“Satire” versus “sarcasm”

Question

I looked up the two words on wikitionary & got this:

satire:

A literary technique of writing or art which principally ridicules its subject often as an intended means of provoking or preventing change. Humour is often used to aid this.

sarcasm:

A form of humor that is marked by bitter mockery, often using irony, and sometimes conveyed in speech with vocal over-emphasis. With irony, it is insincerely saying something positive which is obviously the opposite of one's intended, cruel meaning. On the other hand it may be a direct taunt where the jibe means exactly what it says.

At first glance, they seem equivalent to me. Is there a clear distinction about when to use one & when to use the other?

Answer 1

Satire is usually prepared and lengthy. For example, the fake news site The Onion is satire because its staff members carefully prepare each article to make fun of a particular subject.

On the other hand, sarcasm is usually off-the-cuff and short. For example, if while watching a news broadcast about the war in Afghanistan, I remark "The war is going great! We've managed to kill a million civilians!", that would be sarcasm because I haven't prepared it and I'm making fun of the uselessness of the Pentagon.

Answer 2

Satire is a form or genre, like comedy or tragedy, while sarcasm is a tone a style or tone.