So, Is _As I Lay Dying_ a Satire?

12/16/2016

What Is Satire?

Satire is a genre of literature, and sometimes graphic and performing arts, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, corporations, government or society itself, into improvement. Although satire is usually meant to be humorous, its greater purpose is often constructive social criticism, using wit to draw attention to both particular and wider issues in society.

Satire and irony in some cases have been regarded as the most effective source to understand a society, the oldest form of social study. They provide the keenest insights into a group's collective psyche, reveal its deepest values and tastes, and the society's structures of power.

For its nature and social role, satire has enjoyed in many societies a special freedom license to mock prominent individuals and institutions. The satiric impulse, and its ritualized expressions, carry out the function of resolving social tension. Institutions like the ritual clowns, by giving expression to the antisocial tendencies, represent a safety valve which reestablishes equilibrium and health in the collective imaginary, which are jeopardized by the repressive aspects of society.

What is the purpose of satire?
Why do you think some choose to write satire?
What are the tools of satire?
What are some of prominent examples of satire?
If As I Lay Dying is a satire, what does it satirize?

Essay Topics:

As I Lay Dying ridicules and satirizes often-revered traditions and institutions such as patriarchy and religion. Provide your analysis of this novel as a satire of a specific authority or value.
Provide your character analysis of Anse Bundren, while paying particular attention to the way the text constructs him as an antihero.

7 Comments

Andrea Gaytan

12/21/2016 20:55:46

In the book As I Lay Dying show religion and patriarchy throughout the novel. The author uses the humor and irony of different characters to carry out the story of a dysfunctional family. The story all begins when the mother Addie has an affair with the priest, you wouldn’t think a priest would be capable of that which shows irony, and the start of the Bundren’s problems. Since Addie had an affair with Mr.Whitfield, her whole family was “cursed”, because this was seen as a sin. Thanks to this sin, Addie’s family became a complete mess. The author does not strictly mention this shows a bit of religion, but as you read you can make the connection of the priest and later on the accident Cash had at church. Cash broke his leg while fixing the roof of a church, once again showing the irony used by the author. You come to think that it is quite strange that a boy broke his leg in one of the most sacred places. In the novel the author tends to use "God" this and "God" that for a lot of things, for example when Anse said "God's will be done... now that I can get them teeth." The novel also portrays patriarchy, by the husband Anse claiming he is the “hero” of the story. Throughout the novel, Anse thinks he is being a great father, but in reality he is not doing anything. In page 117, the author clearly shows how Anse really treated Jewel. Jewel bought a horse with his own money, and Anse was getting after him, ““You went behind my back and bought a horse. You never consulted me, you know how tight it is for us to make by, yet you bought a horse for me to feed.” This doesn’t just know how Pa mistreated Jewel, but also how much power and authority Anse thought he had. This carries out through the story, for example when the boys are carrying Addie in her tomb and he just stops helping because he claims to be tired. Anse shows to be a selfish character with the idea of things being done his way.
-Andrea Gaytan

Anse Bundren is the husband of Addie and the father of the Bundrens. Throughout the story he carries the character of being the hero, but in reality he isn't such a big hero. He has this big excuse of him not being able to sweat, because if not he is going to die. He uses this excuse to not do anything and not help around. Pretty ironic don't you think? He claims to be this big hero, but is also pretty lazy. We learn that Anse made the promise to take Addie to Jefferson, but he isn't really taking her for that promise anymore. As the story goes on, the author exposes the reader on Anse being interested in going to Jefferson to obtain a denture. What makes him such a hypocrite is that Anse does not help anybody out, but ends up stealing from Cash, forces Jewel to sell his horse, and takes Dewey Dell's money just to fulfill his dreams.

Kay

1/14/2017 12:20:57

A good point!
A member of the congregation falling off the church's roof may be only an unfortunate happening; however, since multiple narrators comment on Cash's limp, the fact starts to limp around the reader's awareness--that is, the accident starts to carry weight in the reader's mind, thus tarnishing the symbolic authority that the church and Minister Whitfield might claim to hold. This is the way in which Faulkner satirizes the religious authority in this novel and questions the possibility that religion holds the power to redeem the piteous characters.

Valeria Salinas

2/7/2017 19:09:26

One example of a satire would be Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver Travels" because Swift satires about religion and politics. The function of a satire is to criticize vices in society. The role of satire isn't really to make fun of the ideas written by the author, but to warn the public about the conditions in their societies.

Luis Villanueva 1-2A

2/11/2017 18:31:20

The purpose of a satire is to criticize some else for example Johnathan Swifts a Modest Proposal which says that we should cell babies for meat, but he does not mean that we are actually going to do that he is just criticizing the government. Also like Valeria said we are currently reading Gullivers Travels which is a satire and therefore should not believe everything Swift says otherwise your gullable. Valeria makes a very good point about satire it is mainly to target a higher power which is society.

Adaylin Alvarez

2/13/2017 02:42:23

Hi Luis,

I remember reading A Modest Proposal in English 3 AP last year and learning about what a satire is. When our teacher asked us to read A Modest Proposal before explaining to us what satire was, I felt uncomfortable with reading about Jonathan Swift desire for people to eat babies. Before knowing what a satire was, I thought that Jonathan Swift was insane and didn't have any morals, but I then found out that his diction was a sarcastic form of criticizing the government and white the rhetorical questions he asked, he made me realize that everything he said is an exaggerated, dark, and twisted truth. If the government isn't working in our favor and is leaving us unemployed and out on the streets, then why don't we just eat their healthy babies?

2/13/2017 02:33:46

A satire has a sort of sarcastic tone used to ridicule or mock people and their political views, especially if those views are what the author considers ignorant and or stupid. A satire doesn't always have to be in a written form; satires can take any form in any direction. A literary example of a satire would be Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal. This literary piece is identified as a satire because it shows the author using dark humor, sarcasm, and irony to mock the Irish Government at the time and the way it treats people. An example of a satire that isn't written and published would be the TV Show Saturday Night Live. SNL is a satirical comedic show in which actors like Alec Baldwin, Kate McKinnon, and Melissa McCarthy use dark comedy and sarcasm to show how their political views.

2/17/2017 00:22:17

Hello Adaylin,
I loved your explanation on satires, especially your example on how Saturday Night Live is a satire that isn't written or published. It's true! SNL comedians perform many laughing scarcastic scenes of views on politics.

So, Is _As I Lay Dying_ a Satire?

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