accompany the script. (Note that the Mock Television Newscast or Editorial Assignment printout provides suggestions for locating these audio-visual components.)

Session 9: Refining and Rehearsing Their Presentations

• Have students revise and edit their scripts.
• While sitting at computers, have students quietly rehearse their presentations, incorporating their PowerPoint content. Direct students to the PowerPoint Tool Tips printout if they need extra guidance using PowerPoint.

Additional Sessions for Presentations

• Determine the order of students’ presentations. You may wish to have the pairs of students draw numbers to do this. Once students are prepared and know when they’re expected to present, you should be able to complete 5–6 presentations in a class session. For example, for a class of 24 students making 12 presentations, you’ll need two to three class periods.
• To encourage better listening, ask students to complete their own Evaluation Rubric for Mock Television Newscast or Editorial Assignment printouts to evaluate each presentation.

As a means of publication, digitally record and post several of the presentations to the website for either your class or your school. Be certain to secure written consent from your students’ parents first.

Student Assessment / Reflections

• Observe student participation in the guided reading sessions. Collect students’ Guided Reading of “A Modest Proposal” printouts. On these, make comments about students’ work and address any individual questions that students pose. Because students’ responses to the activities are designed to scaffold their reading of satire, view these responses as pieces of expressive discourse where the emphasis is upon exploring ideas and understandings, not upon getting correct answers or writing well. With this type of writing, it’s better to ignore grammar, usage, and mechanics. To guide assessment of student participation in these activities, see the Rubric for Assessing Guided Reading .
• Collect, quickly review, and briefly comment on students’ work on Commonly Used Satiric Devices. Check for completion and in order to monitor students’ understanding and application of concepts.
• Use the Evaluation Rubric for Mock Television Newscast or Editorial Assignment to evaluate both students’ scripts and their presentations.

Add new comment

• Print this resource

Explore Resources by Grade

• Kindergarten K

ENG 121: Academic Writing: Writing Assignments

• Reading Presentation Instructions
• Supplemental Instruction
• Writing Assignments
• Find Yourself in NYT

Writer’s Choice: Social Commentaries

Option 1: Satire

(Scope: 2-3 pp, 12 pt TNR, DS, MLA)

With this final paper, you’re to target an element of society and make an argument about it; the hitch is that you must do so using satire. Satire is a literary form that pokes fun at social institutions with irony or sarcasm, mostly with the purpose of changing them. As Jonathan Swift shows us, hyperbole and an earnest, serious tone are also strong tools to create satire.

To do this, first be sure you’re familiar with the genre. Some good examples include “A Modest Proposal”* from our reading list and any segment from The Colbert Report ; The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and South Park often make good use of this genre, as well.

Next, you must choose the element that you wish to address. Choose something that affects you, something that you have experience in dealing with. Some good topics might include:

• Technology and teens (texting, IM-ing, Facebook, Tweeting)
• Sense of entitlement among teens
• Cliques in high school
• Peer pressure

Option 2: Create your own Case For/Against Torture

  (Scope: 2-3 pp, 12 pt TNR, DS, MLA)

This assignment is inspired by the reading, “The Case For Torture.” If you choose this option, you’ll be responding to the question: “Under what circumstances is torture acceptable?” Here you’re to create an argument either for or against torture, something akin to the writing provided by Michael Levin.

I ask that you if you choose this option, you include consideration of Article 5 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights: Convention Against Torture; in addition, research the United States’ policy on this issue, and include that in your commentary.

Keep in mind that you’re still creating an argument here, so you need a solid thesis that goes beyond merely addressing the issue at hand: this thesis statement needs to land squarely on one side or the other.

Option 3: Make your voice heard

This assignment is inspired by the reading “I Have a Dream.” If you choose this option, you will be studying King’s essay for its use of pathos , which is the rhetorical device used to earn an emotional response from its readers. You will need to understand why he uses repetitive phrases as well as clichés or Biblical verses that his audience would connect with, and mimic those techniques in your own writing.

This essay will address a social issue or institution that you would like to see changed. You may choose from topics like the state of public education, national or international military policies, discrimination, prejudice, or other inequities. Once you’ve chosen your topic, focus your energy on identifying your audience and determine methods to reach that audience (for example, pop culture references would reach your peers; literary references would reach your English professors, etc.). Write your essay as if you would be delivering it as a speech.

English 121

WA4: Problem/ Solution

Scope: 12pt TNR, DS, MLA, 500-550 words

Audience: Peers, Instructor

Tone: Academic Casual

With this essay we’re continuing our gradual approach to argument writing. In this essay you’re to articulate an identifiable issue and provide a proposed solution. Consider this a two part essay that necessitates a two part thesis. You may use first person voice, but an effective problem/ solution essay won’t rely heavily on narratives. Any narrative you choose to incorporate must be in support of your thesis.

• Before writing this essay, complete the following preparation steps:
• Determine the problem. It’s essential that you are as concrete and definite as you can be here. Stay away from clichés; be original and specific.
• Determine the scope of the problem. You need to limit your argument carefully: for example, if you’re writing about sexism, are you writing about gender-based discrimination world-wide, or about an issue you noticed on campus?
• Offer a solid solution. Try to avoid being vague or offering too many potential outcomes here. Use concrete language to propose this solution.
• Determine the tone of your essay. Your writing may be serious, hopeful, sarcastic, funny, practical, or whimsical, for example.
• Be aware as you’re writing that you are creating an argument; your proposed solution may not be one that everyone will agree with. As such, you need to create a convincing, realistic solution that will win opinions.

Descriptive 

Essay Assignment 3

  Your task with this third paper of 500 words is to create a descriptive essay. You may choose to write about a person, place or thing relating to how it affected you.  Which senses were involved? You must form a picture for the reader.   The textbook has some good examples of descriptive reading such as So, This Was Adolescence, Pavolva, Niagara Falls.  

I f I write the following statement: My best friend is wacky, how much do you really know about my friend? My concept of wacky, for all you know, might be someone who doesn't alphabetize the canned goods in their pantry. On the other hand, if I write the following description, you might have a better idea of my concept of wacky. My best friend is absolutely, without a doubt, the wackiest person I know. She has driven into the McDonalds drive-thru and placed her order into the trashcan instead of the speaker. Another time she discovered that she had washed a loaf of bread and a bottle of Windex with her load of dark clothes. (Actually it was a load of multi colored clothes because she never sorts her laundry.) She has mistakenly thrown her cell phone, diamond earrings, various pieces of her grandmother's silver, and a bag of newly purchased light bulbs into the trash compactor. I could go on and on, but with the examples that I've given you, wouldn't you agree that she is totally wacked?

Inside District School #7, Niagara County, New York

by Joyce Carol Oates

Inside, the school smelled smartly of varnish and wood smoke from the potbellied stove. On gloomy days, not unknown in upstate New York in this region south of Lake Ontario and east of Lake Erie, the windows emitted a vague, gauzy light, not much reinforced by ceiling lights. We squinted at the blackboard, that seemed far away since it was on a small platform, where Mrs. Dietz's desk was also positioned, at the front, left of the room. We sat in rows of seats, smallest at the front, largest at the rear, attached at their bases by metal runners, like a toboggan; the wood of these desks seemed beautiful to me, smooth and of the red-burnished hue of horse chestnuts. The floor was bare wooden planks. An American flag hung limply at the far left of the blackboard and above the blackboard, running across the front of the room, designed to draw our eyes to it avidly, worshipfully, were paper squares showing that beautifully shaped script known as Parker Penmanship

Expository writing -Essay 2

You are to describe a topic that you consider yourself an expert about.  You are to inform the reader about a place, a culture, a topic that you feel you know more about than anything else.  

You will explain, inform, and describe everything about the activity or topic you consider yourself an expert about.  

Try to speak clearly so that your words will give concise imagery as to what you are talking about.  You may organize your essay around giving directions.  You will inform the reader about the topic.   Some techniques to consider would be using sequence of events, cause and effect, or compare/contrast.  The choice is yours. 

Essay 1: Narration

We’re starting our essays with the most primary of functions in writing: narration. We’re all born storytellers, and we each practice this art countless times each day. The stories from our text that we’ve been reading all tell the tale of important events in the lives of the speakers. Consider the similarities that tie them together:

-Many authors use the first person in relating their stories.

-Each story relates a significant, influential moment.

-They all have greater meaning—in other words, there’s a moral to each story.

Your assignment with this first essay is to tell a story that does the same. Choose an event or situation that you experienced that shaped who you are today. It doesn’t have to be a huge event, as long as the effect was substantial. Give your words meaning by offering careful explanation. Use first person here.

Incorporate into your writing some form of dialogue here. Consider how dialogue adds to the stories we’ve read, and what it can contribute to your own writing. This can be a brief aside of two utterances, or your piece can be largely composed of dialogue.

Begin by brainstorming three potential topics here in class, then organize each brainstorm into an outline. Finally, choose one of the three outines to work with.

Next, work on your topic sentence/ thesis idea. Keep your readers in mind: what will grab their attention? What will hold it? Draft rough thesis below your brainstorms.

From here, begin your own writing process. You may decide to draft your narrative then add dialogue, or to work dialogue into your process. Whichever you choose, be aware of how you’re using the dialogue and what it tells readers about the speakers. Be sure to save all drafts separately, and save as you go.

Scope: 500 words, DS, 12 pt 

• << Previous: Supplemental Instruction
• Next: Find Yourself in NYT >>
• Last Updated: Jan 3, 2024 4:04 PM
• URL: https://slulibrary.saintleo.edu/ENG121_Dobbins

Teaching Satire : 5 Tips and Tricks

Jan 24, 2020

Teaching satire is no joke! I know, ha ha! Honestly though, teaching satire can be an amazing journey for a teacher and his/her students. Who doesn’t love watching South Park or The Simpsons? Who doesn’t savor reading “Sending Grandma to the Ovens” by Colin Cohen or the classic “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift?

I know I love everything satire. I don’t care about the topics or if they offend my personal sensibilities. Good satire is good satire. It provokes. It makes us laugh. It changes us. How to teach satire, however, is another thing altogether!

Here are some things to consider when thinking about teaching satire and how to get your own students to ultimately enjoy and to write their own satires!

Table of Contents

Need help with Test Prep? Check out this  FREE Pack of 3 Test Prep Activities  to help students achieve success on standardized tests!

How to start teaching satire.

• Start by defining satire: Satire is in a category all by itself. It is not parody. It goes beyond. It seeks to change. Here is my personal definition: Satire is a text that criticizes in order to evoke some sort of change. Without the call for change, it does not fulfill its purpose. So much of what we watch or read is merely parody, an imitation for a laugh. Satire is more than that. We see it around us all of the time.
• Discuss strategies used in satires: Satires notoriously use similar strategies, because they work! In my classroom, I have students focus on these specific strategies and define them before studying satire: hyperbole, irony, tone, repetition, imagery, and the rhetorical appeals. With a firm foundation in these strategies, students will start recognizing them when reading actual satire. Hopefully, this recognition will eventually turn into using these strategies as they write their own satires.
• Provide examples of satire: Students typically need an introduction to satire. I suggest using episodes of Saturday Night Live , The Simpsons , or political cartoons to begin. Teaching satire effectively requires exposure to more commonplace texts; you can’t start with “A Modest Proposal.” Most students will be so overwhelmed with the language and the historical context that they will not fully grasp what Swift is “proposing.” Instead, start with images or videos.
• Read and watch satire with your students: It may take longer than simply assigning a typical short story to read, but reading satire with your students is crucial. Students need to hear you read aloud, think aloud, annotate “aloud,” and respond aloud. Remember, most have seen satire, but few truly understand it as satire. Have fun and choose texts you will laugh at with them. I recommend “The Dam Letters.” Even my most struggling readers love these letters!
• Use SPAUTS or other Graphic Organizers for during and after the reading: (S peaker, P urpose, A udience, U niversal Idea, T one, and S trategies) By using an organizer, your students can focus on the most important elements of satire. While reading, you can help them with filling out the above information. They can use this information to write a response, write a rhetorical analysis, answer comprehension questions, etc. In breaking it down, any student can grow in his or her understanding of satire.

Check out this teaching satire bundle for “A Modest Proposal” and “Sending Grandma to the Ovens!”

Want to read more about teaching satire? Check out 7 Steps to Teaching with High School Satire Essays !

HOW TO TEACH SATIRICAL WRITING

When it comes to bridging the gap between reading satire versus writing satire, students need guidance. I would start by reading both “Sending Grandma to the Ovens” and “A Modest Proposal.” These two texts are similar in structure, purpose, and topic. Your students can model their own essays after teaching satire like these texts. They can even propose something!

Here are some “proposals” they can make:

• How to be a wonderful boyfriend or girlfriend
• How to propose to someone
• How to be a good student
• How to be a productive employee
• How to grow a business
• How to be an amazing parent
• How to be an effective writer
• How to prepare for exams
• How to get a job
• How to create friendships

Click to get a teaching satire bundle with 4 satirical essay prompts and writing activities !

Ultimately, by developing a firm foundation using the strategies above, students can then branch out into writing their own satires. They can use the models you provide and dip their toes into constructing their own satire and effecting change in others around them. And they won’t have to eat a baby to do it!

Check out this Step-By-Step Lesson in helping students write their own satires 🙂

Need more fun lessons and activities for the year? Check out my store Kristin Menke-Integrated ELA Test Prep !

Hi, I’m KRISTIN!

I primarily focus on  integrating multiple disciplines and subjects. The goal is to make teaching simplified and effective!

Let's Connect

• Follow Follow

Click below to download “13 Simple Strategies to make test prep a breeze!”