One of the most important things a writer should do is find a way to appeal to their ever-evolving audience. Being content with a single style of writing is not a wise thing to do for a writer in this age of tremendous change. As the saying goes, familiarity breeds contempt. To stay ahead of your audience’s advancing preferences, you have to master the use of various literary devices and literary techniques. This way, you can adjust their uses to appropriately suit your audience. Did you know flattery is a type of sarcasm?

The definition of flattery

Flattery is a type of sarcasm that entails the use of false or insincere praise. This is usually done to mock someone for doing something in a bad manner or poorly. Flattery is a very powerful literary technique. If used appropriately, flattery has a powerful humorous effect.

Examples of instances in which flattery sarcasm has been used

MJ takes her clothes to a tailor for repair. When MJ goes to collect her clothe, she finds that the tailor has made her clothes even worse. MJ tells the tailor, “You know what? With this kind of sewing, you could be the best tailor in town.”

Winston and his sister go to the groceries to buy vegetables for supper. They find stale vegetables at the grocery store. Winston says to the owner of the store while paying for the few vegetables they have picked, “I did not imagine I would get such fresh vegetables at your store.”

Miley insists that she will cook supper for the whole family. Her mother is against the idea, especially because Miley has just recently learned how to cook. When her dad finally tastes her food, he says, “Since I was born, this is the most delicious kind of food I have ever had.”

Jack goes to a bar on a weekend evening. He is surprised to find that there are not enough seats at the bar, so people have to stand at the counter while taking their drinks. The music equipment at the bar is of poor quality; he can tell from its sound. Jack orders an ice-cold drink and he is instead given a warm drink. When he asks for ice, he is told there is no fridge at the bar. He says to the bartender, “You guys are the best; this is now my favorite spot in town.”

Anthony cannot take a shower in his bathroom because of a fault with the pipe system. He calls a plumber to fix it. The plumber instead causes permanent damage to the pipe system. Anthony will have to buy the whole bathroom pipe unit if he will ever want to use his bathroom again. This is obviously more expensive than what he should have paid the plumber to fix the problem. Anthony tells the plumber, “I am grateful for your professional services. I sure will recommend you to my friends in case they’ll have a problem like mine.”

The uses of flattery sarcasm

Flattery sarcasm is used to add humor to a narrative or any type of literary work.

Sources

https://simplicable.com/new/sarcasm