100 Satirical Essay Topics
Being a college student is very easy. You just have to adhere to all the campus norms, stay awake for all 120 nights, survive on caffeine, deal with your disorganised roommate, sacrifice your firstborn to the devil and walk on fire if your professors ask you to.
So what’s the fuss about college then?
If you couldn’t guess that was satire. This was a mild example of what the genre actually explores and if you have to write an essay following the same pattern, then you are in the right place. Before moving towards the topics, let’s see why satirical commentaries have gained such popularity.
Humour has existed for as long as humans have, and many people believe that it is an excellent technique to pen down the harsh realities we observe around us. However, this genre can be further categorised into any subject or topic as you just have to intelligently communicate facts in a way that they appear not only ironic but also hilarious to the readers.
You’d be surprised to know that during Greek and Roman eras, this was one of the most famous writing techniques because our ancestors used it to publish social commentaries but toned it down for the masses.
For closer and more relatable observation, let’s move to the 16th century where the genre once again gained popularity and one of the most famous playwrights of the time, Shakespeare, introduced satire in his work.
As opposed to the celebrated rulers and governors, he used ordinary men, specifically peasants and comedians to portray irony and satire in his works and years later, the readers and viewers still appreciate his plays because of the accurate depiction of culture and norms.
Apart from Literature, satire has also been used during extreme political situations when free speech was banned, and writers used the genre to indirectly attack and reveal the evils that were reigning over society at the time.
So yes, this form of writing has a lot of history. While the genre can be summarised perfectly in the words of Edgar Allen Poe, who said that “Invisible things are the only realities”, it is not particularly easy to remain in flow with it. Your humour and facts have to align, and you have to connect with the readers to make them understand the points.
Therefore, always pick a topic that you have an opinion on and keep the target readers in mind.
So let’s look at some of the subjects that you might have an interest in:
School/Academics
- Talk about your school’s cafeteria
- Discuss the student’s council and administration
- Pros and cons of uniforms
- Why should we say goodbye to standardised tests?
- Importance of picking science subjects
- The stigma associated with social sciences
- Discrimination against students with disabilities
- Favouring memory or intelligence in classrooms
- What’s the purpose of high school proms?
- Is dropping out of school a bad decision?
History
- How is history tainted in the books?
- The effects of the world war on society
- Comment on people who deny the Holocaust
- Colonisation and its after-effects
- All violent rulers that we celebrate
- Is the French Revolution really that great?
- The part Mughals played in introducing culture
- How did the world survive the era of the Mongols?
- Did Christopher Columbus really discover America?
- How do we know the historians aren’t biased?
Politics
- Should everyone be allowed free speech?
- Capitalism vs Communism: Which ideology is better?
- Is Donald Trump the most daring American President?
- What are the laws around gun control?
- How much power should the military have?
- Is it time for the USA to negotiate with Russia and North Korea?
- Are states responsible for terrorism?
- The controversies around Barack Obama
- Eisenhower era: Who thrived and who survived
- How can states promote diversity?
Social
- Why do we need feminism more than ever?
- Should the voting age be reduced?
- Who should get a larger say in designing rules: Boomers or Millenials?
- The side effects of the American Dream
- Can the construction of walls solve all the issues?
- Capitalism thrives on the removal of indigenous communities
- Is Amazon the biggest terrorist?
- Being an introvert isn’t that bad
- How does gender identity limit opportunities?
- Should abortion be legal?
Environment
- Commentary on people who deny climate change
- Billionaire corporations involved in pollution
- The exploitation of third-world countries
- Is oil extraction really necessary?
- What’s a cheaper alternative for plastic bags?
- Are we running out of water?
- The animals that have disappeared over the last century
- Should wild animals be caged?
- Artificial rain: Is it a good idea?
- Does the government control the weather?
Media
- Who should monitor censorship?
- The need for more diverse movies
- How does white music dominate the industry?
- Have we forgotten the origin of rap music?
- Lack of recognition of movies in a foreign language
- The depiction of rape and harassment through art
- How do superhero characters influence us?
- How is the content we watch on TV moderated?
- The problems associated with fake news
- What is the role of the media in bringing a revolution?
Science
- Did we really go to the moon?
- The arguments of flat earthers
- Do aliens exist?
- How far are we from finding the cure for HIV/AIDS?
- Is the pharmaceutical industry exploiting patients?
- When will time travel be possible?
- Is evolution a myth?
- Why is the use of nutritional supplements growing?
- Is animal testing considered legal?
- How can religion and science complement each other?
Technology
- How is social media changing our moral values?
- The effects of driverless cars on employment
- Can Artificial Intelligence beat us?
- What is the moral sphere around human cloning?
- Has technology increased or reduced communication?
- What jobs will be outdated by the next 20 years?
- Should weapons be manufactured for national security?
- How dangerous is public Wi-Fi?
- Why do we rely on Applications?
- How are we being tracked by the government?
Sports
- Toxic fanbase and its consequences
- Are football matches authentic or rigged?
- Are women athletes receiving the same wages?
- Should steroids be legal?
- How big is the video game industry?
- Are the arcades becoming outdated?
- Should we have intergender matches?
- Why was WWF better than WWE?
- Is sledging in cricket entertaining?
- Are fans happy with the limited overs cricket?
General
- College is a waste of time
- Is failing your exam really that bad?
- Teaching the use of social media to boomers
- Why is this generation so depressed?
- Is moving away from home difficult?
- How can prime time on television be improved?
- How white is the widely followed feminism?
- Companies profiting off oppression
- Is marriage overrated?
- Is euthanasia freedom of choice?
So, pick your favourite category and start writing down the essay you have been delaying for weeks. Just remember that you have to use smart comments and accurate facts to engage the readers. The introduction, specifically, should be unique and humorous because if your content is dry, then the chances are that the readers may not prefer to read further.
