Essay about Jonathan Swift - 1794 Words

Jonathan Swift In an age of where rationality and morals were held to the accepted values, Jonathan Swift stood out as a champion of humanism. All his life he attacked pretense and begged people to see that life is not always what it seems when you look harder and think deeper. In addition, Swift was one of the most powerful writers of his time; able to rally people and nations around the caustic and moral views expressed in his works. His political writings for the Tories exposed the corruptions of government and paved the way for his acclaimed satires. Swifts great strength lied in impressing people into believing his ideals without blatantly professing them or becoming preachy. Swift was raised in Dublin, and was schooled well†¦show more content†¦We do not merely agree with the moral evaluations implied; we have lived, in our imaginations, through a moral experience (Williams 4). Swift doesnt simply tell us his beliefs; he makes the reader sort it out through the context of the story. By placing his ideas and morals upon other characters, Swift himself stands distant from these scenes he writes about. In doing so, he artistically, yet implicitly, defines the interval between the normal and the absurd. We attain normality by guarding against pride, and this we could do easily by observing the distorted figures in comedy and satire (Quintana 39). An example where Swift uses his satire in a crafty, implicit way is in one of his first major works, A Tale of A Tub. The book is about exposing the corruption and abuses of religion at the time. In section VI of the book, Swift takes the form of an earnest storyteller but in fact he is telling the history of the major Christian Churches. The three main characters are obviously personas for the three main churches at the time. There is Peter, who in truth represents the Roman Catholic Church; Martin, who is named after the Protestant/Lutheran/Anglican Church; and Jack, who is named after Calvinism and the other nonconformist Christian religions. Swift, as the narrator, is asserting to be telling this story just like it happened, and not drawing any conclusions or seeing anyShow MoreRelatedJonathan Swift1088 Words   |  5 Pages4. Jonathan Swift (1667—1745) the foremost prose satirist in the English language His Writing The Battle of Books (1704) A Tale of Tub (1704) the Drapier’s Letters (1724) Gulliver’s Travels (1726) A Modest Proposal (1729) Gulliver’s Travels a collection of tales tied together by Gulliver a novel a satire a travel book a children book an allegory Satire A common form of the 18th Century, basically the ridiculing of any objects through laughter which will soften the blow TheRead MoreJonathan Swift Essay947 Words   |  4 PagesJonathan Swift 1. Swift wrote A Modest Proposal under a pseudonym, so who is the speaker here? The speaker is a Protestant and a member of the Irish upper class. 2. Discuss the tone of the piece. Pull examples from the text to support your discussion. Swift showed disgust for the people who would rather beg than take care of themselves. He says, â€Å"These mothers instead of being able to work for their honest livelihood, are forced to employ all their time in strolling to beg sustenanceRead MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift860 Words   |  4 Pagesinformed to read â€Å"A Modest Proposal† by Jonathan Swift as an assignment for creating annotated bibliographies, I began to develop an interest on how Swift came about the matter of his request into rebuilding Ireland s economy and way of life. I believed that Swift added cannibalizing children to the subject matter to give his proposal a more profound and eye-opening effect, but my readings further piqued my interests on the topic. As a result, I researched Jonathan Swift’s motives and style behind hisRead MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift Essay836 Words   |  4 PagesIn Jonathan Swift’s â€Å"A Modest Proposal†, we are exposed to the tim eless issue of homelessness and the state’s role in their social welfare. Swift was a fervent Irish patriot who was disgusted by the flourishing trend of beggars and hungry children that flooded the streets of his beloved country. This topic is relatable as this is a social issue that plagues many countries in the present age. Swift presents a satirical argument in which he proposes Ireland adopt the horrific practices of eating theirRead MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift910 Words   |  4 Pages1792, Jonathan Swift drafted an essay â€Å"A Modest Proposal† to bring awareness of a particular group of people being mistreated and victimized. Fast forward 284 years later, Martin Luther King Jr. gave a speech â€Å"I Have a Dream† bringing more public awareness of another group of people being mistreated and victimized. Today, 52 years later we are still struggling for human rights and equality; as a result, I feel our country is still just as torn now as it was 286 years ago. Jonathan Swifts â€Å"A ModestRead MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift1647 Words   |  7 PagesSatire in â€Å"A Modest Proposal† and Different Articles Jonathan Swift, author of â€Å"A Modest Proposal,† tries to present different ideas in order to change the situation of Ireland. Through his proposal, he is able to get people’s attention, and the way he uses satire throughout the article made his argument more successful. He wrote this essay to show how ignored and bad the state of Ireland and its social classes are. In â€Å"A Modest Proposal†, Swift effectively uses rhetorical exaggeration to expressRead MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift866 Words   |  4 PagesMichael Smith Professor Doyle World Literature II 6 August 2017 A Modest Proposal: Jonathan Swift In Jonathan Swift’s pamphlet â€Å"A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of Poor People from Being a Burthen to their Parents, or the Country, and for Making them Beneficial to the Publick† is a very controversial pamphlet about the starving people of Ireland. Swift suggests that the parents of the starving children commit cannibalism and sell their children as food. At this time, England’s footholdRead MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift1340 Words   |  6 PagesA Modest Proposal was written in the year 1729 by the famous satirist Jonathan Swift. In his work he outlines the pros of eating unwanted children of Ireland for economical benefits in a time of great poverty. While the reader can obviously discard the idea of eating children, in his proposal, in a roundabout way, Swift speaks to hard pressing issues of the time. The state of Ireland is well described by Swift in this piece. He speaks of woman who â€Å"instead of being able to work for their honestRead MoreLiterary Analysis : Jonathan Swift1425 Words   |  6 PagesComp. II Oct. 27, 2015 Literary analysis The author I decided to write about is Jonathan Swift for he had a keen sense for effective sarcasm. As Jonathan Swift said â€Å"The proper words in the proper places are the true definition of style.† Though he was known in different ways, he was mostly popularized through his gift in writing, particularly his satire, or his use of humor and irony, essays. Through out swift life, there has been plenty of events where I believe shape the way he was, hence hisRead MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift1032 Words   |  5 PagesJonathan Swift’s satirical pamphlet, A Modest Proposal, as a way to ironically find a way For the CommonWealth of Ireland to benefit from the starving children. He proposes the idea that an unwanted child should be fattened up then feed to landlords or have their meat sold in the market. In turn curing the nation’s problem of overpopulation and contribute to the economic well-being of the nation. Swift’s satire exploits the fundam ental human function of eating. The need to eat is a driving human