Paper #4 Assignment: Satirically Speaking

For your final paper assignment, I want you to write your own satire on some real-world issue straight from the headlines.  To help you do this, I want you to actually find an article from a newspaper, magazine, or on-line to read and respond to satirically.  You can use anything from ECU’s The Journal, an essay from The Writer’s Presence, or even  an article from your Facebook feed.  However, you must include the article with your assignment so I can see your original inspiration Try to find something you actually care about, since this will inspire you to poke fun at it and make the reader see the real issue behind it. 

Your satire can take many forms, since there’s no single way to write satire.  However, here are a few ways that work particularly well:

·         An Onion-style newspaper article or editorial (as we read in class)

·         A short skit between 2 or more people

·         A television commercial (written out, of course)

·         A satirical movie review (it can be funny to treat some actual issues as if they’re a movie—like writing a satirical movie review of a college class, etc.)

ALSO: I want everyone to share their satire in class so we can try to guess what you’re really trying to say.  That means you have to (gasp) read your satire to the class.  If you really, really faint at the prospect of reading aloud, I can read it for you, or in extreme cases I can have you read it to me in my office.  However, this is part of the assignment and you cannot get full credit if you skip class this day.  There will be a prize for best satirical paper in each class (prize to be announced in class—and it’s better than extra credit). 

REQUIREMENTS

·         At least 2-3 pages, double spaced

·         Must include the original article that inspired it

·         Should follow the rules and structure of satire that we discussed in class (though you can interpret this fairly loosely)

·         Must come to class to read your satire to the class to get full credit

·         DUE IN-CLASS ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2^nd (no late papers accepted)