Essay writing is a part of almost all academic courses. But for those who are pursuing English as their main subject, good writing skills are of vital importance. English literature has so many sections and it consists of such a vast variety of literary works, that it takes a lot of effort to do justice to your literature studies. There are many genres of literature which only English literature students get to study in detail. One of them which is extremely popular and interesting to learn, is satire. To write an essay on satire or on a particular work which comes under this genre, you will need to understand this form of literature.
Satire is that literary form which talks about issues which the writer does not approve of, in a way that does not openly touch the topic. It is mostly presented in a comical form using sarcasm as the main weapon. It uses all types of literary forms like prose, verse and drama to reach out to the public. There are certain satires which are not comical too. This was not very common but it has been seen that all types of satire were appreciated by the public.
There were many issues which couldn’t be publicly opined about due to various reasons. Such issues were addressed through satirical works. When presented on stage, it just looked like a comedy or drama to those who had no relation to it. But good satires were written in such a way, as to convey the matter easily and very clearly to those who were involved in the issue.
This form of literary work became a favourite in expressing such issues because it proved to have much more effect than direct criticism. The issues addressed were mostly political or social and those of a very sensitive nature. Since these didn’t point directly or openly to the issue, the writer could not be ridiculed or held responsible for talking about the particular issue in question.
In time, due to the popularity of this literary form, many sub sections evolved out of it. Political satire and social satire are the most widely acknowledged sections of satire. The definition of these separate sections is clear from the given titles itself. You might have to look into these too, depending on the topic of your essay on satire.
Studying the satirical works of a particular period of time will give you a very good insight into the lifestyle of that period. It will also help you understand the negative aspects of the society which existed during that period.
When asked to write an essay on satire, you should try to read some of the famous satirical works. You could pick points, from the works you choose to read, to explain your view in your essay, as well. If you have been asked to write on a particular work in this genre, then you will have to study that particular work in detail. The nature of satire makes it extremely tough to interpret one. But all the same, it is very interesting for those who are good at the subject.
If you don’t feel confident about the task, consult those who are good at it. Checking out samples of other essays, research papers or term papers on satire will give you an idea of how to complete your assignment of writing an essay on satire. You can also refer to the articles written on this wonderful form of literature.
