The timeless satire A Modest Proposal by J Swift is an influential piece of literature that created an imprint that has withstood a vast amount of time. Today any list compiling the greatest modern satires is incomplete without Kubrick’s work Doctor Strangelove or: how I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. It arguably is one of the most groundbreaking modern satires. Considering the contextual differences and comparing the two pieces, it becomes evident that Swift's work is more effective in addressing the follies of society and sparking action, despite their structural similarities.
The similarities between Doctor Strangelove and A Modest Proposal extends beyond both
being classic satires. The tone of A Modest Proposal is
…show more content…
of pride aroused from a solution to a dire situation. Swift’s work is orientated to persuade you to his grotesque solution that cannibalism of infants will better society by keeping the population and poverty in balance as well as stimulate the economy. As displayed in the excerpt, “I think the advantages by the proposal which I made are obvious and many, as well as of the highest importance” (Swift 318) In Kubrick’s movie the initiating action to the plot is General Ripper setting in motion plan R to attack Russia without presidential consent. Ripper in his mad self-confidence believed this was a solution to the cold war. His solution to a dire situation sets the stage of the movie. As the world leaders attempt to correct Rippers actions, a tone of fear in a hunt for a solution arises. This spurs a proposal passionately defended by General Buck is to destroy Russia before they have a chance to retaliate. Sharing a tone of desperation for results, the solutions made by the generals are very similar to A Modest Proposal. Similarly, both involve a logical fallacy that requires morals set aside in the belief that their actions are for preservation of the righteous. Thus making the unthinkably absurd a realistic option . A Modest Proposal uses a paradox that cannibalism of infants is key to saving society, similarly Kupka 2 Kubrick’s paradox is that the deaths of thousands ensures the safety of millions.
Both of these paradoxes true to the form of satire are a mockery of an underlying contextual societal issue that the creator feels threaten our humanity. Swift's use of humor shows his proposals detachment from reality, by the use of irony. For example the idea that women and children are the greatest threat to the nation, “For first, as I already observed, it would greatly lessen the number of papists, with whom we are yearly overrun, being the principal breeders of the nation as well as our most dangerous enemies.”(Swift 318) As well as the use of sarcasm, “I grant this food will be somewhat dear, and therefore very proper for landlords, who, as they have already devoured most of the parents, seem to have the best title to the children.” (Swift 317) Contrasted to Kubrick’s work, also relies on humor to distance the film from reality by use of the same techniques. Through the use of irony; as used here by President Merkin Muffley, “Gentlemen you can't fight in here! This is a war room.” (Kubrick) As well as the use of sarcasm as displayed by General Buck, “Gee, I wish we had one of them doomsday machines.” (Kubrick) These works also manage to severe ties to the plausible by relying on discreditable and facetious sources. In A Modest Proposal, Swift cities his knowledge on cannibalism from a friend who heard it from Psalmanazar, a well-known literary imposter. The fact his information was …show more content…
spread by word of mouth from an noncredible source, shows Swift's intention for the work to be of fiction. Kubrick also discredits his nuclear expert Dr. Strangelove by portraying him as an exaggerated character, and by using the same actor for other characters. By removing the credibility to the experts it clarifies the non-seriousness of the tone. The parallels in the two works are easily spotted by the use of satire literary techniques and tone. Kupka 3 Dr. Strangelove or how I learned to love the bomb has an astronomically different context and intention than, A Modest Proposal. Kubrick’s film is addressing the contextual issue of the cold war and the nuclear arms race. General Ripper's justification for setting the event of the movie in motion was the preservation of ‘our bodily fluids’; which he believed was jeopardized by the communists putting fluoride in our water.
This film is set in a time when two ideologies:
communism and capitalism were at the height of their feud over world dominance. While Swift is addressing the horrific state of poverty in Ireland while it was a colony of Britain. More specifically the stress created by class inequality and firm religious practices. The issues in, A Modest Proposal are spawned by the orthodox practices of religion and exploitation of the empire. Both works discuss serious issues; however, Doctor Strangelove revolves around an attempt to stop a worldwide nuclear attack. Contrasted with Swift's piece he is only concerned of Ireland and Britain. Swift's solution is only made for Ireland and Ireland alone, “I desire the reader will observe that I calculate my remedy for this one individual kingdom of Ireland, and for no other that ever was, is, or I think ever can be upon the earth.” (Swift 319) This means the intended audience was different for the creators, Swift aimed to Ireland and Britain while, Kubrick set the world as his audience. While Kubrick’s characters aim to save the planet, Swift is attempting to mend Ireland. This leads to the next contextual difference; Doctor Strangelove offers no effective solution and aims to comfort our descent to oblivion at our own destruction. As the full name of the film suggests, it's intention is to help you accept
our fate of inevitable doom. This idea clashes against Swift’s motive to save the commonwealth. Solidifying this argument is Swift's use of italics to give clairvoyance to the points that his work is truly aiming to portray, while Kubrick’s intention is debatable. Swift attempts to distinguish and share his true thoughts in the initialized part of his writing; showing his personal discontent to the situation. Kupka 4 The final and most prominent difference between the two works are the sources of absurdity. Dr. Strangelove revolves around disbelief in the situation and of actions justified to save themselves. This is exemplified during an exchange between Dr. Strangelove and the Russian Ambassador, “Of course, the whole point of a Doomsday Machine is lost, if you *keep* it a *secret*! Why didn’t you tell the world, EH?” ” It was to be announced at the Party Congress on Monday. As you know, the Premier loves surprises.” (Kubrick) While Russia is baffled that America attacked, the Americans are equally confused at the Russians plan of mutually assured destruction. The sense of confusion and of no one really being in control is the opposite of the sense established in A Modest Proposal. Swift confidently and assertively handles his calculations on the subject, regardless of how immoral. Swift portrays control of the situation, “I can think of no one objection that will possibly be raised against this proposal, unless it should be urged, that the number of people will be thereby much lessened in the kingdom.” (Swift 319) The contextual differences and differences in intentions illuminates each works individual strengths. The point of satire is to hold a mirror to show the follies in our actions through use of humor. An effective satire not only brings our misdirection’s to light but also inspires us to change. Instead of simply preaching or wrongs and misdirection’s, satire brings our follies to light in a much more attention grabbing approach. By showing the foolishness in our train of thought, we naturally see what is wrong. Doctor Strangelove is nowhere near as effective in this sense as A Modest Proposal. In A Modest Proposal, Swift takes a rigid mindset of never blaming the British for the country's misfortune, and gives a case that every other alternate has failed. “...which, as I have already said, under the present situation of affairs, is utterly impossible by all the methods hitherto proposed.” (Swift 316) Swift displays a mindset that the British carry no blame, however at the same time Swift is not oblivious to the British influence and actions. Kupka 5 Swift naturally generates critical thoughts against the British. “Secondly, the poorer tenants will have something valuable of their own which by law may be made liable to distress, and help to pay the landlord's rent…” (Swift 318) The antagonist in Swift’s work is poor babies; this idea being ironic to the readers who view children as examples of innocence. By drawing parallels to raising cattle, his argument for eating children seems more real. The obscene proposal seems more normal and further shows the detachment between the social classes. This powerfully makes the reader weigh the decision, if it is better to have a large part of the population starve and crowd the streets or to turn them into food to save society. “...so great a number of both sexes in every country being now ready to starve for want of work and services…” (Swift 317) Swift also shares irony in the Roman Catholic churches insistent stance on birth control. Shown in a remarkably long sentence, “Infant's flesh will be in season throughout the year, but more plentiful in March… after Lent, the markets will be more glutted than usual...collateral advantage, by lessening the the number of papists among us.” (Swift 317) The church preached condemnation for not protecting unborn lives, creating an amount of offspring the parents cannot provide for. The church protects the children’s right to be born, just to suffer and die. The British are portrayed as having a fixed self righteous view that their colonies are nothing more than livestock, while the church believed people are only worth saving in the womb. With these fallacies present Swift’s proposal is unsuccessful in persuading people to eat children, but accomplishes sprouting disconnect in Ireland against Britain and the church. Doctor Strangelove is not as effective in this sense instead of offering a solution, he gives insight to our end and helps to accept the inevitable. Discontent is created by the situation of war and the failure of global deterrence, but this unease is not channeled. Therefore no solution is suggested or challenge for the audience to initiate a change. The strongest aspect of A Modest Proposal is not of Swift’s solution but the guide of the discontent and the challenge to others to reach a better conclusion. “After all, I am not so violently bent upon my own opinion as to reject any offer proposed by wise men which shall be found equally innocent, cheap, easy, and effectual.” (Swift 320) Kupka 6 The comparison shows that the topics of satire over the centuries have changed but hold the same roots in technique. The use of humor through sarcasm, exaggeration, understatement and irony are still useful to uncover overlooked fallacies and issues within society. However, the tone between Doctor Strangelove and A Modest Proposal are similar, but the intention and effect of the final products are different. If we use Doctor Strangelove as a staple of modern satire it is notable that current satire has shifted to focusing on uncovering these absurdities and providing entertainment. Continuing this thought historical satires like A Modest Proposal are aimed as a cry for people to see the enemy and promote social change.
The modest proposal is of course anything but modest. But other subtle ironies may be overlooked if Swift is simply dismissed as an extravagant madman. Most important, Swift characterizes him as rational and calculating in order to show that these qualities are dangerous when taken to an extreme. People who rely on speculative reason to solve problems may end up thinking the unthinkable rather than following what should be more natural and humane impulses of common sense and compassion. Swift uses these qualities to paint England as the madman in forgetting about
At what point in the essay did you recognize that Swift’s proposal is meant to be satiric? Do you think a modern audience would get the joke faster than Swift’s contemporaries did? It becomes obvious that the author was employing sarcastic and humorous ideas in his proposal when
The point where you see that Swift’s proposal is meant to be satiric is when he starts to talk about the economic gains of selling poor children. It is meant to be a point to address the exceeding amount of poor children that are being sold to slavery rather than an indication to cannibalism. A modern audience
“A Modest Proposal” was written in 1729 by a satirical author by the name of Jonathan Swift. Swift studied at the University of Oxford and was also know for his popular writing in Gulliver’s Travel. The purpose for his satire “A Modest Proposal” was to enlighten the citizens of Ireland about their hardship and suffering. He informed them about their scares of food, money, and property, but provided a possible solution to their problem. To persuade the people Swift adopts a comforting and friendly tone to his audience for the people to react to his solution.
The essay “A Modest Proposal” written by Johnathan Swift takes a satirical view on how to solve the starvation issue in Ireland. Swift suggests an obviously satirical solution to eating children around the age of one. He used irony, ambiguity, and ethos to emphasize the satirical nature of the essay and present a captivating idea to the audience. Swift used irony throughout the essay, beginning with the title, “A Modest Proposal”. The irony of the title gives the audience a false idea of what the essay will be, later on he gives his argument and the title serves as an ironic statement.
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
“A Modest Proposal” written by Jonathan Swift is without a doubt superior to the satire “The Lottery” written by Shirley Jackson. In order to master the intense task of writing a satire the author must put the reader in admiration, and that is exactly what Swift does. “A Modest Proposal” is an excellent piece, and shows Swift’s piercing wit and biting sarcasm. Although this satire was composed within 1729 it still holds the bite and shocking analogies in which we still are in awe upon. “A Modest Proposal” is without a doubt one of the world’s foremost examples of genius, because of the fact that Swift couriers his mastery of his wittiness and how Swift executed expressing the satire was immense.
In his lengthy literary career, Jonathan Swift wrote many stories that used a broad range of voices that were used to make some compelling personal statements. For example, Swifts, A Modest Proposal, is often heralded as his best use of both sarcasm and irony. Yet taking into account the persona of Swift, as well as the period in which it was written, one can prove that through that same use of sarcasm and irony, this proposal is actually written to entertain the upper-class. Therefore the true irony in this story lies not in the analyzation of minute details in the story, but rather in the context of the story as it is written.
...that the author is sarcastic about his own proposal, any kind of opposing view or counterargument is in reality the voice of reason and intelligence when compared with Swift’s proposal. The argument is in a way weak or flawed because of the sarcasm at hand. Yes, it is full of satire, but in the following argument Swift builds up his proposal only to diminish the value of his argument by blatantly expressing the sarcasm in this piece. This proposal is flawed throughout the text and is in no way a rational or logical solution to the problem as Swift claims it is. In conclusion, Swift’s proposal is a satire filled piece, which he delivers in a dry indifferent style. His arguments, rationally presented, support an irrational solution to the problem and he evokes pathos in his audience by using only logos in his proposal and that is the brilliance of his piece.
In a Modest Proposal, by Jonathan Swift, the main objective was to draw. attention to the plight of the Irish people and motiva. In a Modest Proposal, by Jonathan Swift, the main objective was to draw attention to the downfall of the Irish people and motivate readers to find a workable solution. Unlike most essays, this is. written for the reader to see what the narrator is expressing. Swift shows the readers his proposal through irony.
In Jonathan Swift’s satire, “A Modest Proposal”, Swift writes about the starving people of Ireland in the early 1700’s. He makes a wild and absurd proposal to help remedy the problems of overpopulation and poverty. Swift wants to make a political statement by using the “children” as satire to grasp the attention of the audience - the English people, the Irish politicians and the rich – and make them aware of the political, moral, and social problems. In “A Modest Proposal”, Swift’s arguments are presented effectively by using pathos (emotional appeal), ethos (ethics and values), and logos (logic reasoning and facts).
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...
In “the Modest Proposal,” Dr. Jonathan Swift uses mockery as an element of satire to describe his plan to put all the useless kids of Ireland to good use, by raising them as food for wealthy citizens. This is much like the artist Jaron and the Long Road Home who ridicules his ex- girlfriend in the song “Pray for You” in a mocking manner. The two works also mock religion. Although they have both have this in common, there is a distinctive difference in the two: “the Modest Proposal” is dark and horrific, while “Pray for You” is light and humorous.
In “A Modest Proposal” several forms of satire are demonstrated throughout the story. Satire is defined as the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose or criticize people’s stupidity or vices. (Google) In "A Modest Proposal" Swift uses parody which is a form of satire. Parody is primarily making fun of something to create a humorous feel for it. In “A Modest Proposal,” Swift uses parody to make fun of the people and children of Ireland, expressing the children as delicious food to be eaten.
“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.