In his book The Future of Life, Edward O. Wilson uses a satirical approach to exemplify the reasons that extremely bias passages are unproductive and somewhat ridiculous. The two passages given represent two opposing views: one from an extreme environmentalist viewpoint, and the other from an extremely conservative or "people-first" point of view. Wilson's use of satire and mockery creates bias in both passages by including hyperbolic and unacademic justifications in order to illustrate the ineffectiveness of the arguments. Wilson's passages are primarily ineffective because they are radical in content, overly-casual in tone, and only acknowledge one side of the argument. When regarding the other side, both the environmentalist viewpoint …show more content…
To persuade an audience to support their view, an author must establish their credibility and professionalism or else their argument will be perceived as illegitimate by the readers. Unprofessional statements such as "what's at stake as they busy themselves are your tax dollars and mine, and ultimately our freedom too" (lines 15-17) eliminates the validity of the justification made. The claim that environmentalists consume tax dollars is valid, but since it was presented in a hyperbolic and stereotypical manner, its effectiveness is lost. Exaggerating the effects of environmentalists by proposing that "our freedom" (line 17) is at stake due to the spending of tax dollars is pretentious and therefore decreases the productiveness of the argument as a whole. Stereotypical names given to both sides that are used throughout the passages such as "greens" (line 3) and "right-wingers" (lines 65-66) create a humorous tone that diminishes the credibility of the authors. Humor, a beneficial anecdote in some arguments that adds to the effectiveness when used in moderation, is excessively prevalent in the passages to the extent that both are perceived as absurd. Casual mockery such as the statement "some Bennington College student with a summer job will find an endangered red spider on your property, and before you know what happened the Endangered Species Act will be used to shut you down" (lines 19-23) augments the humorous tone of the passage and eliminates the productiveness of the assertions made. Wilson’s use of satire emphasizes the importance of not only the validity of the points made in justifying an argument, but also the diction used by the author and presentation in attributing to the argument's overall
Both works provide valuable insight into the political atmosphere of American society, but vary greatly in their intended message, usage of persuasive method, projected audience, and choice of tone. One can see resemblance, however, in the fact that the authors of both articles strive to spark a reaction in their readers and encourage change. In that regard, while Hedges’
Atkins composes a reflective essay to demonstrate how guilty pleasures that are not environmentally friendly should be payed back by juxtaposing his lifestyle with the habits of so called nature lovers. The author of Shut Up About My Truck amplifies his syntax by embellishing his sentences, using descriptive imagery and shifting tones to vindicate himself from the misuse of the environment.
“How to poison the earth” by Linnea Saukko can be seen in two different aspects. The first one would be by looking at it in a literal way, in which it will make it a very harsh, inhumane and cold text. On the other hand, it could be seen as a satire, sarcastic and ironic text in which Saukko expects to catch the reader’s attention. Saukko exaggerates the sarcasm, and satire in her writing in order to make the readers realize and understand the main purpose of her essay, which is to warn readers about threats to the future of our planet.
He realized how similar their bickering and allegations were to each other, and so he satirically compares the two in order to reveal these similarities and hypocrisy. It becomes ever so apparent that Wilson choice to use irony and caricature, in the forms of the hypocrisy of the texts and the extreme stereotyping of the groups (he literally spells it out for us in the title of each bit of text), allows the reader to make their own inferences and form their own ideas about the nature of the texts and their similarities; this is essential to the nature of Wilson’s goal as well as the nature of satire, aiming to reveal similarities and flaws via the techniques of
By citing credible organizations and offering her own eco-friendly alternatives, she proves to the reader that she takes a particular interest in the environment and is educated to speak on it. Pairing powerful understatements and hyperboles to contrast with one another show the reader that the practice is both needless and selfish. These rhetorical techniques have a powerful impact on the reader, whose ignorance prior to reading the excerpt can no longer suffices to excuse the lack of action. Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring is a deeply persuasive book that not only advocates for an end to pesticides but also speaks to the obligation humans hold to protect their
In every culture, every scenario, every aspect of life, there are two sides to a story. One side that favors a certain group of people, and another that favors the other. In Wilson's two passages, he shows the viewpoints of the environmentalists and of their critics. By composing these pieces, Wilson illustrates his negative opinion on such arguments. He makes it obvious that fighting about the issue does nothing to solve the issue. To further emphasize his view, he uses many means of satire. This includes humor, irony, and ridicule to criticize the two groups' social stupidity.
“Without morals a republic cannot subsist any length of time;they therefore who are decrying the christian religion, whose morality is so sublime and pure (and) which insures to the good eternal happiness, and undermining the solid foundation of morals, the best security for the durations of free governments”.-Charles Carroll
Silent Spring is one of the most important books of the environmental movement. It was one of the first scientific books to talk about destruction of habitat by humans. As a result, one can imagine that Ms. Rachel Carson needed to be quite persuasive. How does she achieve this? In this excerpt from Silent Spring, Carson utilizes the rhetorical devices of hyperbole, understatement, and rhetorical questions to state the necessity of abolishing the practice of using poisons such as parathion. Carson starts out by using the symbiotic nature of hyperbole and understatement to paint the whole practice as dangerous and unnecessary. She further strengthens her argument by using rhetorical questions to make her readers see the ethical flaws and potential casualties caused by deadly pesticides.
Edward O. Wilson, the writer of this satire, writes about the opinions of two disagreeing sides to demonstrate the unproductive nature of these litigations. To do this, the author writes in a horatian manner and uses instances of exaggeration, parody, incongruity, and irony to help him convey his message that these arguments are pointless. The well distributed use of these strategies allows the writer to efficiently illustrate and mock the unproductive disagreement of these two groups of people.
There is a direct link in Book I and Book IV of the Once and Future King from the animation and adventure that Wart experiences to the fall of King Arthur’s reign. The shift is long and detailed but in the end everything ties together. Although at points the plot is grim, White throws in a little bit of satire throughout every book, for example in Book II when the Orkney environment is harsh but then it is contradicted by the behavior of Sir Pellinore, Sir Grummore, and Sir Palomides. In Book III, it is very descriptive and tedious with a darker tone, but then also is offset by Lancelot’s adventures. It is evident that the tone changes drastically from Book I to Book IV but what I noticed, is that the same themes and ideas are expressed within these two books.
He compares moral annoyance on to an “apocalyptic fear-mongering that previously took the shape of repent or burn in hell, but now it is recycle or burn in the ozone hole” (27). Asma uses metaphors to mock the comparison between religion versus environmentalism. His article advocates for an ideology that is not as dominated by these feelings of guilt and believes that we should “lighten our fervor to more reasonable levels.” Asma’s comparison to religious extremities and environmentalism creates diction among what the audience may value or not agree with. By pursuing such controversy, Asma’s points of view allow the audience to take thought on the parallels between their aggression and self-reflection, as well as the green marketing ploys made to persuade the members of the modern society. Throughout Asma’s argument, he frequently uses a diction to lead to the humorous tone of his submissive counterargument. He mentions that we may not be able to punch the people we want to punch in real life, so we turn our aggression to the retrobates of TV land. Comparing a “joyful hatred” to such TV shows may justify the defense of our own “virtue and orthodoxy”. The diction created by the specific word choice allows the diction to affect the overall tone of the article -- satirical with a slight serious approach. If he were to use different words, it would be less effective. His metaphorical explanation also appeals to pathos because it represents another set of emotional feelings the audience feels. By mentioning the common appeal to modernized television, Asma enables the audience to connect on a personal level to a controversy that is not related to environmentalism, but is similar in a way that it makes everyone feeling guilty all feel the
In “William Wilson”, Edgar Allan Poe teases his readers throughout the entirety of story with hints about its unexpectedly expected conclusion. Through figuratively-infused passages, Poe meticulously leads the reader to the front steps of the story’s ending without ever truly revealing the conclusion until the final sentences. Within those final sentences, the question of who the second William Wilson truly is, is answered, immediately transforming the story from a battle between two physical beings with both the same name and appearance into an internal battle staged within the mind of one man with conflicting desires. In order to create this dramatic and essential shift, Poe externalizes the protagonist’s internal struggle by blurring the
Satire is defined as “the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues” (Oxford). The best satirical writers can make the reader believe that an idea is “logical and practical.” This is seen in great abundance in Aldous Huxley’s novel, Brave New World. Through his writing, Huxley uses satire to effectively point out the flaws of society at the time. Even though Brave New World was written in 1931, the satirical points Huxley makes are still relevant in today’s world.
In “A Modest Proposal” several forms of satire are demonstrated throughout the story. Satire is defined as the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose or criticize people’s stupidity or vices. (Google) In "A Modest Proposal" Swift uses parody which is a form of satire. Parody is primarily making fun of something to create a humorous feel for it. In “A Modest Proposal,” Swift uses parody to make fun of the people and children of Ireland, expressing the children as delicious food to be eaten.
Satire in Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest. The Importance of Being Earnest is a comedy of manners, whereby Oscar Wilde uses satire to ridicule marriage, love and the mentality of the Victorian aristocratic society. It can also be referred to as satirical comedy. What is a satire and what is Oscar Wilde trying to emphasize by employing it in his play?