Essays on Jonathan Swift

Surprise ending

A modest proposal is a widely read essay by Jonathan Swift that was written with an aim of providing the solution to the aggravating hunger problem in Ireland. From the beginning of the proposal, Swift adopts a satirical approach which ensures into a surprise ending. The ending comes as a surprise to me because, at the start of the essay, Swift takes the persona of a concerned economist proposing that to alleviate the poverty and overpopulation better in Ireland, the children of the poor should be sold as food to the wealthy. This, he argues, will significantly increase the ...

I think that “A modest proposal” is really outstanding pamphlet of the later works of famous Irish writer Jonathan Swift. It shows us that Swift was not only a writer but an outspoken defender of Irish people and their welfare. At first sight this essay is about women-beggars who beg for money to feed and dress their numerous children. Their kids had no good life because their parents were poor, and the British government didn’t care for them at all. In addition at that time the harvest was poor so the most possible way to get food was ...

The vast majority of Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” reads like a scientific treatise, packed with facts and figures as it seems that Swift has assembled a persuasive case for actually raising the children of Irish poor families in the same philosophical manner that farmers raised sheep, cattle and pigs for slaughter, even going into the various cuts of meat that would be available. However, as the reader nears the end of this treatise, he descends into a chiding tone that asks the reader to conduct some internal self-questioning to determine his position on the issue. Swift, writing ...

It is depressing for the people who walk through the city and town streets every day seeing beggars in huge numbers. This research paper is discussing a proposal by Jonathan Swift on how children born of poor mothers will receive care and their mothers as well will get good money and be able to pay rent to their proprietors. Female beggars with young infants are the most common all over the world. The female beggars spend their entire day in the streets to get something to feed their children instead of going to workplaces to earn a living for ...

There are many manners in which to be a hero; not all of them include donning a cape and fighting evildoers. Some heroes are more intellectual in nature, and all they need to change society’s wrongs is words, be it through pen and paper or by talking. The latter kind is usually not as well-known as the former, yet they have also influenced history in very important ways. One way of bringing society’s ills to light is through satire, of which there have been many master’s throughout the years. This genre ridicules the subject, using irony, ...

The satirical novel Gulliver's Travels is a unique piece of work as it was written not to entertain the readers. This novel was a kind of an indictment of the society and it was highly popular among scientists, politicians, philosophers - those people who were accused by the writer (“Critical Essays Swift's Satire in Gulliver's Travels”). The tone of the Swift’s novel changes from outright derision to mild wit and, generally, the whole book is penetrated with ridicule. The writer used satire as the main weapon against flaws of society he lived in and flaws of humanity in ...

Jonathan Swift, well-known for his satirical writing, suggests in his Modest Proposal some very extreme measures that he considers to be necessary in order to alleviate Ireland's many troubles. He presents his work in the form of a political pamphlet, presumably written by a ruling class persona of Protestant denomination. There are many surprises throughout pamphlet that are intended to shock the reader in such a way as to make him think and reflect about the problems Swift is addressing. These little surprises culminate in a plot-twist in the final few paragraphs of the work. Swift starts off this ...

- Brief biography of the author. Jonathan Swift was born on November 30 in 1667, His family of Anglo-Irish Protestant lived in Dublin, Ireland. His father died a little time before he was born, and his mother had to return to England and left her son in the care of relatives because of poverty. He was well educated: first at Kilkenny Grammar School, which was, at the time, the best in Ireland then at Trinity College in Dublin, though he was not a very good student. In 1689 Swift went to England and became secretary to Sir William Temple at ...

Part one

‘A Modest Proposal’ by Jonathan Swift is about how to solve the issue of hunger. Jonathan begins by describing people who are living in the streets. The streets are filled with starving beggars. Jonathan Swift uses ethos, pathos and logos to make a strong case for his suggestion of using babies as a source of food. He does establish his credibility, and he shows the readers his logic throughout his proposal. He does back up all the points raised in the proposal with hard evidence and facts. He does show how the consumption of infants would support everyone.

Pathos refers to ...

Question one

- Modernization theory is a sociological phenomenon that focuses on the evolution of the society from traditional practices to modern. The study of modernization theory dates back to the 17th century where it focused on the progression of the world driven by technology. Coined by sociologists, the theory entails many disciplines especially in regards to technology. For instance, the theory discusses the advancement of the mass media/communication sector in relation to the societal changes in culture, politics and economy. Furthermore, the theory enlightens the society on the emergence of advanced technology and communication systems that have reduced the world to ...

ABSTRACT

This paper explores the satirical essay ‘A Modest Proposal’ by Jonathan Swift (1729) and the surprises in it that appear through the text and towards the ending. Jonathan Swift in his essay tries to bring forward the plight of misery of the people of Ireland under the English rule. The paper also tries to explain how that period’s key social, cultural and artistic contributions contributed to historical changes. Further in a historical context it runs through the importance of the cultural and artistic expressions of the society at that time. The paper also tries to observe the influences of ...

When many people think of satire, they understand that it is a subversive approach to a certain social or political issue through the use of irony. Works like the Earl of Rochester’s “A Satire Against Reason and Mankind,” Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal or John Dryden’s MacFlecknoe all make fun of some perceived failing of its audience, whether it be the “Satire’s poking fun at rationalism and reason, Swift’s pointing out of the problems facing Ireland as a result of English ignorance, or Dryden’s ridiculing of his contemporaries’ inadequate literary criticism. However, to what end do ...

In life, we have to pass through challenges and obstacles that lead us to our destiny. Appearance is not based on reality all the time, what we see on the outside does not necessarily have to portray what is inside of someone. Also, sometimes illusions and acting in an unconscious way can make us not reach our destiny or may delay it. In the case of Gulliver, he tries to chase his destiny when he quits his job, and sets a journey to the sea. He comes with many experiences that change his life and also, in the end he ...

Annotated Bibliography

Bohn, William E. “The Development of John Dryden’s Literary Criticism.” PMLA 22.1 (1907): 56-139. In Bohn’s article, the author discusses Dryden’s critical essays, particularly in terms of his use of satire. Here, Bohn notes the way in which Dryden used a satire as its own form of criticism; “satire is itself but a sort of criticism; it has always been the form assumed by the highly trained, versifying prose-understanding” (118). Dryden was never one to give literary judgments one at a time, but rather to convey his ideas in a more abstract way, which is where his ...

The aim of this essay is to present you with an analysis of the poem ‘A Description of a City Shower’ which was written by Jonathan Swift in 1710. The essay will analyze and try to explicate the poem, highlighting its main thematic core and the way it is put across to its readers through its literary devices such as its symbolism and icons, its form, genre, verse, metre and figures of speech. The essay will emphasize on the interpretation of the poem and its symbolism, by shedding light to the way that Jonathan Swift uses the description of an ...

Is Swift a Misogynist? Discuss the Representation of Women in “The Travels”

Introduction “Gulliver’s Travels” by Jonathan Swift is one of the greatest satirical works that had ever been composed. Swift satirized his contemporary politics, religion, and Western Culture through strange people whom Gulliver had met up with during his voyages. He satirized politics through Lilliputians, religion through big and little endians, and Western Culture through Brobdingnagians. He also satirized the status of women in society who were considered as mere objects and he never failed to express his own view about women and their rights and duties. He gave less importance to feminine characters in his masterpiece, which ...

“Gulliver’s Travels” by Jonathan Swift is considered one of greatest satirical literary works in the world literature heritage. To the great extent “Candide” ranks Voltaire on the same level of significance as one of the greatest satirists in the world literature. Satire is “a technique employed by writers to expose and criticize foolishness and corruption of an individual or a society by using humor, irony, exaggeration or ridicule”. (Literary Devices) The goal of satire is improving humanity by means of criticizing and mocking its foolishness and weakness. In satire a writer uses fictional characters, which actually hint at real people ...

Fiction and satire characterizes the two literature works; the modest proposal by Jonathan Swift and the Ones Who Walks Away from Omelas by Ursula Le Guin. Satire is a stylistic device that is used to communicate a serious issue in an indirect manner; fiction also serves the same meaning because it presents as issue to the audience in a similar manner. In essence, the two stylistic devices are critical in literature as they offer the audience a chance to inquire and interrogate the narrator’s statements in a more detailed manner. The Modest Proposal and the Ones Who Walks Away from Omelas present a social ...

The enlightenment period or the age of enlightenment as it is commonly known is a period in the 18th century where the smartest minds of the time tried to explain formerly unexplainable phenomena using scientific methodology and reasoning as opposed to tradition and faith which were more puritan ideals (Nina, 365). Everything at the time was subject to critical reasoning. Some of the fields that faced the reasonable critique were politics, religion and most importantly literature. Before the enlightenment period the dominant force on knowledge was religion, especially Christianity. The 18hth century saw major transformations with many believing that the ...

The greatest English satirist - Jonathan Swift lived long, eventful life. Inhabitants of Ireland were respectful to him and considered him as their defender. The close relationship with poor handicraftsmen and villagers that writer had, gave to Swift the chance to understand thatthe onlyfounders of the history- are people. In his well-known novel "Gulliver's Travel", Jonathan Swift described the life that surrounded him, but he did it in the form that was described by no one else before, in the form of the fairy tale, but sharply, and satirically.In each parts of the novel "Gulliver's Travel", the writer ...

I This paper seeks to take issue with discussing the relevance of eighteenth century literary texts in modern times. In the face of the curriculum committee’s decision to exclude eighteenth century literature from the curriculum altogether, it is imperative that an attempt be made to actuate a move in the reverse. This paper is aimed at just the endeavour and proposes to be successful in its undertaking vis-à-vis a convincing argument made in favour of the applicability of eighteenth century texts in the contemporary social milieu. The task at hand remains a gargantuan one and a herculean feat, to say ...

‘Name’

‘Instructor’s Name’ ‘The Modest Proposal’ written by Jonathan Swift in the year 1729, is a straight faced satire, whereby the author employs motifs and symbols to enlighten the reader about the plight of the impoverished people of his land. In this pamphlet the narrator urges people to sell young children of the Ireland for hard cash, so that they can be served as a food to the upper class people. In this way, he proposes to lighten the economic burden of taking care of young children, and what more earn some profit out of them. Obviously, the author is ...

Gulliver’s Travels is a book written by Jonathan Swift in the 18th century. It was a very popular book then and is still as popular today. It has never been out of print since it was first published. “It is universally read, from the cabinet council to the nursery”. (John Gay wrote in a letter to Jonathan Swift in 1726). It was a very advanced book for its time when people were less travelled than they are today and foreign countries were as yet unknown. People were afraid of what they did not know and therefore these tales gave them an insight ...

One of the most famous satirical pieces of all time is Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal. Although the issues contained within the text are aimed specifically at the political and economic situation in Ireland and England during the early eighteenth century, the thematic ideas that Swift develops so effectively in his work remain important to this day. Swift utilizes satire and wordplay to underscore the oppression of the Irish by the English, and in doing so, creates one of the longest-lived pieces of social and political satire and sustained irony of all time. Religion in England, Ireland, ...

I used two 20th Century sources about the demographic and economic conditions of Ireland at the time Swift write “A Modest Proposal”, and in my opinion these would have strengthened the paper overall by placing it in a more detailed historical context. Neither of the articles would have changed my basic conclusions that Ireland was suffering from extreme poverty, hunger and poverty because of England’s colonial policies. They would have offered further proof of my main thesis that even though Swift’s essay was intended only to be satire, he had a very serious political purpose. In my opinion, during ...

Jonathan Swift’s powerful satire offers a misanthropist’s perspective of the world, one who has lost faith in and has succumbed to the disillusionment in humankind. Gulliver’s Travels is a glimpse into the real state of the human race, with most salient attacks on the social aspect of it: politics, religion, governmental structure and finally, the essence of what it means to be human. However, at the very end of the novel, it becomes clear that only a person who profoundly cares about the state of humanity could have written a work that touches upon all these issues in such a satirical ...

Abstract

Products of the Enlightenment, Voltaire and William Hogarth were pioneers and masters of satire, a comic form with a long venerable history reaching back to Ancient Greece and Rome. Both were apt observers of a society adrift in a sea of moral aimlessness, rotten with greed, ambition and cynicism. Voltaire’s Candide and Hogarth’s great paintings and engravings both entertain and inform, using exaggeration to ridicule the behavioral excesses of rich and poor alike.

As products of the Enlightenment, Voltaire and William Hogarth expressed their contempt for those bourgeois manifestations of society that would eventually bring down the French nobility, the Bourbon ...