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Questions
Which comic device does cartoonist Gary Larson use in this Far Side cartoon? Explain your answer.
a) satire
b) pun
c) parody
d) irony
Scroll down to the bottom of the page for the answers.
Gary Larson
Answers
d) irony. Irony is defined when the opposite of what you expect to happen occurs. You expect the space ship to rescue the man, instead it rescues the palm tree.
The cartoonist did not use:
a) satire: satire is defined as: the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice, folly, etc.
b) pun: a “play on words” – a type of humor using a word or phrase that has two meanings
c) parody: a humorous or satirical imitation of a serious piece of literature or writing; a work in which the style of an author or work is closely imitated for comic effect or in ridicule
