Question

literary / text elements satire and theme
satire is a type of writing in which the author pokes fun at people, ideas, organizations, or societys customs and values. the authors purpose for writing satire is to draw attention to corruption, waste, absurdity, or other problems in society. the writer of satire seeks to correct these flaws by exposing them. although satires are often funny, they also contain a serious theme, or message.
the tone of a satire (the authors attitude toward the subject or the reader) emphasizes the absurdities in a situation and draws attention to events or attitudes. the tone in a satire might be lighthearted, amused, sarcastic, bitter, and so on. authors develop tone through these elements:

• diction is an authors word choices. diction can be described as formal, informal, casual, sophisticated, technical, and so on. in satire, authors often combine different types of diction to highlight conflicting or illogical ideas.
• syntax is the way in which words are organized into sentences. authors might use direct, short sentences; long, complex sentences; or a combination of these. they might also use sentence fragments for effect.

directions: read the passage. then, answer the questions that follow.
1 with gas prices rising higher and higher, automakers in america are gearing up development of their newest eco - fuel vehicles: anger - powered cars. by sourcing a large percentage of its power from the strong feelings of annoyance, displeasure, and hostility of the average american motorist, the anger - powered car will take advantage of the way many americans drive.
2 automakers have been researching anger fuels for decades, when they first began to look for ways to harness the limitless supply of energy generated by the irritation and frustration of drivers, energy which is currently being vented wastefully into dashboards, armrests, and steering wheels.
3 the average driver traveling a congested american highway produces hundreds of kilowatt hours of negative energy per outing. these new motors will convert this negative energy into kinetic energy to fuel the vehicles. sure, it will lower the cost of fuel, which will mean that more people will be out on the roads driving, but more people on the roads means more frustration, so really, its a win - win!

1. what is the tone of the passage?
2. what kind of diction and syntax is used in the passage?
3. what flaw in human nature is the author using humor to expose?
4. which of these best expresses a theme of the passage?

Explanation:

1. The passage humorously and mockingly describes a far - fetched idea of using drivers' anger as fuel, so the tone is sarcastic and satirical.
2. The diction is informal and casual, using words like "poking fun", "take advantage of". The syntax includes a mix of short and longer sentences for effect.
3. The author uses humor to expose the common human tendency to get easily frustrated and angry while driving, especially in traffic.
4. A theme could be the absurdity of trying to turn negative human emotions into something useful, highlighting the prevalence of negative emotions in daily life.

Answer:

1. Sarcastic and satirical.
2. Informal and casual diction, mix of short and long sentences in syntax.
3. The tendency to get frustrated and angry while driving.
4. The absurdity of turning negative human emotions into something useful.