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Satire is a therapeutic form of criticism used to point out a specific failing of society. With the intelligent addition of wit, the satirist can manipulate society to look at weak aspects in a humorous way, making the effect greater. Satire is important because ultimately it will force society to come to a realization that something should be changed or improved.
To cause change, the impact of a statement is exaggerated using satire. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the major theme is racism. Huck Finn comes to a conclusion that he would rather go to hell for helping his black friend, Jim, escape slavery than follow the standards of a racist society. Mark Twain attempts to influence nineteenth century society with his opinion that slavery was immoral. What makes his argument satirical is the irony of Huck Finn, an ignorant thirteen year old boy, realizing the immorality of slavery faster than the so-called educated adults surrounding him. Also, the ironic, satirical strategy used by Mark Twain depicts Jim as Huck’s savior when being judged by a racist society as almost non-human. Jim feeds and protects Huck throughout their adventures on the Mississippi River and has sentiments about losing his family, which proves he is human. If the reader feels anything at all when the King sold Jim for a horse, then Mark Twain’s use of satire to change society is successful.
Wit makes satire successful because it uses an element that everyone loves-humor. Everyone loves to laugh, so using humor to help society realize how ridiculous even its simplest aspects are. Simple or complicated, the more shameful aspects of society can be corrected if they are pointed out with humor to avoid seeming rude. J.B.
Lee, Jr. says in the Letter to the Honorable Ed Foreman that his friend never received such a large amount of money before for raising hogs let alone for not raising them. So Lee then says he will begin “not raising hogs” to receive...