The Language of Satire

Satire is a very common genre and literary device used in pieces of literature. In order to bring out satire in a piece, the author usually includes irony, sarcasm, and humor to get his or her point across to the reader. The piece is usually either about a trivial or serious subject that is described with respect in a mocking way.  A painter would include the same elements in his piece of art if he wanted to include satire through colors, setting, or objects and people included in it. 

This is the "Follow your dreams, cancelled" drawing by Banksy, the famous anonymous England-based street artist. In this piece, Banksy reaches out to Americans to question their country's ideals and the world around them. This is a satirical piece of art because he brings up an important issue. Including an older, lower-class worker as the painter brings attention to the differences in socioeconomic privileges. He looks worn out and does not seem to be following his own dream. His use of grey for the words and workers makes them blend into the wall, like camouflaging them. The cancelled in red stands out to the audience, implying power. The tone of this graffiti is satiric and pessimistic because of the sarcasm he uses to let people know of a serious problem in the country.  He was successful in proving his point because it makes people stop and think about what the painting means. They start to reflect on their dreams and the dreams of others and realize that a lot of people compromise with their dreams instead of striving for it because of their situation. Most of our lives are already chosen for us when we're born, and it is a very difficult task to change it.