The satirist shoots to kill while the humorist brings his prey back alive and eventually releases him again for another chance.

De Vries draws a sharp ethical and tonal distinction between satire and humor. Satire, in his metaphor, is a lethal weapon: it aims to expose, condemn, and destroy its target’s credibility or moral standing. Humor, by contrast, is restorative and social; it may capture someone’s follies, but it ultimately returns the person to the community, allowing for correction, resilience, and renewed participation. The image suggests that humor’s end is not punishment but perspective—an invitation to recognize human weakness without permanently exiling the weak. Implicitly, De Vries also hints at the writer’s responsibility: whether one’s wit is meant to wound beyond repair or to chastise while preserving sympathy.