Satire. A fashion from times gone by, which follows America like a lost puppy. But where does it come from? Why did it start? To answer these questions take a look at satirical historians. They believe that the starting point of satire most likely dates back to many ancient ethnic groups who used it in rituals. People believed that their words were as powerful as their swords, making satire a thing to be feared. In fact, satire was so feared by ethnic groups and people that if anyone had been found using it, they would have been put to death by (Roman) fire. Among those who have strong influences, Jonathan Swift wrote a wonderful explanation of satire in his preface to The Battle of the Books. He describes satire as a type of glass; people watching typically discover the faces of all the other characters except their own (Swift). Although it contains some hidden satirical elements, Swift's explanation is a wonderful example of what satire has to offer. Chances are, in our disorganized lifestyle, people have hopes of teaching the rest of the world their bad manners. through satire. However, nothing can be learned from a satirical work if people do not make the changes in which the satire is ridiculed. With this, satire is less likely to be a learning tool and more likely to be something used for cruelty and/or criticism (Harris). However, satire is more than criticism; because it can say so many things in a simple sentence or even an image, satire has become more of a method to express the way humans think. It doesn't illustrate everyone's lifestyle, but it will generally appeal to the majority of a society. Some people may wonder how or even if satire is truly effective… middle of the paper… ital to a story, a movie, a song, or anything else. It can add relevance to it, however, by using the main focus as a mirror to reflect real life, which some people feel is the point of all fiction. Works Cited Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: Penguin, 2006. Print. Handey, Jack. "Deep Thoughts of Jared Karol (and Jack Handey) | Aiming Low." Aim low |Perfectly mediocre. All posts, Family, May 23, 2011. Web. November 10, 2011. Harris, Robert. The purpose and method of satire. VirtualSalt. 20 August 1990. Web. 07 Nov.2011.Roman. “An Analysis of the Use of Satire.” Associated content from Yahoo! –Associatedcontent.com. 2011. Network. November 10, 2011. Swift, Jonathan. «A modest proposal.» 1729. Daily. Ed. Patrick Madden. November 10, 2011. Swift, Jonathan. "Quotes on Satire." Notable quotes. Juvenal, Satires. Network. 07 November. 2011.