Juvenalian and Horatian Satire
"Satire is a sort of glass, wherein beholders do generally discover everybody's
face but their own; which is the chief reason for that kind of reception it
meets in the world, and that so very few are offended with it." Jonathan Swift
(1667-1745), Anglo-Irish satirist. The Battle of the Books, Preface (written
1697; published 1704).
Satire is known as the literary style which makes light of a subject,
diminishing its importance by placing it in an amusing or scornful light. Unlike
comedy, satire attempts to create humor by deriding its topic, as opposed to a
topic that evokes laughter in itself. Satires attempt to give us a more humorous
look at attitudes, advances, states of affairs, and in some cases ( as in
Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal ) the entire human race. The least offensive
form of satire is Horatian satire, the style used by Addison and Steele in their
essays. A much more abrasive style is Juvenalian satire, as used by Jonathan
Swift in the aforementioned essay A Modest Proposal. To better understand satire
as a whole, and Horatian and Juvenalian satire in particular, these essays can
provide for further comprehension than a simple definition of the style alone.
Horatian satire is noted for its more pleasant and amusing nature.
Unlike Juvenalian satire, it serves to make us laugh at human folly as opposed
to holding our failures up for needling. In Steele's essay The Spectator's Club,
a pub gathering is used to point out the quirks of the fictitious Sir Robert de
Coverly and his friends. Roger de Coverly is an absolute character. His failure
in an amorous pursuit have left him in the past, which is shown through his
manner of dress, along with his somewhat dubious honor of justice of the quorum.
This position entails such trying duties as explaining Acts to the commoners.
Also present is a lawyer who is more versed in "Aristotle and Cognius" than in
"Littleton and Coke"(Norton, 2193), indicative of lawyers more interested in
sounding learned than being capable of practicing actual law. Near him, a
wealthy merchant whose concerns lie mainly in the wealth of England and himself,
and who views the ocean as his marketplace. Captain Sentry is an old military
man well practiced in the art of false modesty, a trait he detests in others.
Also there is a clergyman who is so frail that he would sooner wait until the
Lord sees fit to smite him than get on with the business of leading his
life.(Norton, 2192-2195). All of these characters present traits present in all
"Satire - Definition and Examples | Literary Devices." Literary Devices. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar.
Satire can be defined as any work in which a human vice or folly is attacked with irony or sarcasm. An example of satire can be found in the song "When the President Talks to God" by Bright Eyes. In this song, the lyrics lay out hypothetical conversations between the President and God, which mocks current President George W. Bush and his use of strong religious influence while in office.
Satirical writing allows the author to express his or her opinion about a problem in society. A writing must follow three rules in order for it to be classified as satirical. First, a continuous focus on one’s subject’s faults. Secondly, instead of telling the reader directly, information must be given indirectly. Thirdly, the writing must have a variety of satirical techniques in general (Festa). With these simple guidelines, an author can demonstrate his beliefs of what he thinks needs to be changed in society.
In his lengthy literary career, Jonathan Swift wrote many stories that used a broad range of voices that were used to make some compelling personal statements. For example, Swifts, A Modest Proposal, is often heralded as his best use of both sarcasm and irony. Yet taking into account the persona of Swift, as well as the period in which it was written, one can prove that through that same use of sarcasm and irony, this proposal is actually written to entertain the upper-class. Therefore the true irony in this story lies not in the analyzation of minute details in the story, but rather in the context of the story as it is written.
Abigail influences the situation, so the conclusion will be in her favor. Arthur Miller uses the characters to show their judgment of her. In the beginning of The Crucible, Abigail states that her name will not be tarnished through gossip (Miller 12). This indicates that gossip is going through Salem
One form of satire that particularly stands out is his use of diction. Both speakers are so focused on oppresing on the other group that they allow emotions to invade their arguments. For example in
“Menippean satire is defined as a form of satire that is indirect and nonrealistic in approach. It consists typically of a loosely organized narrative incorporating a series of dialogues between representatives of various points of view” (Collins).
Although Alexander Pope's, The Rape of the Lock, and Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal are both witty satires, they differ on their style, intention, and mood.
Mad Magazine, The Simpsons, Saturday Night Live. In our society, satire is among the most prevalent of comedic forms. This was not always true, for before the 18th century, satire was not a fully developed form. Satire, however, rose out of necessity; writers and artists needed a way to ambiguously criticize their governments, their churches, and their aristocrats. By the 18th century, satire was hugely popular. Satire as an art form has its roots in the classics, especially in the Roman Horace's Satires. Satire as it was originally proposed was a form of literature using sarcasm, irony, and wit, to bring about a change in society, but in the eighteenth century Voltaire, Jonathan Swift and William Hogarth expanded satire to include politics, as well as art. The political climate of the time was one of tension. Any criticism of government would bring harsh punishments, sometimes exile or death. In order to voice opinions without fear of punishment, malcontented writers turned to Satire. Voltaire's Candide and Swift's Modest Proposal are two examples of this new genre. By creating a fictional world modeled after the world he hated, Voltaire was able to attack scientists, and theologians with impunity. Jonathan Swift created many fictional worlds in his great work, Gulliver's Travels, where he constantly drew parallels to the English government.
Satire can take on many different forms, but still convey the same meaning. Techniques such as grotesque humor, irony, inflation/diminution, and parody’s are all satirical devices ("Satire", para. 1). Grotesque humor creates a tension between laughter and horror; usually called black or dark humor. Its purpose is to shock the audience, and hopefully enlighten their eyes to the subject matter. Irony can often be confused as a synonym for satire. Irony though, is a literary device where there is an incongruity between what one says and does, and what one means. Irony is a form of satire. Inflation and diminution are techniques used to exaggeration the point made by the author. Diminution is taking a real-life situation and reducing it to make it ridiculous and showcase its faults. On the other hand, inflation is shown by taking a real-life situation and blow...
German Philosopher, Immanuel Kant once said, “In law a man is guilty when he violates the rights of others. In ethics he is guilty if he only thinks of doing so” (1800). The word ethics refers to “character” and “conduct” (Northouse, 2015, p. 330). It is deeply “concerned with the virtuousness of individuals and their motives” and “the kinds of values and morals an individual or a society finds desirable or appropriate” (Northouse, 2015, p. 330). Thus, “in regards to leadership, ethics is concerned with what leaders do and who leaders are” (Northouse, 2015, p. 330). Ethics in leadership allows leaders to make decisions regarding what is virtuous or not in a situation. All throughout the history of American government, difficult decisions have been made and the fight for ethics has always been “implicitly or explicitly involved” (Northouse, 2015, p. 330).
During the mid 1590’s John Donne went through a life changing personal struggle in regards to religious opinions. It was during this time that Donne began to make his move from the faith of Catholicism he practiced during childhood as a member of the Roman Catholic Church, to Protestantism through the Church of England. According to of Richard Strier’s book Resistant Structures: Particularly, Radicalism, and Renaissance Texts Donne “for a remarkably long time, was a religious nothing” (121) using this period, of “intellectual and religious bachelorhood” (122) to develop his own ideas, thoughts, and opinions on religion through freedom of conscience. One of the results from this period in Donne’s life was his creation of the third Satire (“Of Religion”). In his work Satire III, John Donne uses the literary genre of satire as a means for critiquing a multitude of religious stances. Donne expresses his own personal problems and discoveries about religion as he engages in freedom of conscience to develop a solution. After reading Satire III, I believe that the effect or outcome that Donne wishes to achieve through his satire of specific religious approaches and authorities is that his readers will also engage in freedom of conscience to seek true religion instead of simply following their religious mascot of choice.
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 readers 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.
Keeping in mind, as a leader, that he/she is a role model. Individuals will acquire ideas about the how the organization operates, the culture of the organization, and about what is considered as ethical behavior, from the leader. This paper presents a comparative analysis of three articles: Kottle and Pelletier (2013), Groves and LaRocca (2011), and Cheng and Wang (2015). These three articles concentrated on the ethical behavior of a leader. An analysis of these articles establishes a theme and general perception of the ethical behavior of a leader. The importance of understanding ethics, incentives that operate as an example and forming strategies for businesses are discussed because of their importance regarding development of good leadership. These key aspects suggest personal ethics positively affect leadership and when made a priority for leaders will produce ethical and effective leadership. An examination of the research questions will be followed by a review of the samples, results and conclusions
The important of leadership and ethics issues are two concepts that are interrelated linked with an organizational environment. Ultimately, all stakeholders of an organization want their leaders and organizations to be ethically sound. Bazerman & Tenbrunsel, (2011). Having exercise the power and influence given to leaders over their followers, ethics practice will be critical to the process of leadership. Northouse, (2013). Ciulla (2004) argued that to achieve “good leadership,” leaders must be morally sound and as such, “ethics lies at the heart of leadership studies” (p. 18). Similarly, followers expect their leaders to be honest and ethical (Northouse, 2013). Honesty