Satire brings together elements of this class brilliantly. The vehicle for satire is, or can be, works of art. Those works of art ridicule or make fun of something by exaggerating the flaws, follies, or vices. We can see this in a clip from Dr. Strangelove. General Turgidson gives an only slightly exaggerated speech about taking advantage of the situation to prevent American deaths. It all seems reasonable, initially, but as Turgidson continues, it gets more and more outrageous. It is as if Kubrick takes the speech and slowly puts it in front of a funhouse mirror.
As satire takes something and exaggerates it as if it were in front of a funhouse mirror, certain features seem comical. This highlighting of features makes them more visible, and, ideally, points out something that people may have missed. Ultimately, satire could encourage change or improvement.
Horace’s first satire does just that. He talks about various professions and how many people envy others. But this discussion soon moves to a discussion of greed and hoarding. Horace shows the folly or vice of greed and hoarding via comparison. He compares people to ants. Ants start by working and preparing for winter, and then they enjoy their storage. Humans, in contrast, get and get and never find satisfaction in what they have. Horace encourages moderation. His satire places a funhouse mirror in front of hoarding and greed to reveal a feature that may otherwise go unnoticed. He does so in the hope that his audience will note the folly of such actions and reform. Perhaps they might make a change before they act foolishly and do something like suggest a murderous plan—cough, cough, cough, Turgidson, cough, cough, cough.
What else do you see going on in Horace’s satire?
6 Comments
After reading the satire once I noticed a concrete theme about being happy with what you have, because someone else always has it worse than you. He seems to be speaking to those who are not content with their lifestyles, or exhibits signs of greediness. Although he makes a point that people need to be more responsible with their money, and not spend money on things they don’t necessarily need. I definitely think this satire address the many lifestyle of the higher class. I’m not saying that you should not be able to spend your money anyway you want to, but be cautions about your spending limit. just because you make a lot of money doesn’t mean you need to showcase your wealth for everyone to see.
One of the main lessons I noticed in Horace’s first satire was if you are greedy you become fearful. He says that greed turns into fear because one is always scared of being robbed and the idea of no longer being wealthy. I think that idea, along with the idea of changing before wealth goes to ones head, is meant to bring the wealthy back down to earth and allow them to see what can happen.
Many people are often so consumed with their surroundings and day-to-day routines that they overlook their faults and effects of seemingly small daily decisions. I think Satire 1 exemplifies the how someone that prioritizes their success based on their job/wealth will not live a fulfilling because he or she will be fearful of getting robbed and will not have strong relationships with his family or friends. The satire exaggerates circumstances such as describing someone who,“ lie[s] awake half-comatose with fear/ because bloodthirsty robbers might be near.” While it seems silly to discuss greed in such a context, it brings attention to the long-term effects of always seeking more rather than appreciating what you have. To an outsider the situation might seem obvious, however the satire illustrates the obvious need for change through exaggeration.
It’s pretty interesting what Horace is trying to say in his satire. I notice that he focuses mainly on people who are not content with their current style of living, and people who are greedy. He says that we are always envious of what we don’t have, so if given the opportunity to switch with that person we would do it….only to realize that what we have now is what we really want. Also, people that are greedy are criticized by Horace since they work so hard to acquire all that they have, only to bury it and worry over it. I think Horace is trying to tell us to live in the present, and not live for the future.
I think that this satire is discussing how many people are not happy about the life that they have and are very greedy. It is written to tell us that we need to enjoy the life we are given and to not always focus on beating the next person. That is not what life it about and in order to realize this we need to be made fun of. Life is not always about the ending place, it’s about the journey. Horace wants us to remember this and start enjoying what we have.
After reading Satires 1 and 7, I can’t help but be brought back to a course I took last fall. Dr. Tucker was our professor, and it was called “Pride, Humility, and the Good Life”. Greed was a common theme we discussed, and I spent much of the semester focusing on self-defined success. The benefits of having a more simple life, appreciating your blessings; rather than constantly seeking more and more wealth, was my main point of interest. Wealth can facilitate pleasure and comfort, and sometimes a lack of stress (paying bills, having a sense of security), but here we see the stress that greed and wealth can bring. I strongly believe that simplicity is very valuable. Wealth is a two-sided coin. On one hand it allows us to be comfortable in some ways, but it also can change a person and cause that individual to place less value on the less tangible blessings in life.