Commonly Used Satiric Devices

satire: Literary art form that ridicules human folly or vice hoping tocorrect it

Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update; editorial/political cartoons

hyperbole: A gross overstatement; an extreme exaggeration

"I've told you a million times not to do that."

irony: A literary device where what is stated is often the opposite of what is meant

"It's really unfair of me to engage you in a battle of wits when you're only half armed."

understatement: Speech that deliberately minimizes a situation, often for comic effect

"Let's send one bag of rice; that will help all of those starving Sudanese."

inversion: A reversal of order, form, or another relationship

We know Oliver is smart because he always scores in the bottom 10 percent on his standardized tests.

invective: Speech that may be directed toward an individual, cause, idea, or system that attacks or denounces it

When politicians cut funding for preschool programs, it's because they really value all forms of education.

sarcasm: Sneering disapproval often expressed as praise; i.e., someone who falls may be praised for his gracefulness

When the nervous freshman dropped his lunch tray, the seniors at a nearby table gave him a standing ovation and yelled, "Way to go, Grace."