Satire in selected Ganda fables.

Abstract

This study discusses satire in fables using the elements as stated by Mahler Adam: Irony,sarcasm and humor in the correction of society’s follies. I studied five fables from the Ganda origin to help identify the unique way orature employed these devices. My analysis is based on Ruben Quintero's purpose of satire, which he claims to be: "to provoke mirth or sadness, a concern for the innocent or the self-destructive fool, revulsion for the deceitful knave, laughter or scorn at the atomized subject"(3). In this study therefore, the fables are interpreted in relation to how the elements of irony, sarcasm and humor help to achieve the purpose of satire as proposed by Quintero. In my findings, fables employ these elements of satire to expose and criticize the vices of the human race in a less serious and offensive way, more playful but unforgettable.