Question

How does Dickens use satire to poke fun at funerals in Chapter 35 of Great Expectations?

Answer 1

Hint:
- Satire is a genre of literature and performance art in which vices, follies, violations, and flaws are mocked, preferably with the goal of shaming people, companies, governments, or society itself into improvement.
- Satire is typically intended to be amusing, its primary goal is often to provide constructive social critique by employing wit to draw attention to both specific and broader social problems.
Strong irony or sarcasm is a characteristic of satire.

Complete answer:
The use of wit, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to reveal and denounce one's ignorance or vices is known as satire. In Chapter 35 of Great Expectations, where Mrs. Joe's funeral takes place, there is a lot of ridicule of funerals.

Mr. Trabb has a flamboyant style when it comes to decorating the building. He even organizes a formal funeral procession, requiring the villagers to dress in black mourning garb. Joe, too, is "entangled in a little black cloak tied in a big bow beneath his chin." This is incredibly impolite and keeps Joe from demonstrating his love for Mrs. Joe.

One of the boys knocks on Pip's door because he thinks he's too upset to do it himself. Mrs. Joe was not invited to the home because the children and women came to admire the "sable warders." They just went to look around the home and show off how well they could act and pay respects at Mrs. Joe's funeral.

Note:
- Satire can be found in a variety of artistic forms, such as online memes, literature, plays, commentary, poetry, movies and television shows, and media like lyrics.
- The term satire is derived from the Latin word satur which means "lanx satura."
- Satire's rules dictate that it must do more than just make you laugh. It doesn't count unless you find yourself wincing a little while chuckling, no matter how funny it is.