In literature, compositions and texts often follow the conventions of a specific genre. To meet the specifications of a genre, a literacy work must constrain to predetermined guidelines. One example of a literacy genre used in texts is satire. According to Jack Winter, satire is defined as a technique in which humor or irony are used to expose and highlight the flaws and vices of a specific aspect of society. For a piece of literature to be considered satire, it must follow various conventions, one being that it used to provoke some form of ethical reform against an individual or group. This genre features humorous and exaggerated attacks aimed at creating a new awareness for the social issue at hand. Within a text, satire is often found implicitly, requiring a reader to have existing knowledge on the current, topical issue. An example of satire in literature can be found within A Modest Proposal, by Jonathan Swift. In this short story, Swift uses satire to propose a solution to the overpopulation and famine in the country of Ireland. Swift jokingly states that the children of poor families should be eaten to limit the burden on impoverished families, and make children beneficial to society. At the time, Ireland was facing one of the greatest famines of all time. The population was increasing, their food supplies were diminishing, and the government was failing to address the problem. Swift’s absurd proposal is considered satire, because his humorous, yet highly immoral solution is seen no other than an exaggeration. Thus, for any reader who fails to recognize this satire, Swift’s solution is rather sickening.  Instead of being a disturbing solution to a problem, this story was simply an attack at the government for failing to help its own people. When addressing the issue of the famine in Ireland, Jonathan Swift does not actually recommend eating babies, but rather uses the idea to raise awareness of the problem. Essentially, A Modest Proposal is a call out to the government to do something to help its starving people. Through the use of exaggerated satire, Swift is able to grab the heartless attention of the government, and address and need for change. 

In the same way Jonathan Swift uses the satire genre in his short story, A Modest Proposal, Wendy Molineux incorporates satire in her short story, I Am Sorry That I Didn’t Write a Comedy Piece. In this story, Molineux uses satire to address the gender stereotypes against women. With a lighthearted approach, she jokes about various cliché things and activities that women are stereotyped with, such as Grey’s Anatomy and cooking, and how they are said to define all women. Most notably, she discusses how all women are said to be not funny, all while writing a humorous story about gender stereotypes. Molineux’s goal, through her writing, addresses a need for the end of gender stereotypes. Just as Swift had done in his story, Molineux asks people to collectively make a change for the better of society. Despite this, each piece of literature addresses their respective issues in different manners. Swift addresses his solution to Ireland’s famine in a professional and reserved way. Even though his solution is far from society’s norms, he hides his satire within a serious tone. By appearing to be very professional and exact in his reasons for eating children, the readers are forced to look onto the issue at hand with a serious and concerned mindset. As for Molineux, she chooses to incorporate her satire with a light-hearted and modern twist. When comparing the two different examples of satire, ending stereotypes is far less serious than eating children. This allows Molineux to have a playful approach within her writing. In her text, she uses modern humor, allowing the readers to best relate to Molineux’s viewpoints. The jokes she makes about stereotypes incorporate pop culture and other things that most of society has previous knowledge of and can easily understand. As a result, Molineux’s humor effectively pressures people to address and end the stereotypes plaguing our society. In both texts, the authors follow the standard conventions of satire, but use altering methods, exaggerations and humor, to best expose their desired, topical issues.
