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Pathos
Definition of Satire
Satire is the use of humor, irony, sarcasm, or ridicule to criticize something or someone. Public figures, such as politicians, are often the subject of satire, but satirists can take... read full definition
Satire is the use of humor, irony, sarcasm, or ridicule to criticize something or someone. Public figures, such as politicians, are often the subject of... read full definition
Satire is the use of humor, irony, sarcasm, or ridicule to criticize something or someone. Public figures, such as politicians... read full definition
Part 3: Answer
Explanation and Analysis—Local Gossip:
Capote satirizes the curious locals in Garden City, Kansas, in a passage in which he describes the various wild rumors that have circulated regarding the Clutter family murders:
People talked [...] An eminent citizen, so one heard, was on the point of arrest. Or it was now known that the crime was the work of killers hired by enemies of the Kansas Wheat Growers’ Association, a progressive organization in which Mr. Clutter had played a large role. Of the many stories circulating, the most nearly accurate was contributed by a prominent car dealer (who refused to disclose its source): “Seems there was a man who worked for Herb way back yonder around ’47 or ’48.”
As the KBI agents begin to zero in on Dick and Perry as the most likely culprits of the murders, they decide not to disclose their breakthrough to the public, as Dick and Perry will likely flee if word reaches them that they are the prime suspects in the case. In the absence of any official statement, the “people talked” about the case, spreading rumors and gossip. “An eminent citizen,” Capote writes, “was on the point of arrest.”
Alternatively, some believe that “the crime was the work of killers hired by the enemies of the Kansas Wheat Growers Association,” an absurd and conspiratorial theory. Surprisingly, “a prominent car dealer” espouses a theory that is relatively close to the truth, though Floyd, the man who “worked for Herb way back,” is not in fact the suspect, but rather, an informant. Here, Capote’s language is deeply sarcastic, as he satirizes the locals, whom he characterizes as paranoid and prone to unsubstantiated gossip. In particular, he mocks their confidence in these unlikely theories, assuming a sarcastic tone when he asserts that “it was now known” that some unlikely theory is correct.
