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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 White Noise
Chapter 8
Explanation and Analysis—Ich kann kein Deutsch:
In Chapter 8, Jack reveals to the reader that, despite being a pre-eminent scholar of Adolf Hitler, he does not know German. He is aware that this is an important lapse in his education, yet he is still utterly confident in his status in his academic field. His shameful tone in the following statement is an example of Part I's satire of academia:
MY STRUGGLE with the German tongue began in mid-October and lasted nearly the full academic year. As the most prominent figure in Hitler studies in North America, I had long tried to conceal the fact that I did not know German. [...] The least of my Hitler colleagues knew some German; others were either fluent in the language or reasonably conversant. No one could major in Hitler studies at the College-on-the-Hill without a minimum of one year of German. I was living, in short, on the edge of a landscape of vast shame.
Related Themes:
