18.

Although I’m not a big believer in horoscopes, I do occasionally check mine at the beginning of each year, month, or week.  I never thought horoscopes could be satirized but The Onion proved me wrong! Typically horoscopes are filled with positivity, never predicting that anything bad will happen to you.  This Onion article is a parody and a satire simultaneously.  This article is set up with the same format as a typical horoscope page which hints that it is a parody.  Because the information on stereotypical is not backed up with science, the horoscopes on The Onion mock this particular characteristic of horoscopes by creating horoscopes that say  phrases such as , “People and places from your past will come rushing back this week, thanks to a sudden hemorrhage of the temporal lobe.” Which include scientific reasoning for something that a normal horoscope website would predict.  The horoscope article on The Onion also satirizes the fact that horoscopes are usually so positive by including a negative one.  For example, for the star sign Cancer, The Onion predicted, “Punctuality has never been your strong suit. Keep those at work from finding out with a series of diversionary explosions this week.”  This “horoscope” is opening criticizing people’s tendency to be on time.  Making this article even more satirical, The Onion makes fun of the belief that everything will be okay in the end.  This belief is commonly found in horoscopes.  For Leos, The Onion predicted that they would “fall for the oldest trick in the book, which is rather sad, as it’s the one where everything comes together in the end.” Through mocking and mimicking, this article successfully satirizes horoscopes.

Visit the article at:

http://www.theonion.com/horoscope/your-horoscopes-week-february-23-2016-52408