In many ways The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a criticism of the society of its time. Many works that do not overtly want to be critical often portray the problems in a humorous view. This is called satire. The definition of satire is (write this down):
Satire is 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.
To understand satire, first read this article “Facebook’s ‘Satire’ Tag Could Wipe out the Internet’s Terrible Hoax-News Industry” from the Washington Post. Answer the following questions.
What does this article show us about the difference between satire and “real” news?
Where do the two overlap?
Why do some people mistake satire for straight news?
Washington Post: "Facebook's 'Satire' Tag Could Wipe Out the Internet's Terrible Hoax-News Industry"
Next, read the next two articles. The first is called, “Obama Vetoes Keystone Pipeline Expansion." The second is called, “Keystone Veto Buys Environment at Least 3 or 4 More Hours." Answer the following questions:
What knowledge is required to “get” the jokes?
How can even serious historical events be rendered in humorous ways?
Does the passage of time give us the ability to joke about the past?
Why is it important for us to be able to tell the difference between the truth and satire?