Satirical Article by the Onion

The fake article by The Onion used satire in many ways to get their point across. By making fun of the product, they were able to effectively get their point across that the soles were not what they were said to be. They used sarcasm, complicated words or words that appeared important, hyperbole, and poisoning the well. By using these rhetorical devices, they were able to accomplish satire, which was the primary way for getting their message across. By using sarcasm, which was a good way to pin point that this was a satirical article, they were able to get their point across. They were able to let the reader know exactly what they believed to be false about the soles. Also, their use of ‘complicated’ words and ‘scientific’ sounding words that someone who was ignorant to science or knowledge wouldn’t even question or think twice about, helped make their point. But when someone knows what words mean or what words don’t exist, you can pick apart the lies that had been formed. The Onion does this very well and mocks the commercial or article by using words that seem important or like they should matter but don’t. Words like “pseudoscience” and “kilofrankels” make it seem important when in reality it’s saying that everything ‘science-y’ that’s said is false. The Onion is able to point out the creators flaws and catch their lies. They also use hyperbole, or excessive exaggeration, that makes you realize how nothing could actually be true about anything they say about the soles. The article talks about paying $20 compared to thousands of dollars on getting your spine realigned. Everyone is going to want to spend less money, but the problem with this statement is that it is irrelevant to what is actually happen. They distract you by exaggerating situations that seem important but rarely are. They also poison the well, which is a fancy way for getting an opinion in your head before you have a chance to form your own. They have fake doctors telling you how