

Saturday Night Live is such a popular late night television show because of the humor that is both obvious and underlying. The humor that is used is often satirical and pokes fun at political and social issues. An example that was recently presented on SNL was a skit that featured actors portraying Donald Trump, Mike Pence, and Mitt Romney. It was funny because not only were the actors making fun of Donald Trump, but they were making fun of our current political state in general. It shouldn’t be funny because it is quite possible that these scenarios that they are making fun of could happen, but it is hard not to laugh at what seems like a comedic movie that doesn’t seem like reality. Satirical humor seems to exist to either make a situation less serious, or perhaps bring light to a sensitive subject in a subtle way. Although a satire can be funny, it is also an effective way of getting information out to the public. In “A Modest Proposal” written by Jonathan Swift, this is exactly what he tries to accomplish. In his proposal, he comes up with a solution to the over-population problem in Ireland, which because of this issue lead to a food deficit. He claims that if we eat the children, this will not only solve the hunger problem, but also will take care of the excess population problem in Ireland. Although I guess in theory this could be true, it is obviously not supposed to be taken literally. This is what makes it a satire, much like Wendy Molyneux’s “I Am Sorry That I Didn’t Write a Comedy Piece” which is a rebuttal to an essay in Vanity Fair article claiming that women are not funny. Although both pieces are about very different subject matters, they are both using the same type of humor to address sensitive issues. By comparing these two compositions, it is evident that the use of satirical humor is effective when trying to make a point about a somber matter seem less serious, yet there is still emphasis made that the issue is important. 

In Swift’s “A Modest Proposal”, it is obvious that he is writing a satire. Swift is an activist for trying to solve the problem regarding the number of children who are living in poverty. The children who live in poverty have to fight for scraps of food, and Swift writes this proposal to address the issue. He writes “That the remaining hundred thousand may, at a year old, be offered in sale to the persons of quality and fortune, through the kingdom, always advising the mother to let them suck plentifully in the last month, so as to render them plump, and fat for a good table. A child will make two dishes at an entertainment for friends, and when the family dines alone, the fore or hind quarter will make a reasonable dish, and seasoned with a little pepper or salt, will be very good boiled on the fourth day, especially in winter,” (Swift, 516) claiming that the children can be eaten. This will in theory solve the hunger problem and overpopulation problem that Ireland faces. This regards only the poor children in Ireland, not the wealthy and middle class families. He proposes to literally eat the poor children because instead of having them starve on the streets, they will be served as a meal for other families and reducing the population size. He is not actually claiming that this should happen because it is satire, but he is not joking about solving the hunger and population issue. The reason that he writes this so people are aware that this is an issue in Ireland. He wants people to want to make a difference regarding the poor starving children and by writing this piece hopefully realize that this is such an issue. 

Close to three hundred years after “A Modest Proposal” was written, Wendy Molyneux decides to write “I Am Sorry That I Didn’t Write a Comedy Piece”. Molyneux decided to write this article after Christopher Hitchens wrote an essay for Vanity Fair that basically stated that women are not as funny as men. Hitchens is known for writing about matters that people generally believe, but most don’t have the courage to say so. But Molyneux genuinely believes that Hitchens is wrong, and writes this rebuttal as a satire to argue his claim in a humorous way. She starts off by making fun of “general” things that women do like “I happened to see a lady walking down the street with a baby of her very own. So, then I started crying again because I don’t have a baby. I cried big rolling tears that fell down onto my “Mrs. Stamos” T-shirt that I purchased off eBay and photographed myself in for my eHarmony profile,” (Molyneux, 521) to make fun of typical things women are accused of doing. She is not saying these things to make fun of women. She is saying these things in a satirical way as a response to what Hitchens says. Hitchens claims that women are not funny, but Molyneux attempts to prove him wrong by writing this piece that makes people laugh. To justify her opinion, she makes fun of typical things that women do. Although most women are not guilty of doing all of these things, it’s likely that every woman has done at least one of the things mentioned in her satire. Additionally, sometimes the funniest people are those who can make fun of themselves. Molyneux states “I decided to start by asking myself, “What’s funny?” That is a tough one for me because I have no sense of humor because all the funny things that are made especially for women like me, such as Sex and the City, 27 Dresses, and yoghurt commercials don’t even make me laugh.” (Molyneux, 522) saying that the things that women are supposed to find funny are not funny to her. Her reasoning behind not finding these typical things funny is because she is trying to prove a point. She wants people to realize that men shouldn’t be able to label whether a woman is funny or not. That is the main reason for her writing this rebuttal, in response to Hitchens’s claim that women are not funny.

Although Molyneux and Swift are writing about two very different subject matters, the use of satirical humor is successful for both trying to get their points across. Swift is successful because his use of humor allows for people to see that there is an issue regarding the poverty in Ireland. Although it is unclear whether his proposal made a real difference, it made people aware that this was in fact an issue. Obviously, his proposal to eat children is not legit, but because of the time period it is possible that people believed him. If people in the 18th century thought he was serious, they foremost would think he was insane, and then maybe realize that there was a problem regarding the number of people who lived poverty. The same is true regarding Molyneux’s piece and the message she is trying to convey. Although her writing is easier to comprehend because it was recently written, the satirical message is similar. Hitchens claimed that women are not funny, yet her rebuttal makes fun of his claims by stating that women are not funny, in order to be funny. When she claims that women are not as funny as men, it is in a joking matter making it obvious that she does not mean this. She wants people to realize that Hitchens claims are not true. Both pieces have the right amount of humor that makes their pieces less serious, but still address issues in a way that allows people to see that there needs to be a change. 

 Once people finally realize that a change needs to be enforced, it means that the satire was a success. The change that needs to be enforced regarding Swift is that poverty needs to be addressed in Ireland. For Molyneux, it needs to be said that men should not feel that it is okay to say these misogynistic remarks like “women aren’t funny”. The reason that satires are an effective way of communicating is because it allows people to realize the importance of an issue with humor. When the world is fighting over the election, and the devastating outcome, it seems better when on television comedians are making fun of it. Satires and comedy pieces make situations like what Molyneux and Swift right about seem less serious, but still call for a change. 

