Final answer:
Satire is a literary technique that uses humor and ridicule to expose human vices and societal flaws. It is effective when the narrative is presented in a seemingly objective manner, drawing readers in with entertainment before leading them to reflect on deeper issues.
Step-by-step explanation:
Satire is often employed in literature to criticize or mock human shortcomings, such as ignorance, vice, foolishness, or other weaknesses. To identify what gets satirized in a work, one needs to look for elements of humor, exaggeration, or ridicule directed at societal practices or authorities. Recognizing satire involves noticing a clever and often subtle dismantling of the subject, presented as folly or absurdity. Authors like Charles Dickens and Jonathan Swift expertly utilized satire to entertain readers while simultaneously prompting them to consider serious underlying issues.
Knowing how we know something is being satirized involves observing the technique and context in which the subject is presented. An effective satire often emerges through a narrative that seems unpretentious and told with a natural style, possibly through an objective or naïve narrator, without directly revealing the writer's critical stance. It is this careful balancing act that ensures the satire does not overshadow the thematic message of the text.
Satirical works, such as those by Juvenal and Martial, provide pointed criticisms of society disguised as comedy or ironic statements. The effectiveness of satire comes when it is so close to reality that it requires reflection to understand its critical nature, often engaging familiar and recognizable topics to the reader.