How to Analyze the Rhetoric of Satire

1. How to Analyze the Rhetoric of Satire

2. Claims • Are the claims believable? Are they exaggerated? • In my essay “Setting the Expectations,” I ridicule the educational system by suggesting that we fault teachers for not setting thousands of clear expectations. This claim is clearly ridiculous and tongue-in-cheek • In “A Modest Proposal,” Jonathan Swift advocates eating the young as a solution to hunger problems caused by poverty.

3. Evidence • Is the evidence biased? Does it have a “spin” to it? Is it even credible? • Colbert refers to Bush’s 36 % percent approval rating as a sign that “67 % approve of the job he’s not doing.” • In my article, I use mock interviews as evidence. Each “interviewee” provides a ludicrous explanation for the Columbine tragedy, blaming themselves and the educational system, but never the actual killers.

4. Diction • Look for loaded diction—words with heavily positive or negative connotations that are clearly intended to persuade. • Claims of “evil” or “goodness” and similar terms suggest conscious exaggeration and verbal irony. • Check for bias—are the connotations mostly positive or mostly negative?

5. Syntax • Short sentence structures cause the speaker (his or her persona, in actuality) to often appear thoughtless or simple-minded. • Conversely, these types of sentences can, depending on the piece, cause the speaker (persona) to seem straightforward and truthful. • Lengthy sentences either: • Cause the speaker to seem thoughtful and considerate OR Confusing, overly academic, and pedantic

6. Imagery and Details • Does the speaker attempt to evoke pathos through sensory details and description? • Is the imagery humorous or exaggerated? • Colbert describes “drinking crude oil out of Keith Olberman’s skull” in Dowd’s preface to his column. This is a highly exaggerated image.

7. Rhetorical Appeals • Satire is basically a logical argument, because we are supposed to disagree with the ridiculousness of the idea under scrutiny. • However, the logic often masquerades as pathos • In my essay I use the fake interviews to ostensibly cause the reader to feel sorry for the Columbine killers and angry with the teachers and faculty.

8. Jargon and Technical Language • Is there a heavy use of highly specific terminology? • Terminology can be a clue as to who or what is the target—think “who uses these terms in reality?” • I repeat “expectations” ad nauseum. It’s a jargony educational term. • Colbert coins mock terms like “truthiness” and “factinista” in his White House Press Corps speech.

9. Persona • Determine whether or not the speaker is taking on a persona • Satirists often assume the personality and viewpoint opposite their own. • Stephen Colbert takes the role of a highly conservative journalist to ridicule biased journalism, particularly right-wing biased journalism. • In my essay, I take the viewpoint of a journalist who advocates setting thousands of excessively obvious, overly specific expectations that no faculty or student would even need. • Swift certainly does not support eating children.

10. Look For Symbolic Representations FROM THE INTRO TO The Simpsons: • Bart writing on the blackboard: Public education • Bart on his skateboard: The riddles of childhood • Homer leaving and driving home from work: Plight of the working man • Marge at the supermarket checkout: Consumerism (Note: Maggie costs $847.63) • Lisa playing the saxophone: Restrictions of public education and free thought • The family racing for the couch in front of the television: Impact of television on the modern family

11. Tone • What is the tone of the piece? • Use a tone word list for help (there’s one on my website—put it in your binder!) • Satire is usually critical in some way—look for tone words that indicate this.

12. Finally… • Decide who/what is being mocked/ridiculed • A person, type of person, and/or idea or viewpoint is the target • Specify who or what is being targeted and for what reasons. • Link the previous elements (diction, etc. ) to the argument—how does the satirist (speaker or writer) create the humor and ridicule? • Ex. “Stephen Colbert demonstrates the bias and foolish partisanship of news media pundits by assuming a hyperbolically conservative persona.”