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Personification
Definition of Satire
Satire is the use of humor, irony, sarcasm, or ridicule to criticize something or someone. Public figures, such as politicians, are often the subject of satire, but satirists can take... read full definition
Satire is the use of humor, irony, sarcasm, or ridicule to criticize something or someone. Public figures, such as politicians, are often the subject of... read full definition
Satire is the use of humor, irony, sarcasm, or ridicule to criticize something or someone. Public figures, such as politicians... read full definition
Key Examples in Middlesex
Book 1: An Immodest Proposal
Explanation and Analysis—Smyrna Tobacco:
Over the duration of Chapter 3, the Greek and allied armies slowly withdraw from Smyrna, leaving the refugee-packed city defenseless to the oncoming Turkish army. The British soldiers display shockingly little regard for their fellow Europeans—now refugees—even degrading them in the following example of situational irony:
“There’s nothing we can do about it, Phillips. I’ve spent years in the Near East. The one lesson I’ve learned is that there is nothing you can do with these people. [...] They’ve burned down the whole country and now they swarm in here crying for help. Nice cigar, what?”
“Awfully good, sir.”
“Smyrna tobacco. Finest in the world. Brings a tear to my eyes, Phillips, the thought of all that tobacco lying in those warehouses out there.”
“Perhaps we could send a detail to save the tobacco, sir.”
Related Themes:
