Satire is a form of comedy, that's a fact. It can be used just for the laughs or it can be used as a way to shed light on a serious topic. In Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams, satire is used for comedic effect and laughter. The Vogons with their extensive amount of paperwork and extremely bureaucratic nonsense, Zaphod Beeblebrox shedding light on the stupidity of politicians, and human reliance on machines. All of these ideas are meant to make fun of our society. On the other hand, Jonathan Swift's piece "A Modest Proposal" uses satire to correct a situation. He proposes that the children of poorer families be used as a food source during the potato famine. Both writings use satire in one form or another, but Adams uses satire as a form of entertainment, while Swift uses it to correct a societal ill.
One of the main uses of satire in A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is the inefficiency of bureaucracy. He displays this idea in the form of the …show more content…
"I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and 60 wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee, or a ragoust"(Swift 4).We know of course that this is meant to be a joke because in our society cannibalism is frowned upon. On the other hand, though, it can be taken as a real proposal to fight hunger during the famine. Swift's use of exaggeration is in the form of food preparation. He gives many examples of how a child could be prepared and served in a "nourishing" meal.Adams satire is written not to prove a point, but to make fun of the inner workings of society. Swift makes his proposal as convincing as possible in order for people to take it as a real