Analyzing Satire and Parody in Blazing Saddles Essay

Analyzing Satire and Parody in Blazing Saddles No one is born a racist bigot. In other words, racial bigotry or racial prejudice is not genetically or biologically determined... Therefore, if most people spoke out about racism, it would be the first step towards a revolutionary change. -Dr. Charles Quist-Adade Mel Brooks’ Blazing Saddles, sheds light to the cultural problems of the Western era through satire with elements of parody within. John Vogel describes Blazing Saddles as â€Å"The Ultimate Western Spoof.† The problem of racism is the main focus of this film. If one takes a closer look at the work of Mel Brooks, there is a noticeable trend of his films pointing fingers at racists. In order to better understand why he takes this†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Some of the features that are to become key elements of the genre are to be found in early silent Westerns from the late 1890s and early 1900s† (Westerns). Since this time, many of the famous films have become household names. For some peopl e, the reason they have been introduced to this film genre is because of their grandparents or parents. For others, they may have a genuine interest to understand this culture that has transformed itself to fit with a new era of time. Although these films have been able to generate great amounts of revenue, they are full of underlying elements that show the cultural issues of that time period. Moreover, some of these elements may not be noticeable to everyone at first, but that is where the satire and parody come into play. Satire is a technique employed by writers to expose and criticize foolishness and corruption of an individual or a society by using humor, irony, exaggeration or ridicule. It intends to improve humanity by criticizing its follies1 and foibles2. A writer may point satire 1. fol†¢ly noun \ˈfà ¤-lÄ“\: the lack of good sense or judgment (Merriam) 2. foi†¢ble noun \ˈfȯi-bÉ™l\: a minor fault in someones character or behavior (Merriam) toward a person, a country or even the entire world. (Literary) Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines parody as â€Å"a piece of writing, music, etc., that imitates the style of someone or something else in an amusing way.† The Schirmer Encyclopedia of