THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING FUNNY: TEACHING SATIRE AND HUMOR

SATIRE UNIT ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
What makes something funny? What devices can artists and authors employ to create humor?
What topics/issues are best broached through humor? Are some topics "off-limits"?
When is satire more effective than a traditional, "straightforward" approach?

Workshop PowerPoint
Humor Devices Bookmark
Understanding Humor Devices PowerPoint
Understanding Humor Devices Cloze Notes


Links to unit texts:
"3' by 4' Plot of Green Space Rejuvenates Neighborhood" from The Onion
"Kitchen-Floor Conflict Intensifies as Rival House Cats Claim Same Empty Bag" from The Onion
"Fall Canceled After 3 Billion Seasons" from The Onion
"Dollar Bill Found on Floor Sends Wall Street into Frenzy" from The Onion
VIDEO: from The Onion News Network: Report: "American Schools Trail Behind World in Aptitude of Child Soldiers"

CAVEAT: The Onion's website specifically states that it is NOT intended for readers under the age of 18. It has amazing articles and resources for satire, but PLEASE examine all items on the page(s) carefully - sometimes profanity lurks in the sidebars, related links, and captions, even if the article or video itself is innocuous.

"A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift
"Let's Spread the Fun Around" by Ward Churchill
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

• link to purchase copies of Dover Thrift Editions

Visual satire:
OPTIC analysis sheet
Gin Lane, engraving by William Hogarth
The Marriage Settlement by William Hogarth
Native American sports mascot editorial cartoons: "But I'm Honoring, You, Dude!" and "Which One is the Mascot?"
Norman Rockwell's "Freedom from Want" and the parody, "American Thanksgiving"

Satire Project Scoring Guides
Link to student project on YouTube: "Poor, Poor iPhone: An Elegy"

Independent reading book list
Description of independent reading assignment: Satire Terms Entries
Sample satire terms entry for The Importance of Being Earnest

"Through" Activities for The Importance of Being Earnest:
Epigrams activity
Act I Marriage Quotations activity
Facebook Live News Feed Parody for The Importance of Being Earnest
Facebook Live News Feed Activity directions