Part 1:
For this Unit Project, you will be writing a satirical essay addressing a problem in your community. You may choose community on any level: local, school, national, or world. You may choose a topic as large as global warming or as focused as uniforms in your high school. I recommend choosing something on the national scale for ease of research.
- Click on the link in the Red Box to view the Project Rubrics for this project.
Possible topics could include:
- Global warming
- Health care
- Food stamps or unemployment benefits
- Gun control
- Immigration
- NSA domestic surveillance
- Gay marriage
- Marijuana legalization
- National debt
- Education reform
These are a few suggestions, but you may choose any topic that you can satirize. (The exception to this is abortion rights. This topic is off-limits for this essay.)
Guidelines
Once you have chosen a topic, your paper should explain the debate:
- What are the arguments on either side?
- What logical, ethical, and emotional appeals are used?
- Who are the key figures in the debate (politicians, actors, news pundits, etc)?
- Use a minimum of four quotes, properly cited.
Then, propose a ridiculous solution to the problem. Proceed with your paper by using logical, ethical, and emotional appeals to make a satirical case as to why your ridiculous solution is the "best" solution.
Your whole essay should be written in a satirical tone, in the way that Swift does in Modest Proposal. (You can also refer to Stephen Colbert as an excellent modern example.) Sell your solution!
Length
- 500 – 1500 words
Remember To
- Check your grammar and spelling thoroughly (10% of your grade).
- Cite quotes with MLA format and include a Works Cited page.
- Scroll down to view the full Purdue University Online Writing Lab MLA Style Guide
What to Write
- Introduction
- Introduce the topic you’ll be discussing
- Body Paragraph #1
- What logical, ethical, and emotional appeals are used?
- Who are the key figures who are pro this topic? What do they say?
- Use a minimum of two quotes, properly cited.
- Describe the arguments for the pro side of this topic
- Body Paragraph #2
- What logical, ethical, and emotional appeals are used?
- Who are the key figures who are against this topic? What do they say?
- Use a minimum of two quotes, properly cited.
- Describe the arguments for the con side of this topic
- Body Paragraph #3
- Propose your ridiculous solution
- Show why this is the “best” answer to the topic
- Use exaggeration, understatement, irony, and sarcasm ( remove this part)
- Conclusion
- Summarize the pro and con sides of the debate on this topic, including your solution
Part 2 – Speech or PowerPoint Presentation
Getting Started
- Look at the essay you’ve written, and pull out the key points.
- Modify your essay to create a speech or Power Point that will highlight that this is satire.
- Watch the following examples of satire to get ready:
- Stephen Colbert on Poor People (http://www.cc.com/video-clips/zq2rpw/the-colbert-report–poor–in-america)
- Saturday Night Live on Sarah Palin (http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/couric–palin-open/n12311)
- Find a way to record your speech. It may be in either audio or video format. Audacity is a good program, but you can also create a voice text, or record yourself with a smartphone.
- For the Power Point presentation find some visuals and/or videos that represent your topic. Pull out the key points of your essay.
What to Do
- Record a speech that uses the information you presented in the satirical essay, but presents it in an energetic fashion. Use tone of voice to highlight and convey your true feelings about the topic.
- OR Create a Power Point presentation (or Animoto, or other program) with is a minimum of 10 slides.
- For each slide add a visual and/or video and include 2-3 bullet points from your essay.
Length
- 2 – 5 minutes - for the Speech
- 10 slide minimum for the Power Point Presentation
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