Satire: Manipulating Meaning

Twain’s Ancestors Charles Henry Twain

In the seventeenth century, Charles Henry Twain was a devoted missionary who helped

convert sixteen thousand people from South Sea islands and teach them civilised ways of life,

such as how to dress appropriately. They spoke after his burial of their deep affection for him

and their regret at not having more time to spend with him. The description I chose is satire

written by Twain, who employed wit, irony, and humour to achieve that effect. He referred to his

extended family of South Sea islanders as his “flock.” With the intention of making the reader

laugh, Twain artificially injected wit into this statement. Quote from Mark Twain displaying

irony: “Taught them that a dog-tooth necklace and a pair of eyeglasses was not adequate apparel

to come to divine worship in...” The irony here is that being islands and all, they may not have

had access to sufficient clothes.

My Own Satire and Humour

The party for my tenth birthday was the best one I have ever been a part of. The unique

combination of a zoo party, the presence of both mammalian and human guests, a cake that

looked like it had been baked in the Himalayas, and a truly remarkable present guaranteed that

this celebration would not soon be forgotten. Imagine that: I, of all the little people in history,

became the most famous. But when my sixteenth birthday approached, it became less

memorable. Thanks to the today’s blank-faced strangers who saw my name on the desktop

corner at the top right, I was able to express my appreciation. Besides posting a status update on

Facebook or Twitter, I could not think of a lazier way to celebrate someone’s birthday.

There was no doubt in my mind that my ninth birthday would be one of the most

memorable days of my life. I celebrated my birthday at the zoo with loved ones, adorable
critters, a humongous cake, and an adorable present. Back then, I thought I was the luckiest kid

alive. In any case, turning sixteen was not a milestone I was going to remember fondly forever. I

thanked all the “friends” on Facebook who took the time out of their day to wish me a happy

birthday, and I thought if there was not a simpler way to wish you a happy birthday.

My satire was characterised by exaggeration, irony, and caricature. These comedy tactics

were specifically chosen by me because of the hilarious impact they had on my performance.

When describing the enormous birthday cake, I was given, I used an exaggeration. It was not

actually Himalayan; it was simply enormous. Because individuals seldom wish one other well on

their birthdays in person anymore, I used sarcasm to highlight how social media has become the

de facto method. Finally, I utilised caricature to explain how most of our online friends do not

care about us and are just blank-faced strangers regardless of how many we have.