How to write a satire essay
Writing a satire essay is tough, especially if you don’t typically think of yourself as a funny person. Even if you do think that you have a refined sense of humor, you may still find satire difficult. Satire is taking a subject and presenting it in a light that shows just how absurd, ironic, or ridiculous it is. In order to do so, you are going to have to take some jabs, and sometimes you’ll have to throw good taste out the window.
So how do you get started on writing a satire essay? Well much like a caricature artist, you have to pick out a few specific features that truly highlight the absurdity of the subject matter. You can often find some great examples of satirical writing (and art) in the Sunday paper. Take a look there if you are struggling to find inspiration.
Once you have a good feeling for how satire essays are written and have chosen a topic make sure you set one specific goal for your essay. From there you can begin crafting an essay that flawlessly humiliates the topic you have chosen to represent.
Most of the satire essays that have been propelled into the spotlight focus on religion or politics. This is a good place to start if you are struggling to find a topic, but you should be aware of the political and religious beliefs of the person who will be reviewing your essay. It is possible that they may be offended and provide a poor grade out of spite, even if your satirical interpretation was flawless.
Satire paper writing tips
Feel free to use hyperbole liberally throughout the essay. Hyperbole is a gross exaggeration of a fact. For instance, if you were writing an essay about Bill Clinton, you might say, “Bill loves cigars so much that he has converted the entire oval office into a humidor.” Of course, we all know that he didn’t do that, but we also understand the references to the cigar (and the humidity).
Irony might also help you get the point across in your essay. Essentially, irony is going to represent the opposite of what you are truly trying to say. There are hundreds of examples of irony on the web, so feel free to look for a few.
Satirical essays are one of the only essays where using humor is acceptable. It’s not only acceptable, but it’s actually encouraged! Humor is a great way to get the reader “on your side,” especially if you are actually funny.
Writing a satirical essay is going to be challenging, especially the first few times you do it, but it will get easier and easier. If you have a big assignment to take care of take your time. You might need to rewrite the essay a few times before you get it just write. Feel free to zip through the creation of the essay and then revisit and rewrite anything that isn’t helping with everything. With a bit of practice, you could easily write one of the best satire essays of all time.