Sarcasm

By Jess and Monique

The u

se o

f sa

rcasm

in

pers

uasi

ve w

riti

ng

defi

nit

ion

Sarcasm is defined as using a

mocking tone to show either

contempt for something or

someone or to insinuate the

complete opposite of what you

actually mean, it points out

obvious flaws by making a

joke or ironic statement about

the subject.Sarcasm has many purposes;

often it is used for comedic

effect to make the reader

connect with the writing, it is

also used as a way to mock

the opposition or the opposing

beliefs by making what they

said sound ignorant.

Cri

tique

Sarcasm can be both good and

bad. When used incorrectly

sarcasm can make a person

sound ignorant. You also need to

know your audience as not

everyone takes sarcasm well.

Due to the fact that sarcasm can

be used as a type of comedy,

you need to be aware of your

limits.  When sarcasm is used correctly

it is very effective in shutting

the opposing side down, making

their point sound uneducated.

With the right technique and the

right audience, sarcasm can get

your point across and make your

audience really connect with

what you are saying.

Sarcasm can be deceptive as it

does not state the facts, it

doesn't use the truth to show

someone else's opinion, it just

tries to make them look stupid.

This manipulates the reader

because they would not want to

feel 'stupid' and agree with the

opposing views.

Exam

ple

1

The statement below is a sentence

without any persuasive techniques used:

A young man walks into his friends hospital

room after he has just woken up from his leg

amputation surgery. “How are you feeling?” the friend asks

The man breaks into tears and says “i have no

legs, how do you think i am?!”

 The statement below now has sarcasm

incorporated in it:A young man walks into his friends hospital

room after he has just woken up from his leg

amputation surgery. “How are you feeling?” the friend asks

The man sits up in his bed and replies

“fanbloodytastic, i feel like i could run a

marathon,” he then reaches his prosthetic leg

that lies on the bedside table and chucks it at

his friend.

Exa

mple

2

The statement below is a

sentence without any

persuasive techniques used:

“Hey man can you come over to

my house and help me clean

before my parents come back?”

“Oh sure, ill be right there.”

 The statement below now has

sarcasm incorporated in it:

“Hey man can you come over to

my house and help me clean

before my parents come back?”

“Oh sure, what a wonderful idea!

That is exactly how i wanted to

spend my Saturday night.”

Exa

mple

3

The statement below is a

sentence without any

persuasive techniques

used:“Are you guys ready to fight!”

Captain America asks the

Avengers “Yeah why not.” Iron Man

replies

The statement below now

has sarcasm incorporated

in it:“Are you guys ready to fight!”

Captain America asks the

Avengers “No, we just wanna stand here

and look pretty.” Iron Man

replied

Dis

cuss

ion

In example 1 sarcasm is used to

uplift the whole situation. When

asked ‘how are you?’ the response

‘fanbloodytastic’ is an example of

irony, another comedic device;

clearly the man would not be

alright, so this in itself is a joke.

The next line ‘I feel like I could run

a marathon’ is used to shut down

the original question, as running a

marathon with no legs is an

impossible task. Finally, when the

man throws his prosthetic leg at

his friend, it restates how

uneducated his friends question

was. The use of sarcasm in this

scenario was well received, as we

can assume the pair share a

friendship that sarcasm be used

without offense.