Summary Of Girl Moved To Tears By Onion

The article, “Girl Moved To Tears By 'Of Mice And Men' Cliffs Notes,” published by The Onion, argues through its satire that people shouldn’t cry over the dry, analyzed parts like the summaries and that they should read the book instead. The type of satire used to develop the thesis is horatian and a satirical device used to develop the thesis is irony. The article is filled with verbal irony with direct quotes from Weaver like “‘I never wanted the synopsis to end’” and from her professor that said, “this was not the first time one of his students has expressed interest in the novel’s plot summary.” The target of the satire are students who read summaries rather than the entire book and the purpose is to encourage students to read the book rather than Cliff Notes to get all the information. The opposing argument is that sources like Sparknotes and Cliff Notes can actually help a student if they don’t understand something they just read or if they are under a time crunch.

The article, “15-Year-Old Duchess Of McComb, AL Announces Pregnancy,” published by The Onion, argues through its satire that the media worries more about teenage pregnancies in royal families than more urgent problems.

The type of satire used to develop the thesis is juvenalian and a satirical device used to develop the argument is overstatement. Throughout the article, people who were interviewed for the Duchess’s pregnancy seemed to exaggerate and stated more than they probably knew. The target of satire are teenage mothers and the author wants us to believe that their are actually royal families with the names of “Skeeter” who live in trailer homes. The opposing argument is that royal families can have scandals such as a pregnant teenager where they publicly alienate the victim so it won’t spoil the family’s

reputation.
The article titled, “6-Year-Old Stares Down Bottomless Abyss Of Formal Schooling,” published by The Onion, satirically argues that children wanting to play more rather than learn is normal but they shouldn’t quit school over that. The type of satire used is horatian and a satirical device used is loaded words. Phrases such as “crushing reality,” “blissfully yet to learn,” and “3-foot-tall tragic figure” gives the article a heartbreaking connotation to it. The target of the satire is kids who don’t want to go to school and the purpose is to motivate them to go through that necessary evil so they can play all they want when they grow old. The opposing argument is that school can be fun.
Binyavanga Wainaina’s article “How to Write About Africa” is satirically arguing what readers expect the “real” Africa to be versus what it actually is. The type of satire used is horatian and a satirical device used is verbal irony. Wainaina writes stereotypes of Africa and tells the reader the “musts” when writing anything about Africa; these “musts” are ironic since Wainaina means that they aren’t necessary. The target of the satire are the Westerners that seem to have created an Africa that’s not accurate and the author wants the audience to stop assuming clichés about Africa and know the facts. The opposing argument is that Africa Wainaina’s words are used in almost any successful written work.
Rick Reilly’s article titled, “The Weak Shall Inherit the Gym” argues that dodgeball is preparation for the real world to find out whether you’re the alpha or beta, and if dodgeball is banned so should other games that have human targets, as expressed by Reilly. The type of satire used is juvenalian and a satirical device used is invective. Reilly uses name calling such as “New Age whiners” and “NPR-listening, Starbucks-guzzling parents” to challenge the school board and parents to consider the effects of banning dodgeball. The target of the satire is the people who ruled the decision to ban dodgeball and the purpose is to make the audience want games with targets so they can be better prepared for the real world. The opposing argument is that dodgeball can be another form of bullying since it is used to target people, which can lead to emotional stress, depression, or even suicide.