John Marwood Cleese, English actor, comedian, writer and film producer, said: "If I can make you laugh with me, you like me better, which makes you more open to my ideas. And if I can persuade you to laugh at what I say, by laughing you recognize its truth.” The point he raises is the ideology of satire. Satire, by definition, is a technique used by writers to expose and criticize the madness and corruption of an individual or society. This can be done using humor, irony, exaggeration or ridicule (“Satire – Definition and Examples”, para.1). Often the humor used opens the audience's mind to the underlying issue the writer is trying to reveal. By examining the purpose and methods of satire, dissecting literary works, and displaying examples in the media, satire proves itself to be a valuable tool. Purpose and Methods of SatireSatire can take many different forms, but always convey the same meaning. Techniques such as grotesque humor, irony, inflation/diminution, and parody are all satirical techniques (“Satire,” paragraph 1). Grotesque humor creates a tension between laughter and horror; generally referred to as dark or dark humor. Its purpose is to shock the audience and hopefully enlighten their eyes to the subject. Irony can often be confused with satire. Irony, however, is a literary device where there is an incongruity between what we say and do and what we think. Irony is a form of satire. Inflation and diminution are techniques used to exaggerate the point made by the author. Diminution is taking a real situation and reducing it to make it ridiculous and highlight its flaws. On the other hand, inflation is shown by taking a real situation and in cut...... middle of paper ......d des Mouches. July 7, 2012. the web. May 18, 2014. Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: Coward-McCann, 1962. Print. Interrnate, Scott. “5 Modern Pop Songs That Criticize Modern Pop.” PopMatters. PopMatters, January 29, 2014. Web. May 18, 2014.KJ. “The theme of education in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.” The Girl from the Book. TheBookGirl, August 24, 2009. Web. May 18, 2014. Lorde. Royals. Lord. Joel Little, 2013. MP3. “The McDonald's janitor would like to thank everyone who threw half-full soda cups in the trash. » The onion. The Onion, May 14, 2014. Web. May 18, 2014. Meyers, Seth. Saturday evening live. BNC. September 27, 2008. Television. “Satire – Definition and Examples. » Literary devices. Literary Devices, 2014. Web. May 14, 2014. “Satire.” The Enlightenment. 2011. Internet. May 15, 2014. “Understanding Satire.” Literary exploration. Literary Exploration, May 5, 2013. Web. May 18 2014.