Definition of Satire

"Satire can be described as the literary art of diminishing or derogating a subject by making it ridiculous and evoking towards it attitudes of amusement, contempt, scorn, or indignation. It differs from the comic in that comedy evokes laughter mainly as an end in itself, while satire "derides"; that is, it uses laughter as a weapon, and against a butt that exists outside the work itself"

It is important to remember that satire can be similar to or even employ parody, irony, or sarcasm, but it is its own mode. Also remember that the object of a satire can be specific or general. One can satirize a specific person or a kind of person, a particular vice or political belief, or even, in the case of Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, all of humanity.

Don't forget to bring in your own examples of satire for the coffeehouse on Friday!