Purpose of Parody

This was a short assignment for a poetry class on the use of parody.  See below for the question asked and the short essay response I wrote.  Enjoy!

Do you think parodies are created solely for entertainment or for other purposes?   Back up your answers with facts and cite the sources you use. 

The Purpose of Parody

     The definition of parody is a work created to mock, comment on, or poke fun at an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation.  However, the question was “are parodies solely for entertainment?”  I would answer no to that.  They by definition will be humorous and thus entertaining, but often they are poking fun for a purpose, such as to mock the original work and point out the shortcomings.  For example, Don Quixote by Cervantes, was a parody of the original Amadis de Gaula by Montalvo.  The original was a classic tale about knights and chivalry.  Cervantes wrote the amusing parody Don Quixote.  It not only entertained but mocked the tradition knights in shining armor tales of the day. 
     In films, parody is often used.  Charlie Chaplin starred in The Great Dictator where he parodied Hitler.  While entertaining, it also was a political statement condemning antisemitism and Nazis. 
     Not all parodies have underlying messages though.  Some are for purely entertainment purposes.  For instance, in music, Weird Al Yankovic has made a career out of doing parodies of famous songs, including King of Suede, a parody of King of Pain by the Police, Like a Surgeon, a parody of Madonna’s Like a Virgin, and an all-time favorite, Eat It, a parody of the late Michael Jackson’s Beat It. 
     So whether the author of the parody is simply poking fun at an establishment, making a political statement against regimens, or is just providing entertainment, the parody has been used for many years and is almost always amusing and humorous. 

Bibliography

1.       MasterFile Premier.  Writing. Nov/Dec99, Vol. 22 Issue 3, p6. 5p. 2 Color Photographs.
2.       http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/

3.       Wikipedia, online search engine.

An illustration from Don Quixote


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