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UNDERSTANDING HUMOR AS A TOOL OF SATIRE
Iroda Abdullaeva
Master's Graduate, Webster University in Tashkent
Tashkent, Uzbekistan
E-mail: irodaabdullayeva079@gmail.com
Abstract
. When humor deployed through satire, it often sheds its playfulness
and becomes a disruptive weapon that exposes societal, political, and moral issues.
English literature is rich with examples where humor is not simply used for
entertainment but functions as a sarcastic reflection. This paper highlights the
relationship between humor and satire in English literature, particularly George
Orwell’s Animal Farm, arguing that satire uses humor to both mask and amplify its
critique. The goal of this paper is to understand how humor functions in a literary
satirical work Animal Farm written by a British profound writer George Orwell.
Keywords:
satire, humor, critique.
Annotatsiya.
Satira orqali qo‘llanganda hazil ko‘p hollarda o‘zining komik
xususiyatini yo‘qotib, ijtimoiy, siyosiy va axloqiy masalalarni fosh etuvchi qurolga
aylanadi. Ingliz adabiyoti hazil faqatgina ko‘ngilochar vosita sifatida emas, balki
istehzoli kuzgu sifatida
ham qo‘llanadigan ko‘plab misollar bilan boy. Ushbu
maqolada ingliz adabiyotidagi hazil va satira o‘rtasidagi bog‘liqlik, xususan Jorj
Oruellning “Molxona” asari tahlil qilinadi. Maqola hazilning satirik asarda qanday
ishlashini tushunishga qaratilgan bo‘l
ib, satira hazilni tanqidni ham yashirish, ham
kuchaytirish uchun qo‘llashini ko‘rsatadi.
Kalit so‘zlar:
satira, hazil, tanqid.
Аннотация.
Когда юмор используется через сатиру, он часто теряет
свою игривость и превращается в разрушительное оружие, обнажающее
социальные, политические и нравственные проблемы. Английская
литература богата примерами, где юмор используется не только для
развлечения, но и как саркастическое отражение. В данной статье
подчеркивается взаимосвязь юмора и сатиры в английской литературе, в
частности в «Скотном дворе» Джорджа Оруэлла. Автор утверждает, что
сатира использует юмор как для маскировки, так и для усиления своей
критики. Цель статьи –
понять, как функционирует юмор в сатирическом
произведении «Скотный двор», написанном выдающимся британским
писателем Джорджем Оруэллом.
Ключевые слова:
сатира, юмор, критика
.
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Theoretical Background
Satire is an employment of irony, wit, sarcasm, parody, burlesque and etc.
in order to ridicule or critique some absurdities, human follies in a social group
or individual. As McClennen (2011) noted the ability of satire is to higlight the
absurdity and commonly accepted prejudices by provoking critical reflection. The
plot in satiric novels neither purely made up nor purely truth; rather, it has the
tense space between both. Charney stated that humor usually intended to cause
‘amusement’ (2005).
While humor is intended to make people laugh, satire
frequently masks serious critique beneath comic language. Satire as an multi-
functional tool can be social, aggressive, and an intellectual (Simpson, 2003). It
should be clearly understood that making others laugh is not the goal of satire, yet
humor is a part of it which contributes to the reception of it. As once Bukowski
stated “If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they will
kill you” (Cherkovoski, 1991).
Samuel Johnson defines satire as “A poem in which
wickedness or folly is censured”.
George
Orwell’s
satiric novel
Animal Farm
(1945) is a profound example
of humor weaponized to critique society and expose totalitarianism. Ostensibly a
simple literary work featuring talking animals, employs satirical humor to parody
the revolution.
Orwell’s
skillfully use of anthropomorphism is both entertaining
and thought provoking. The reader soon recognizez what is hidden under
whimsical world and allegorical parallels to the historic reality.
Indeed, no longer able to withstand humilty of master Jones, animals revolt
against him led by Napoleon and Snowball. Afterwards, the animals establish a
new community which turns out to be a nightmare. Napoleon, Squealer and
Snowball, heads of the new community, promise prosperity and equality by
renaming their farm, creating Commandments and giving motivational speeches.
It is bitterly funny that animals have even their own governing philosophy called
‘Animalsm’ which is based on the revolutionary principles of Old Major. It is more
funny when the Commandments are changed throughout the novella just because
they don’t fit anymore the interests of Napoleon. The commandments, which were
originally meant to ensure equality among all animals, are subtly changed by
Squealer in order to suit the pigs' increasing power:
“Four legs good, two legs bad” to “Four legs good, two legs better.”
“No animal shall wear clothes”
- but they wear clothes anyway.
“No animal shall sleep in a bed” to “No animal shall sleep in a bed with
sheets.”
“No animal shall drink alcohol” to "No animal shall drink alcohol TO
EXCESS."
“No animal shall kill any other animal” to “No animal shall kill any other
animal without cause.”
“All animals are equal” to “All animals equal, but some animals are more
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equal than others” (Orwell, 1945).
Orwell’s humor emerges especially as the pigs gradually adopt human
habits, particularly bad ones. At first glance, this play on words may elicit laughter,
but it also trigger the mind and creates unease in the heart. One of the most
effective uses of humor and satire in the novel is how pigs conduct manipulative
speeches and justify their own abuses with ridiculously illogical arguments:
"You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of
selfishness and privilege? Many of us actually dislike milk and apples. […]. Day
and night we are watching over your welfare. It is for YOUR sake that we drink
that milk and eat those apples" (29).
His contradictory explanations are a comic parody of human flaws in
power. The final line,
“
The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from
man to pig… but already it was impossible to say which was which” (107),
is not
comic anymore.
Conclusion
Satire and humor are similar to a revolver loaded with cartridges and is very
lethal when used by those who know where to shoot at. The outstanding example
of how to use this weapon skillfully is
George Orwell’s
literary novel
Animal Farm.
This essay has argued that humor, when embedded in satire, is often masks a
critique or discomfort that slowly emerges from beneath its comic surface.
Meanwhile, it is also believed that humor and satire together allows repressed
emotional agression to let go and emotionally accept the harsh realities of society
through critique and laughter.
“The main purpose of laughter is may be to allow
the individual to alert others […] that nothing to worry about” (Charney, 2005). It
arouses another question: Did satirists seek to raise awareness or make us accept
absurdities and human follies? This question will be investigated in our future
works. Overall, humor is not always innocent, it is sometimes deliberate,
dangerous with deeply revealing results. In the example of English literature,
satire once again proves that the most sharpest critiques are made through
hidden comic language.
References:
1.
“The Philosophy of Humor,” in Comedy: A Geographic and Historical
Guide, ed. by Maurice Charney (Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2005).
2. McClennen, S. A. (2011). America according to Colbert: Satire and Public
Pedagogy. New York: Pelgrave Macmillan.
3. Orwell, G. (1944). Animal farm [eBook].eBooks@Adelaide, The University
of Adelaide Library. https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/o/orwell/george/o79a/
index.html
4. Simpson, P. (2003). On the Discourse of Satire. Amsterdam: John
Benjamins Publishing Company.
