GROTESQUE
adjective
Definition:
1. distorted: misshapen, especially in a strange or disturbing way
grotesque shadows
2. incongruous: seeming strange or ludicrous through being out of place or unexpected
3. arts blending realistic and fantastic: relating to or typical of a style of art that mixes the realistic and the fantastic
noun (plural gro·tesques)
Definition:
1. something grotesque: somebody or something considered to be grotesque
2. arts art blending realistic and fantastic: a style of art, especially in 16th-century Europe, in which representations of real and fantastic figures are mixed
3. arts grotesque artistic piece: a piece of art in the grotesque style
SATIRE
Satire (from Latin satura, not from the Greek mythological figure satyr[1]) is a literary genre, chiefly literary and dramatic, in which human or individual vices, follies, abuses, or shortcomings are held up to censure by means of ridicule, derision, burlesque, irony, or other methods, sometimes with an intent to bring about improvement.[2] It is used in graphic arts and performing arts as well. Although satire is usually meant to be humorous, the purpose of satire is not primarily humour but criticism of an event, an individual or a group in a clever manner.
Satire is to be distinguished from parody, which sticks to the form of the piece being mocked. The similarity to comedy is that "in satire, irony is militant"[3].
Satire usually has a definite target, which may be a person or group of people, an idea or attitude, an institution or a social practice. It is found in many artistic forms of expression, including literature, plays, commentary, and media such as song lyrics. Often the target is examined by being held up for ridicule, typically in the hope of shaming it into reform. A very common, almost defining feature of satire is a strong vein of irony or sarcasm. Also, parody, burlesque, exaggeration, juxtaposition, comparison, analogy, and double entendre are devices frequently used in satirical speech and writing – but it is strictly a misuse of the word to describe as "satire" works without an ironic (or sarcastic) undercurrent of mock-approval. Satirical writing or drama often professes to approve values that are the diametric opposite of what the satirist actually wishes to promote.
20th century satire
In the 20th century, satire has been used by authors such as Aldous Huxley and George Orwell to make serious and even frightening commentaries on the dangers of the sweeping social changes taking place throughout Europe and United States. The film, The Great Dictator (1940) by Charlie Chaplin is a satire on Adolf Hitler. Many social critics of the time, such as Dorothy Parker and H. L. Mencken used satire as their main weapon, and Mencken in particular is noted for having said that "one hoarse laugh is worth ten thousand syllogisms" in the persuasion of the public to accept a criticism.
The film Dr. Strangelove from 1964 was a popular satire on the Cold War. A more humorous brand of satire enjoyed a renaissance in the UK in the early 1960s with the Satire Boom, led by such luminaries as Peter Cook, John Cleese, Alan Bennett, Jonathan Miller, David Frost, Eleanor Bron and Dudley Moore and the television programme That Was The Week That Was. As in popular satire, much of their work is also caricature and parody, and much of it does not distinguish but prefer to make entertainment rather than outright criticism.
Contemporary satire
In general, so-called popular satire is imprecisely used to cover also caricature and parody as well, whether as text, picture, or sound, or the film which is able to use all three. Even if one work is really a satire, it would naturally still contain another of these elements.
Stephen Colbert’s television program The Colbert Report is instructive in the methods of contemporary Western satire. Colbert's character is an opinionated and self-righteous commentator who, in his TV interviews, interrupts people, points and wags his finger at them, and unwittingly uses every logical fallacy known to man. In doing so, he demonstrates the principle of modern American satire: the ridicule of the actions of politicians and other public figures by taking all their statements and purported beliefs to their furthest (supposedly) logical conclusion, thus revealing their hypocrisy and stupidity.
Cartoonists often use satire as well as straight humour. Garry Trudeau, whose comic strip Doonesbury has charted and recorded every American folly for the last generation, deals with story lines such as Vietnam (and now, Iraq), dumbed-down education, and over-eating at "McFriendly's". Trudeau exemplifies humor mixed with criticism. Recently, one of his gay characters lamented that because he was not legally married to his partner, he was deprived of the "exquisite agony" of experiencing a nasty and painful divorce like heterosexuals. This, of course, satirized the claim that gay unions would denigrate the sanctity of heterosexual marriage. Doonesbury also presents an example of how satire can cause social change. The comic strip satirized a Florida county that had a law requiring minorities to have a passcard in the area; the law was soon repealed with an act nicknamed the Doonesbury Act.[13]
Like some literary predecessors, many recent modern so-called satires on television contain satirical elements, but are not satires, but parody or caricature. The most prominent are the animated series The Simpsons, South Park, Family Guy, and Spongebob Squarepants, which are parodies, because they mock the form of modern family and social life by taking its presumptions to an extreme. That makes them easily confused with satires. Animated shows can easily use images of public figures and generally have greater freedom to do so than conventional shows using live actors. Similarly, filmed satire as in the comedy American Dreamz did satirize instant celebrity and the George Bush administration, and was therefore satire rather than caricature. This particular film was later criticized for taking on a "too-easy" target.[14]
Satires and parodies are common on the internet; one of the most prominent examples is the news satire site The Onion, which publishes parodies with satirical content.
Satirical television shows such as Have I Got News For You and They Think It's All Over are also popular on British television. Another example would be The Chaser's War on Everything and The Chaser's other program, CNNNN, which are popular satirical Australian television shows.
MANIPULATE:
1. to manage or influence skillfully, esp. in an unfair manner: to manipulate people's feelings.
2. to handle, manage, or use, esp. with skill, in some process of treatment or performance: to manipulate a large tractor.
3. to adapt or change (accounts, figures, etc.) to suit one's purpose or advantage.
4. Medicine/Medical. to examine or treat by skillful use of the hands, as in palpation, reduction of dislocations, or changing the position of a fetus.
