Ideology is a key feature in the readings from the last few
classes. The writers (specifically Harriet Beecher Stowe, Harriet Jacobs, and Fanny Fern) sought
to change how people thought of things, and maybe eventually help spark a
revolution in society. From our view in their distant future, we know in what
ways they succeeded and failed. But we all recognize that the aim was to
change.
So how can one effectively do this in writing? The first
option is lecture at the reader for pages on end. The problem is that this
method is more likely to make the reader stop reading half way through, even if
they are the most avid supporter of your cause. Speakers are more likely to get
away with this; at least there is a notion that the polite thing to do is sit
there and take it. But reading? They can put the pages down, walk away, and
dismiss everything.On the other hand, irony (and sarcasm specifically) can be a wonderfully effective tool. It calls readers out, but not in a direct confrontational way. It is sly enough that it forces readers to confront their beliefs. Yet, if someone asks about the extreme views, a writer can just say, “I have no idea what you are talking about. I don’t see any confrontational words.”
Fanny Fern was actually able to keep this sarcastic tone throughout whole pieces of her writing. For Jacobs and Stowe, however, there are times where the speaker of the piece confronts the reader with the actual facts of the matter. I feel that this acts as a moral check on the reader; in case they missed the sarcastic tone, readers will be reminded that yes, these are somewhat revolutionary ideas and yes, the authors support them.
Is sarcasm the most efficient tool to use when trying to convince someone? Not always, but these three writers wielded it well.
I definitely agree that all three of these writers use sarcasm and irony to their advantage. I think Stowe and Jacobs use it much less than Fanny Fern. However, Stowe and Jacobs only dabble in it whereas Fern's whole pieces are centered around sarcasm (as you said above). I particularly loved "Hungry Husbands," because the sarcasm with which she wrote the line "There's nothing on earth so savage--except a bear robbed of her cubs--as a hungry husband" is brilliant and unparalleled in sarcastic effect to anything we've read so far this semester. Fanny Fern's work absolutely reminded me of Dorothy Parker, one of my favorite writers, who absolutely used this tone in many of her pieces and found great success in it.
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