At Suite 101, an article by Cicely A. Richard explains satire as a literary device capable of enriching readers' understanding of the foibles inherent in the prevailing views of their time:
In the poem "Don Juan," George Gordon Lord Byron deviated from the common perception of the notorious lover, Don Juan, and paints him as a man on whom women prey. Additionally, he takes a satiric look at politics and the arts of his time. In this poem, Byron illustrates the effectiveness of satire as a literary device.
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Satire is an effective way to enlighten people about things that may otherwise be taken for granted. It is successful because the humor makes people take a lighter look at serious matters. So, when others finish absorbing the words of the satirist, they begin to think about the information presented to them. For that reason, Byron's use of satire is instrumental the success of "Don Juan."
Read more: "George Gordon Lord Byron's "Don Juan": Byron's Use of Satire and Political Commentary" - http://british-poetry.suite101.com/article.cfm/don_juan_by_george_gordon_lord_byron#ixzz0ES2xWBUP&A
Popular contemporary examples of satire include the TV shows "The Simpsons", "South Park" and "The Daily Show" which is actually more of a parody of TV news that includes satirical bits now and then.
Another example of satire in British poetry comes to us by way of John Dryden in his poem "Mac Flecknoe". Flecknoe, a fictional ruler whose kingdom enjoyed many years of peace, now must choose from among his many sons one to succeed him. He decides upon Shadwell:
And pond'ring which of all his sons was fit
To reign, and wage immortal war with wit;
Cry'd, 'tis resolv'd; for nature pleads that he
Should only rule, who most resembles me:
Shadwell alone my perfect image bears,
Mature in dullness from his tender years.
Shadwell alone, of all my sons, is he
Who stands confirm'd in full stupidity.
The rest to some faint meaning make pretence,
But Shadwell never deviates into sense.
Some beams of wit on other souls may fall,
Strike through and make a lucid interval;
But Shadwell's genuine night admits no ray,
His rising fogs prevail upon the day:
Besides his goodly fabric fills the eye,
And seems design'd for thoughtless majesty:
Thoughtless as monarch oaks, that shade the plain,
And, spread in solemn state, supinely reign.
from http://www.emule.com/poetry/?page=poem&poem=649 accessed 3 May 2009
The satire appears when the reader realizes Mac Flecknoe is John Dryden and Shadwell is Thomas Shadwell, the poet who succeeded Dryden as Britain's Poet Laureate.
In the poem "Don Juan," George Gordon Lord Byron deviated from the common perception of the notorious lover, Don Juan, and paints him as a man on whom women prey. Additionally, he takes a satiric look at politics and the arts of his time. In this poem, Byron illustrates the effectiveness of satire as a literary device.
...
Satire is an effective way to enlighten people about things that may otherwise be taken for granted. It is successful because the humor makes people take a lighter look at serious matters. So, when others finish absorbing the words of the satirist, they begin to think about the information presented to them. For that reason, Byron's use of satire is instrumental the success of "Don Juan."
Read more: "George Gordon Lord Byron's "Don Juan": Byron's Use of Satire and Political Commentary" - http://british-poetry.suite101.com/article.cfm/don_juan_by_george_gordon_lord_byron#ixzz0ES2xWBUP&A
Popular contemporary examples of satire include the TV shows "The Simpsons", "South Park" and "The Daily Show" which is actually more of a parody of TV news that includes satirical bits now and then.
Another example of satire in British poetry comes to us by way of John Dryden in his poem "Mac Flecknoe". Flecknoe, a fictional ruler whose kingdom enjoyed many years of peace, now must choose from among his many sons one to succeed him. He decides upon Shadwell:
And pond'ring which of all his sons was fit
To reign, and wage immortal war with wit;
Cry'd, 'tis resolv'd; for nature pleads that he
Should only rule, who most resembles me:
Shadwell alone my perfect image bears,
Mature in dullness from his tender years.
Shadwell alone, of all my sons, is he
Who stands confirm'd in full stupidity.
The rest to some faint meaning make pretence,
But Shadwell never deviates into sense.
Some beams of wit on other souls may fall,
Strike through and make a lucid interval;
But Shadwell's genuine night admits no ray,
His rising fogs prevail upon the day:
Besides his goodly fabric fills the eye,
And seems design'd for thoughtless majesty:
Thoughtless as monarch oaks, that shade the plain,
And, spread in solemn state, supinely reign.
from http://www.emule.com/poetry/?page=poem&poem=649 accessed 3 May 2009
The satire appears when the reader realizes Mac Flecknoe is John Dryden and Shadwell is Thomas Shadwell, the poet who succeeded Dryden as Britain's Poet Laureate.
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