The author of Gulliver’s Travels os Jonathan Swift. He was born on November 30, 1667 in Dublin, Ireland (Cody, 1). At an early age his father past away and because of this sudden death Swift’s mother soon moved back to England. Swift, in the care of his relatives, was sent to school at Kilkenny Grammar School. He then attended Trinity College but did not finish his schooling because the school was closed because of a revolution occurring in the government (Cody, 2). Swift then moved to England where he became the secretary for Sir William Temple. Shortly after this employment Swift returned to Ireland upon request of his doctors because he was suffering for Miner’s Disease, a disturbance of the inner ear. Shortly after returning to Ireland Swift left Ireland for England once again. In England he published his first work which he did not get high praise for. Swift left England and returned to Ireland in 1694 to pursue his dreams of becoming a priest in the Church of Ireland and in 1695 accomplished this dream and was ordained (Cody, 3). After about a year, however, Swift returned to England. In England between 1696 and 1699 Swift created a majority of A Tale of a Tub, one of his most notable works (Cody, 4). Also in this time Swift created The Battle of the Books. Shortly after the completion of his work a friend of his past which lead to him traveling back to Ireland with the Earl of Berkeley as his secretary. Then in 1700 Swift was promoted within the church and was instituted Vicar of Laracor and was forced to travel back to Ireland (Cody, 5). The following year Swift was awarded a D.D. Form Dublin University and a couple years following his first works were published under anonymous. In 1707 Swift was asked to travel to England where he would ask for remission of tax on Irish clerical income but his requests were denied (Cody, 6). His trip, however, was not a total loss for he got the opportunity to meet Esther Vanhomrigh. She allowed Swift to step into the highest levels of political circles and this allowed swift to spend a lot of the next few years traveling between England and Ireland. Swift, now a figure in the government, became even more involved when he became the editor of a Tory newspaper (Cody, 9). Also in 1710 he began writing a group of letters to Esther Johnson later to be named The Journal to Stella.
How does Swift want the reader to view his speaker? That is, how would Swift want his reader to describe the persona he adopts? Swift wants the reader to view the speaker as a reasonable, compassionate and rational person who has a genuine interest in solving the problems of the poor Irish. In the beginning of the essay, the speaker appears to be a concerned person who demonstrates a keen insight into the issues he addresses. However, this is contrary to the fact that the speaker predominantly relies on random and absurd statistics and logic to present his solution. By acting as someone compelled to solve the plight of the poor Irish, the unknown speaker makes his words more effective and establishes himself as someone who would never make the outrageous proposal that follows.
Swift defined satire as; 'A sort of glass wherein the holders do generally discover everybody's face but their own, which is the chief reason for that kind of reception it meets in the world, and that so very few are offended with it. " Swift presents his "Proposal" as an entirely reasonable suggestion to aid the Irish, he enumerates the many benefits, counters the objections many may have, uses rhetoric reasoning and proves his humanitarianism views. Swift has written in considerable detail over the degree of poverty in Ireland, he draws attention to the causes of it obliquely and proves in great detail that his "Proposal" will work and in which ways it does work. Ireland was a colony of England; it was economically, politically and militarily dependent on ... ... middle of paper ... ...
In Swift’s satirical essay he stated the main issue to be the hunger and starvation of Irish country and their lack of money to support oneself. He said the complication was they themselves don’t have food, to many families in poverty, and that the Englishman took their land and charging high prices for rent. Swift makes this argument because he too is an Irish men and he struggles to see his fellow men parish in the streets. He desires his people to stand up against England and take back what’s theirs. He argues that the Irish...
In the first few paragraphs of the Proposal, Swift characterizes the proposer as a sophisticated, civilized, and educated gentleman to relay the ostensible purpose of the proposal. The first few paragraphs manipulate syntax and are entirely devised of long-winded sentences explaining the situation in Ireland. The proposer presents his proposal of importance that he deserves “his statue set up for a preserver of the nation” (Swift 2633). Swift is emphasizing the proposer’s pompous tone; this proposal, according to the proposer, is a revolutionary solution to the problems of “the kingdom” (2633). Swift’s creation of the proposer’s opinions towards the “melancholy object” (2633) of the beggars of Ireland, mainly of Catholic religion, mirror those of the absentee landlords, causing an identification with the proposer and...
They criticized the social injustices that was going on during the 18th century in Ireland by doing what they loved the most, writing. Swift and Goldsmith wrote their stories as a mockery to the arrogance, hypocrisy, and falsehood of the upper classes. Through their bold and amusing tales, we are entertained with the obvious message of injustice and corruption decorated in a satire. Through their love of literature, Swift and Goldsmith, tried to better their society by displaying their discontent through countless satires. For both Jonathan Swift and Oliver Goldsmith, their love of literature began at a young age; however, their poverty-stricken lives prevented them from pursuing their dreams. Nevertheless, these dreams manifested into reality, and soon Swift and Goldsmith took jobs writing for the Tory. Jonathan Swift and Oliver Goldsmith had similar ideas, and because of this, took on similar writing jobs. Their love of literature persuaded each to join a Literary Club. Throughout the years, these two poets underwent great trials; however, their passion for literature never
Swift was said to “declare at one stage in his life: ‘I am not of this vile country (Ireland), I am an Englishman’” (Hertford website). In his satire “A Modest Proposal,” he illustrates his dislike not only for the Irish, but for the English, organized religions, rich, greedy landlords, and people of power. It is obvious that Swift dislikes these people, but the reader must explore from where his loathing for the groups of people stems. I believe Swift not only wanted to attack these various types of people to defend the defenseless poor beggars, but he also had personal motives for his writings that stemmed from unconscious feelings, located in what Sigmund Freud would call the id, that Swift developed in his earlier years of life.
... middle of paper ... ... He wanted the Irish subjugation to end and the English to take pride in the land they ruled. Swift went on to become the Dean of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin, where he funded a charitable house for poor women and Saint Patrick’s Hospital.
Swift wants his readers to interpret his speaker as a kindhearted, sensible gentleman with a sincere concern for resolving problems for the Irish people. In the first eight paragraphs, the reader meets an affectionate man with precise insight into the predicament he will shortly address. By doing this, the speaker establishes himself up as someone who would not make an outrageous proposition. This makes his words even more effective.
...ture the attention of the audience by means of “political pamphleteering which is very popular during his time” (SparkNotes Editors). The language and style of his argument is probably why it is still popular till this day. By using satire, Swift makes his point by ridiculing the English people, the Irish politicians, and the wealthy. He starts his proposal by using emotional appeal and as it progresses, he uses ethos to demonstrate credibility and competence. To show the logical side of the proposal, he uses facts and figures. By applying these rhetorical appeals, Swift evidently makes his argument more effectual.
During the 1720’s, the Irish people were suffering dearly, due to the oppression by Great Britain. There oppression came in the form of being displaced by wealthy English people who were buying up land in Ireland and then not living there. They would proceed to rent some of their land to the Irish people at extremely high rent, which eventually led to them not being able to pay neither their rent or provide their families with food or clothes. The reason behind Swift’s proposal is simple. He is an Irishman. He has a sense of patriotic duty to attempt to help his fellow Irish people. He wants them to know that it is possible to move forward form poverty and out from under the oppression of the British. He structures his essay through a basic form of presenting an idea and then backing it up with “facts” like the growth in weight of babies or expert accounts on the taste of children from a credible source. Something that Swift just assumes that the audience will take for granted. Additionally he assumes that the audience won’t simply put his article down, taking it as the ramblings of a mad man talking about eating babies like it’s a normal everyday thing.
Jonathan Swift is a well-known author and satirist who graduated from Oxford University in England. He is very educ...
The Writings of Jonathan Swift; Authoritative Texts, Backgrounds, Criticism. edited by Robert A. Greenberg and William Bowman Piper. Norton Critical Editions. New York: Norton, 1973.
Jonathan Swift growing up, born in Ireland suffered very much. Both his parents exited his life after his birth. Jonathans father Jonathan Swift Sr. died four months after his son’s birth. His mother Abigail Erick tried to care for the young sick Jonathan with his nurse. Eventually his mother gave in and sent Jonathan to England with his nurse to be cared for in a better manner. Jonathan was barely raised by a female figure once his mother and nurse were not by his side as he grew past infancy. When he came back to Ireland, Jonathan lived with his uncle who gave Jonathan the best education possible which he funded for Jonathan.
In Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, Gulliver learns that experiencing different lifestyles he thought were better than his own actually makes him appreciate his own life with a more meaningful disposition through his journeys to Lilliput, Brobdingnag, and the Country of the Houyhnhnms. Gulliver’s journey to Lilliput effectuated forlorn feelings of his home. Likewise, Gulliver’s trek to Brobdingnag assists in his realization that changing perspectives also alter his attitude towards his homeland. Finally, Gulliver’s expedition to the Country of Houyhnhnms, where horses act civilized on and people act like wild animals. Gulliver soon learns that through his mystical journeys that changing the perspective in which he views the world reverses feelings of gratefulness towards his home. Gulliver’s first journey set sail to the Lilliputians on May 4th, 1699.
As one can see, Gulliver’s Travel is a good example of Swift’s idea of the English government. The novel satires the way the English government was superficial through the Lilliputian society and the type of government England should had through Brobdingnagians society. Swift was able to make a social statement through his utopia to “push an ideal, ideology, or political demand to its logical extreme in order to make it serve as a warning for society.” (A Novel Approach to Politics pg.21) The utopia served as a satirical comedy to reach out to England to show the mistakes of government.