Satirical Writing

If you are inclined to find out what satire is all about, the best place to start would be your local newspaper. If you notice the use of exaggeration, irony, ridicule, and humour to expose a particular political phenomenon or a topical issue, the chances are that you have encountered the use of satire. Satire is a word of Latin origin, “satura” as used in reference to Roman poet Ennius. His poems were characterized by different meters and covered various topics. While his poems were not particularly satirical, they covered prevailing vices in society.

Characteristics of Satire

• Humor. A major characteristic of all satirical literature is humor. This humor is usually meant to create constructive social criticism and draw attention to these issues in society.

• Irony and sarcasm. Irony and sarcasm are often used as a way of acknowledging that the phenomena being described are natural and part of the community but not necessarily right.

Functions of Satire

Satire is considered among the earliest forms of social study that reveals various components of a society’s collective psyche. Through satire, you can understand various tastes and values in a society, and you will comprehend the society’s power structures as well. Through satire, over the years, artists have been able to ridicule political figures in power and explore other realms of power such as economy and religion thus challenging those in authority. Through this medium, social tensions have often been resolved. Through satire, you can understand a country’s tolerance levels. A country that does not allow satire or that suppresses it is deemed as suppressing to its citizens.

How to write a satirical essay

Satirical essays are some of the most challenging for a student in college. This is because as a student, you are expected to demonstrate a high level of content knowledge, enabling you to show humour while highlighting the absurdities of normal life. Some of the tips you can employ to come up with a good satirical essay include:

• Understanding the assignment. As you begin to write your assignment, understand the instructions, such as what aspect of society you have been asked to satirize, the word count and other technical requirements. Mostly, satirical assignments will require you to explore social and cultural elements.

• Research. To understand satirical essays, you need to read satirical pieces. Go to the internet and explore some satire sites to get an idea of the prevailing topics in society today. This will help you establish premises for your essay, for instance, which perspective to use and which topics are trending currently.

• Brainstorm. As you research, ensure that you brainstorm, do bubble maps so that you can easily establish word associations. This will help you understand the words you will use in your essay.

• Sources. Sometimes, you may choose to incorporate sources into your work. These sources, just in like other types of writing, help to make assertions on the legitimacy of your assignment. It is sensible to use sources if you are quoting statistics, dates or important facts. Make sure you use the style that your instructor chose or one that is most relevant to the subject area.

Concept Paper

Is there an idea that you intensely feel about and that you feel inclined to share with everyone? One that you feel can be impacted in a particular area of study or research? Well, you could need a concept paper to get your point across. This is because the concept paper could be your gateway to the funds you seek for a particular project. Through the concept paper, you can express your interests; let the prospective sponsor know why your idea or project is vital and why it matches up to the expectations of a project that they would like to support. It is, however, important to realize that a concept paper can be written during the applied dissertation process.

The aim of concept papers

A concept paper acts as the groundwork when a student writes his/her dissertation and bonds the student with the doctoral committee. Just like a proposal, concept papers also help students narrow their research focuses ingeniously, capturing the essence of their subject while retaining the attention of the dissertation committee. Often, it looks like an abridged version of the doctoral dissertation that often marks the culmination of a student’s academic life.

Main parts of a concept paper

A concept paper is usually short, averaging one to three pages. However, the following are the main elements of this type of paper:

• Title page. The title page usually comprises of a stand-alone statement that summarizes the main idea in the dissertation. An effective title should identify the variables under investigation and how they are related.

• Problem statement. This is the part of the concept paper that introduces the dissertation committee to the purpose of the research, the problem under investigation and the way in which the findings may be useful.

• Preliminary research. In this part of the paper, the writer identifies the main literature that synthesizes the research available on the topic.

• Goal statement. The student notes down the objectives and goals of the paper.

• Research questions. This provides an overview of the questions under investigation. This, in turn, directs the methodology.

• Methodology. This is an abridged version of the student’s idea of how data should be collected and analysed.

• Timeline. The time-line will highlight the time-span and the key elements at every stage

Tips for writing the concept paper

• When writing the title page, avoid extravagance with your words. Ensure that all your words serve a purpose. This may become your dissertation’s title.

• When stating your problem, include statistical data where applicable as this will help you gain the attention and support of the reader. Link the problem with the rest of your paper and consider the implications, both practical and theoretical, of your project.

• Remember, the research questions should be articulate because they relate to the methodology. Remain accurate and focus on your problem so that these parts of your paper co-ordinate.

If you still have questions regarding how to handle a particular part of your concept paper, our company is here for you. Through our custom services, you are assured of a quality paper that will convince your dissertation panel.