What is the target of satire?

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Satire targets the flaws in society—folly, hypocrisy, or corruption that exist in public life, institutions, and social norms. It uses humor, irony, and exaggeration to critique those broader issues and prompt reflection or reform. That makes the broad social target the best fit, not just individuals or a single domain like government, and not something like landscapes that aren’t related to social flaws. The other options are narrower or unrelated: focusing only on individual folly misses the broader societal critique; restricting satire to government ignores other social spheres; and natural landscapes are not what satire aims to expose.