“A Modest Proposal” is a perfect definition of juvenalian satire. The main focus in the story is to propose a simple way to remove the poor by creating a new dish they could create: babies. What Jonathan Swift proposes is, instead of seeing women with children at their skirts, the women sell their babies before the age of one as a source of food. With this method, Swift says that the poor will have a source of income that any woman can do, and the rich will have a brand new delicacy.
Swift’s proposal is obviously juvenalian in the way that it elicits a response of shock instead of humor. If someone does not understand that it is satire when it is first read, the person would feel shock and disgust as I did when I read it. I had forgotten
…show more content…
it was satire and honestly thought he was serious by the tone of Swift’s writing. With the satire I had been exposed to, mostly horatian satire, I hadn’t been ready to understand Juvenalian satire. Swift’s writing completely threw me, leaving me baffled, angry, and disgusted. The only part in “A Modest Proposal” that hinted at being satire was when Swift suggested that the baby's skin be used as gloves and boots; “The skin of which, artificially dressed, will make admirable gloves for ladies, and summer boots for fine gentlemen.” (Swift, 5). While I should have understood that it was satire at this point, I was too enthralled with the statements he was making. With this in mind, because I did not understand what his hidden meaning was, I do not believe that satire is effective until you understand that it is satire. A person might be too confused or outraged by the story instead of deducing what the satire suggests. In this case, “A Modest Proposal” questions why society seems to be okay with using people for another’s gain. The rich seem to want to use the poor and each other for their own amusement and gain by using their children as exotic delicacies and the women as breeders. Swift repeatedly dehumanizes women in his writings.
By describing them as ‘Beggars of the female sex’, ‘breeders’, and referencing their birth-giving as a child breaking the ‘dam’, he is making them no more than cattle. Swift even states ‘Men would become as fond of their wives, during the time of their pregnancy, as they are now of their mares in foal, their cows in calf, or sow when they are ready to farrow…’(10). By using this phrase, he is making it strikingly clear that women are no more than cattle, something to create food.
Swift’s meaning to his writing, should you remove the satirical background, is to propose a way to end poverty. If taken from a distant point of view, it seems as if it could work, but I don’t believe that his point is to give an answer. Satire, to put it simply, does not need to explain a reasonable solution to a problem, but to point out the problem itself. By pointing out the problem, the public can find out an equal solution to and for all.
Juvenalian satire must cover a plethora of topics, even topics that are hard to cover because of a difficulty to describe or a difficulty to hear. Most satires tend to stray to Horatian because of this, as horatian is easier for people to see through and laugh at. Juvenalian is necessary, though, as it covers the topics that Horatian cannot
…show more content…
cover. That is not to say that Juvenalian satire is allowed to cover all things, as there is simply some things of today’s society that need not be brought up.
Such things, such as domestic abuse, hard drug abuse, and rape are things that simply should not be brought up in satire. These are depressing subjects that the common people know and understand. Others, such as suicide, alcohol abuse, and racism are things that should be brought up. While they are not pleasant, they would shake people enough to realise they need to be spoken of.
Suicide, alcohol abuse, and racism are things that make people uncomfortable just as much as suggesting babies be used as a delicacy. Mentioning the words causes people to cringe and shy away, or simply change the topic. What the people do not seem to understand is that these things exist today in mass, and need to be spoken about, even in a satirical way. Though, it would be simple to go too far when speaking about these things.
Juvenalian satire is supposed to elicit a shocked reaction, or an angry reaction. Through this, it is easy to give it some leeway when it is discussing something controversial. While this is true, that does not mean juvenalian satire can insult the people afflicted by what it is showing. I believe that it is fine to point out their faults, but to openly criticize would cause the satire to lose its footing. People would simply shut it out as they do not like being
criticized. In ‘A Modest Proposal’, Swift does not outrightly criticise the people he is referring to, and stays in an almost clinical standpoint. He is adamant in stating facts that would make his proposal as agreeable as possible, even by referencing real sources and proclaiming that only those who love their country would agree to it. One of the people he referenced was described as; ‘A very worthy person, a true lover of his country, and whose virtues I highly esteem, was lately pleased…’ (6). He is very careful to only compliment those he mentions, never to openly criticise. ‘A Modest Proposal’ is a perfect description of juvenalian satire. It creates a sense of shock and unease, states an albeit false solution, and it does not step past what is allowed. It is a attention grabbing piece that, when seen through as satire, causes the reader to think about their situation in life. It seeks to reveal what is overlooked by the majority and show that what is overlooked is wrong so that it may be fixed.
Satire can be defined as any work in which a human vice or folly is attacked with irony or sarcasm. An example of satire can be found in the song "When the President Talks to God" by Bright Eyes. In this song, the lyrics lay out hypothetical conversations between the President and God, which mocks current President George W. Bush and his use of strong religious influence while in office.
This was mostly done by his descriptions of preparing the children like they are a chicken, and his list of advantages to eating children. While describing how to prepare a child Swift said, “a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food.” The manner in which he described a human child the same way one would a cow, chicken, or fish. The obvious lack of ethics and morals in this passage cement that this essay is satirical and should not be understood as a legitimate solution to the starvation issue. He later listed the advantages of a system that breeds children for food, these advantages are all very unethical simply based off the fact that they are benefits of eating infants. Swift mentioned ideas including the murder of Catholic babies, eating humans as a fun custom, and giving the poor something of value (their own children). His use of ethos shows the audience that the essay is satirical and emphasizes the extreme ridiculousness of his ideas.
While the tone may range from playful to angry, satire generally criticizes in order to make a change. Exaggeration, parody, reversal, and incongruity are satirical devices. Author’s use satirical devices to strengthen their central idea.
If Jonathan Swift had written a serious piece simply espousing his true beliefs he would not have received as much feedback, due to the fact that there were already informational advertisements at the time and nobody was interested in reading them. The only thing that would get the people 's attention was something that would create a lasting impression, so he wrote a satirical piece with trenchant humor and mochary. “A Modest Proposal” surprised people and got them thinking about the condition of the poor in Ireland and what should be done to solve it. For example Swift states that “those who are thrifty” can use the carcass of the infant for ladies’ gloves or gentlemen’s boots. This itself can help those reading the piece to begin to think about possible solutions to the substantial issues involving the poor in Ireland. He also proposes that children that are fourteen should be consumed as well so the poor don’t have to go hungry and that it would limit the number of breeders, in an attempt to illustrate the extremity of the circumstances. His sarcastic way of joking enlisted fear in the poor and concern in the rich, helping them realise the drastic issue present in the
One of the voices that is present throughout the story is that of irony. The story itself is ironic since no one can take Swifts proposal seriously. This irony is clearly demonstrated at the end of the story; Swift makes it clear that this proposal would not affect him since his children were grown and his wife unable to have any more children. It would be rather absurd to think that a rational man would want to both propose this and partake in the eating of another human being. Therefore, before an analyzation can continue, one has to make the assumption that this is strictly a fictional work and Swift had no intention of pursuing his proposal any further.
Juvenalian satire “opposes the wicked to the foolish or innocent as irreconcilable polarities and avoids the Horatian comic identification with the fool.” (Paulson) Juvenalian is often very dark humor. It is written to show anger towards people at fault. It is a harsh ridicule where the speaker kind of attacks the people at fault. It is very different than Horatian satire.
Satire is form of comedy in which flaws in people or society are chastised in order to prompt change in the objects of criticism. Regardless of how long ago comedy itself may have existed, the concept of satire was introduced by the Roman satirists, Juvenal and Horace. The tones conveyed in their writing characterize the main modes of satire, being Horatian and Juvenalian, and are still used in satire today. Presently, two popular forms of comedy that employ satirical elements include parody news sources and comedic performances. Although satirical writing has evolved throughout history, many aspects of satire are still apparent in both the articles of parody news sources, like The Onion, and the performances of professional comedians, like
Satire is thrown into CC early and often, so much that it seems almost unfairly easy to extract examples, but it is such an integral component of the novel that it requires at least a look-see.
Swift begins his argument by stating his view on the situation and displaying his annoyance. He states, "It is a melancholy object to those who walk through this great town or travel in the country when they see the streets, roads, and cabin doors crowded with beggars of the female sex, followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags, and importuning every passenger for an alms" (Swift 1). He uses melancholic imagery for the readers to sympathize with the suffering children and to understand their situation. Similarly, Swift displays his disgust for the wealthy by stating that "There is likewise another great advantage in my scheme, that it will prevent those voluntary abortions, and that horrid practice of women murdering their bastard children… which would move tears in the most savage and inhumane beast" (1). He talks about abortion and shows how ghastly and disheartening the practice is. Clearly, Swift makes use of pathos to slowly gain the reader’s confidence in preparation for his appalling proposal. He knows that many will be emotionally affected by his proposal because no one would want their own c...
According to Everything’s an Argument by Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz, “Humor has always played an important role in argument…” (38). Humor itself is something that activates amusement or laughter. Moreover, in popular culture satire is a tool that is used to point out things in our society. Satire opens the minds of people to philosophies they might completely deny, using humor. There are many elements of satire that identify flaws within our society. A couple of satire elements that will be discussed are irony and exaggeration. In addition, a parody is used in popular culture as a way to mock or mimic situation or person.
This essay will have no value unless the reader understands that Swift has written this essay as a satire, humor that shows the weakness or bad qualities of a person, government, or society (Satire). Even the title A Modest Proposal is satirical. Swift proposes using children simply as a source of meat, and outrageous thought, but calls his propo...
Satire is a great tool used by many writers and actors since ancient times. The earliest example that we know about is a script from 2nd millennium BC in Ancient Egypt (Definition: Satire) and since then has evolved into a great part of our society. Satire is used to point out the faults of human vice in order for change and reform in either of two ways. There is a very bitter Juvenalian or a mild and light Horatian. In order to fully understand these forms of satire, method, purpose, and applications will be addressed.
"A child just dropped from its dam may be supported by her milk for a solar year with little nourishments."(pg.623) In this satire, the author is explaining a child will be born and fed off of his mother’s milk, but that milk will not be plentiful because the mother is malnourished. To solve the problem of sad fate of the poverty stricken Irish people, who spend their life looking for food to feed their families. Swift has developed a plan to benefit the rich, by using the poor. His plan is to fatten up the unnourished children, and raise them as food for the wealthier citizens of Ireland. This would give the Irish economy a consequential advance, and reduce the population, which would make it easier for the great and noble England to deal with their disorderly citizens. Swift’s proposal would benefit the wealthy with more food supply and the poor with more income. This also contradicts the proposal because the poor would become rich.
The role of women in the two stories showed a big difference in the times. Throughout time, women have slowly been gaining respect, and this is exhibited between these two pieces. Swift’s piece makes women sound like nothing more than burdensome child bearers. In the beginning paragraph, Swift sets the scene of his poor town. He talks about how unfortunate it is that when people walk down the streets, they see “beggars of the female sex” with gaggles of children. He complains that the women beg instead of “work of their honest livelihood” because they must take care of their children.
“Satire is a sort of glass, wherein beholders do generally discover everybody’s face but their own” (Swift). Such beholders, as Jonathan Swift astutely emphasizes, are intended, through guidance of satiric narrative, to recognize social or political plights. In some satires, as in Swift’s own A Modest Proposal, the use of absurd, blatant exaggeration is intended to capture an indolent audience’s attention regarding the social state of the poor. Yet even in such a direct satire, there exists another layer of meaning. In regards to A Modest Proposal, the interchange between the voice of the proposer and Swift’s voice introduces another medium of criticism, as well as the opportunity for readers to reflect on how well they may fit the proposer’s persona. In such as case, the satire exists on multiple levels of meaning—not only offering conclusions about moral problems, but also allowing the audience to an interpretation of their place among the criticism.