SATIRE, LANGUAGE, AND MEMORY: A STYLISTIC ANALYSIS OF MOHAMMAD HANIF’S RED BIRDS THROUGH SIMPSON’S MODE

Abstract

This study analyses satirical writing in Muhammad Hanif’s Red Birds through the lens of Simpson’s Stylistic Model of Satirical Humour with particular attention to connection of language and memory in the construction of satire. As a sharp critique of the absurdity and irrationality of war and its consequences for human lives, Red Birds offers a rich ground for examining how satire is linguistically and stylistically constructed.  Simpson’s Model which covers both the production of satire by the satirist and its reception by the reader, provides a comprehensive framework for this analysis.  Therefore, this study explores stylistic features through the Metonymic Satirical Method (saturation, attenuated focalisation, and negation) and Metaphoric Satirical Methods (combination and merging), and Stylistic Hooks (lexico-grammatical devices) in Simpson’s model. The findings reveal that Hanif satirizes American’s obsession with war, the unquestioning obedience of military personnel, the normalization of violence and apathy of those who exploit war for personal gain along with embedding the critique in language that functions as a repository of cultural memory.