Satire In The Simpsons Essay Sample

Satire can shape a show,  how issues are interpreted, it’s a powerful tool used to change society. The writers of The Simpsons use caricature to expose issues through Horatian satire because it subverts social norms, humorously. Homer the lazy, unintelligent and irresponsible dad figure. Mr. Burns the selfish, money-driven, corporate company boss. ‘The American Dream’ is so sought after, and the writers of The Simpsons use these characters to bring flaws within this perfect suburban life out of the dark. Characters  represent common issues within society through satire, effectively communicating important issues.

The writers have used satire to achieve its purpose of  bringing social flaws, norms and issues to light, and pushing writers’ attitudes, values and beliefs on us. Satire makes us reflect on our own character flaws, initiating change and self-improvement. ‘The American Dream’, equality, family but most importantly… wealth. Homer Simpson and Mr. Burns are vastly different characters, but they each point out issues we think are normal; The desire for wealth, ignorance and the laziness sweeping through the nation. Hyperbole, explicit and implicit statements, parody, puns (into the ‘Homerverse’), simile, and symbolism were used to make viewers think; ‘Well, maybe I shouldn’t want this typical, perfect, flawless, suburban nightmare’. Satire purposefully subverts social norms; the writers believe that the ideal American lifestyle is not always perfect. Parallel Universe Homer Simpsons characters are a parody of other characters.

Each character from the Simpson's represents and exaggerates flaws within America, aimed at evoking change. Homer is your typical suburban dad-bod father figure, using hyperbole to exaggerate his flaws; laziness and stupidity. ‘This case is gonna be like Homer’s skull. Hard to crack and not much inside.’ says detective Homer, explicitly saying through a simile what is obvious, Homer is far from bright. Thanks detective obvious. Homer is often shown on the sofa and beer in hand. Marge used this to her advantage when bringing all parallel  Homers to one place. Open one beer, summon six Homers. This is representing the laziness in everyone's lifestyle, and exaggerating Homer’s flaws. This also highlights the typical unhealthy lifestyle of most Americans. ‘Terrorising the town. Family-style buffets have been emptied of everything except salad.’ The Reporter exclaimed, using tone to sound unsurprised and hyperbole to exaggerate the unhealthy diet which many people have. The writers chose to use Homer as representation of an average modern character to effectively evoke thought amongst viewers, causing them to question what lifestyle they believe is the dream. They recognise that many people relate to his character, and watching the show is like looking in a mirror. The writers use this to not only emphasise his flaws, but viewer flaws too. The Simpsons is constantly using caricature to communicate flaws and issues within modern society.

Parallel Universe Mr. Burns characters are a parody of other evil characters.

Mr. Burns’ character represents corrupt corporate companies driven by money. The writers use parody to show typically evil characters representing Mr. Burns’ endless evil attributes making it implicitly obvious that Mr. Burns and individuals like him are evil. Mr. Burns is no stranger to his character flaws; he explicitly stated ‘Excellent, each of you is more evil than the last.’ in reference to the parallel Mr. Burns characters. Parody creates the idea that people like Mr. Burns are evil, suggesting money-hungry people often have morals miles away from being admirable. ‘It’s the ultimate form of cheap undocumented labour.’ Mr. Burns said proudly as Homer attempted to send the other versions of himself back. His tone suggested that instead of seeing more lazy and stupid Homer’s as an inconvenience, Mr. Burns saw it as a business opportunity. The writers have shown just how driven his character is by wealth, and how far he is willing to go to become wealthier, to achieve his ‘American Dream’. The only reason he sent back the parallel characters was the thought of parallel Smithers being richer than him, Mr. Burn’s selfishness saved the day. Mr. Burns is a character you should not admire. Although he’s wealthy, and he has ‘The American Dream’, he is a greedy, selfish person which the writers of The Simpsons have shown purposefully through satire.

The writers of The Simpsons use caricature to shine light on everyone’s flaws and issues within the idolised ‘American Dream’. The American dream is always about wealth, but it’s not the most important thing in the world. People relate to characters, and watching the show is often like looking in a mirror. They reflect on their own and others’ attitudes, values and beliefs, just as the writers intended, using satire effectively and proving that satire is an effective medium to communicate important issues.