...Your Name Instructor’s Name Course Name Date of Submission POLITICAL SATIRE Thesis Statement Political satire does in various ways alter the political history as it strengthens and accompanies political accomplishments. Political satire aims to inform individuals about matters pertaining to the general public as well as issues interconnected to government and politics, in a lighter but educational manner. It not only acts as a curative means to entertain citizens but also has a substantial effect on the political scene of a country. Based on this, “Political satire in the 21st century has a higher impact on the public opinion than a revealing newspaper article through creating humor and simplicity." Introduction The use of satire to express thoughts, themes, and opinions has been in existence since the early ages. It was written by an old Irish bard in an effort to put his solemn contempt upon the intended target. Mostly, satire targeted leaders, their styles of leadership, ideas and actions. The satire on the king, especially during the Irish king’s regime, was liable to result in his dethronement or even death. Political satire has been used in the past periods and continues to be used to criticize the political scenes in a humorous way. The use of satire over centuries as a literary tool has made it possible for essential thoughts, themes, and ideas to be passed across and expose the malfunctions and flaws in the society in a humorous manner. Over...
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...A Modest Proposal Essay Sheila Wolfe HUM112041VA016-1152-001: World Cultures II Dr. Sue Lafferty 01/31/2015 I chose to do my essay on Jonathon Swift’s “A Modest Proposal”. Swift’s Essay is a style called satire (the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice, folly, etc. – Dictionary.com). When you first start to read the essay Swift describes the horrible conditions of the poor and the burden on the parents to try and feed their children. As you read on Swift starts to talk about the poor innocent babes being murdered by their mothers or the voluntary abortions running rapid in the Kingdom – “……Women murdering their bastard children, alas! too frequent among us, sacrificing the poor innocent babes, I doubt, more to avoid the expense than the shame, which would move tears and pity in the most savage and inhuman breast.” After swift goes through a lengthy description of the deplorable state that the poor are in and running the numbers of children by the poor he then purpose his thoughts on how to deal with the children. His plan for helping the poor sell and eat their children. WHAT?? Swift wrote “I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee, or a ragoust.” When I first read those...
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...Alejandro Delgado Professor Wolf British Literature February 23, 2012 A Flawed Justice System When a society has a problem and it needs to be dealt with in a fair manner, the society turns to its judicial system, which lays down the rules of how to go about the case and determine the punishment. There were many different societies that enforced a law system according to their needs and population, and this goes the same for the era. Ben Jonson and Jonathan Swift are two very popular and well respected authors of satire, who have made stories that made society question the judicial system that they carried. Ben Jonson satirizes the judicial system in his play Volpone, a story of an old but sneaky man who manipulated people into giving him things for the possibility of becoming the heir of his grand fortune. Jonathan Swift mocks the way England is carried out politically in Gulliver’s Travels, the story of Lemuel Gulliver who travels by sea to four different lands and learns of their habits whilst comparing them to England and opening his eyes to the flaws of England. One of the most crucial points in the story of Volpone would be the case of Bonario and Celia, who are being falsely accused by Corvino, Voltore and Corbaccio, who are currently competing for the position of becoming Volpone’s heir. Jonson mocks the system by simply giving full control to the men of power and portraying the avocatores as very gullible men. Before entering the court, the...
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...Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” name English 301 December 3, 20xx In “A Modest Proposal” (1729), Jonathan Swift used satire for a double purpose: to attack those that he considered responsible for the financial situation of Ireland, and in the same time, to push those who were in a position of power to take rational measures against poverty in Ireland. In his poem, Swift made use of the image of the Projector; a character whose role is that o designing plans that would lead to some improvements being made in the society. Swift’s narrator in “A Modest Proposal” is an Economic Projector who imagines the entire plan from the point of view of a cold and objective individual. The impersonation’s result is that most often, critics see the Projector as a person who sounds just like Swift when in fact, the truth is that Jonathan Swift was brilliant in making himself sound like a projector(Lockwood 1974). The present paper examines the role of the Economic Projector in the paper, arguing that he does not represent a projection of Swift’s own persona but rather, he is a character through which the author realizes his satirical purpose. The paper further holds that the projector has a central role in creating the meaning of the work. Literary critics and commenters of Swift’s work placed great emphasis on the role of Swift’s economic projector, the narrator who imagines the entire cannibalistic plan described in the poem....
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...Assignment 1: Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” Dr. Anthony McCormack Strayer University World Culture II Gladys A. Reyes July 25, 2015 In the satire “A Modest Proposal’, Jonathan Swift expresses his feelings of frustration with regard to the aggravation and political issues in Ireland. He describes being frustrated with the indifference of Ireland politicians, the wealthy, the English tyranny, and the degradation and poor conditions in which many poor, Irish women and children have been forced to live in. Swift is embarrassed for those that come to the towns and travel the country, only to see the streets full and crowded with beggars. Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” satire is a reality called for the politician, the wealthy, and the people of Ireland to look for way to improve the lives of the poor, to stop the English social oppression, and to ultimately end the indifferences and life inequalities in Ireland (Levine, 1995). Jonathan Swift was born of Protestant, English parents in Dublin, Ireland on November 30, 1667. He was a man that was immersed in the secular world of men and woman, of politics and political intrigue. He was a devoted friend to those he loved as he was an implacable enemy to those he disliked. He lived in London most of his life, but after the death of Queen Anne in 1714, he was offered a position as Dean of St. Patrick’s in Dublin. He held his position until his death in 1745 at the age of seventy eight. He was buried in St. Patrick’s Cathedral (Glendinning...
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...England’s control. Legislation was enacted by England that severely limited the rights of the Irish to hold government office, purchase real estate, get an education, and advance themselves in other ways. As a result, many Irish fled to foreign lands, including America. Most of those who remained in Ireland lived in poverty, facing disease, starvation, and prejudice. By the 1720’s, Ireland was overly occupied and a majority were the poor lower class. In Jonathon Swift’s essay, “A Modest Proposal”, Swift uses the literary devices satire, persona, and logos to emphasize the poor quality of living and overpopulation of the inhabitants of Ireland, and calls for a renovation of the current system through the cooperation of the classes thus showing that one voice, can be a loud one. Swift uses many rhetorical devices throughout the work to demonstrate the necessity of change to the current lifestyle of the lower class. This essay is well known for its’ satire, which Swift uses throughout the whole composition, trivializing the poor conditions of the low Irish class. “A young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricase, or a ragoust.” (672) The satirical statement that people should begin selling their own children to be eaten emphasizes the extent the economic and population crisis has come to in Ireland. Families whom are in severe...
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...I think the book of Jonathan Swift isn’t funny. Unfortunately, he wrote it in satire, because otherwise author would get in trouble with Irish government, who, as Swift’s thought, was responsible for most of the trouble in Ireland. As we know from the history, in the beginning of 18th century the House of Lords of the Irish parliament was formed of British proteges. The British crown passed all legislative functions in relation to Ireland. London used empire’s power for creating new rights and privileges for British goods. That’s why was really hard time for a local farmers and factories. Jonathan Swift was one of the Irishman, who the plight of his country in this time he is well aware: -“ we neither build houses, (I mean in the country) nor cultivate land” ... “the roads and cabbin-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.” ... “as...
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...Is Mac Flecknoe a lampoon or a satire? At a time when fiction from Grub Street hack writers (whom he called the “multitude of scribblers, who daily pester the world with their insufferable stuff ”) was becoming widely read, courtly poets and dramatists like Dryden felt a need to play the public role of arbiters of literary taste. Dryden was actively engaged in contemporary debates which sought to lay down standards of what was considered high and low art. He published his “Essay of Dramatic Poesie” in 1667 and “Discourses on Satire and Epic Poetry” in 1692. Both of these served as prescriptive texts for what passed muster as “good” art. In an age of a revived interest in the classics, many of the instructions on good satirical writing are based on the works of Horace, Persius and Juvenal. While he did not think highly of Horatian verse which used word-play like anagrams and “ackrosticks” and was favoured by Francophiles poets, he admired Juvenal and Persius for their unity of plot and their use of Wit, which he saw as a more masculine device than lampooning or raillery. In MacFlecknoe, Dryden’s definition of good art also comes to be strongly associated with class. When he says that bad poetry laden with “Pure Clinches” or puns is inspired by the “suburban Muse”, his implication is that it is only the genteel circles of London that produce and read good poetry – thus, Bun-hill and Watling Street are down-market parts of London which by virtue of their economic demography...
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...The episode I chose to review satire on comes from the series: “The Office(U.S.)” and the episode I used is: “The Surplus” (S5E10). These shows are based around a paper company in Scranton, Pennsylvania named Dunder Mifflin, and the whole show is basically about a social or political statement with a comedic twist. This comedic twist came from the character Michael Scott played by Steve Carell when Michael receives news that his branch has come in $4300 under on their budget. Michael is given two choices at the beginning of the episode one being- buy a new copier for the office- or – getting everyone new chairs at the office. As time goes on Michael becomes exponentially more stressed as to choose the right one because he fears upsetting...
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...“Advice to Youth” Mark Twain 1882 Answer all questions on a separate piece of paper and in complete sentences. Use the heading. 1. Define Satire. 2. Define didactic, beseechingly, superstition, offend, lark, temperate, elegance, diligence, eminence, tedious, peerless, sewn, anesthesia, slander, meddle, gatling gun, waterloo, inestimable, precepts. Do this on separate paper. 3. What are the six items Twain provides as advice to youth? 4. Why is obeying the best policy, in Twain’s opinion? 5. What superstition do parents have according to Twain? 6. How does Twain instruct the youth to avoid violence? 7. Why is lying bad? 8. How is lying a great art? 9. What is Twain’s advice to youth about lying? 10. Twain provides an anecdote about firearms. Why is it funny or not? 11. Why shouldn’t youth handle firearms, according to Twain? 12. What is his advice about reading? 13. What is the result of building one’s character, according to Twain? 14. Is this article a good example of satire? chamber looked such a bright little place to me as the sun shone in between the gay blue chintz window curtains, showing papered walls and a carpeted floor, so unlike the bare planks and stained plaster of Lowood, that my spirits rose at the view. Externals have a great effect on the young: I thought that fairer era of life was beginning for me, --one that was to have its flowers and pleasures, as well as its thorns and toils. My faculties, roused by the change...
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..... .. | | . |A Modest Proposal | |By Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) | |A Study Guide | |Cummings Guides Home..|..Contact This Site | |.. | |Type of Work | |Purpose | |Historical Background | |Summary | | ...
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...Surprise Ending for A Modest Proposal John J Bradley IV Professor Nancy Pettigrew Humanities 112: World Cultures II November 5th, 2012 A Modest Proposal by Jonathan shift is a literary work of the 18th century that takes a symbolic aim at the greed of England’s renting policies and a plan to reduce the burdens, in this case children, caused by it. According to Sayre (2011) Swift composes with his tongue lodged in his cheek, quite possible, as never before. You can detect this in his work from the outrageous suggestions intended to lift the burden of children in poverty-stricken Ireland and alternatively to reap benefits from them. It is earlier stated that the proposal would be geared toward Irish families that could not afford to provide for their children, thus the slaughter of their children to cater the English would be the possible solution. The ‘Surprise Ending” in this proposal would be the revelation of Swift’s true proposition, the consideration of the poor and rebuttal of policy makers with realistic ideals to correct this ever so abundant problem. According to Lynch (n.d.) Swift preferred living in England, although he was Irish, which causes him to begrudge the policies toward his own people. With that being said, it becomes clear that the proposal will indeed have a surprise ending when swift speaks of his American acquaintance discoursing the subject, offering refinement. Although prior Knowledge obtained from Native Salmanaazor of Formosa Island offered...
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...Constance White November 11, 2011 In “A Modest Proposal,” Swift talks about the English landlords proposing that Irish infants be sold as food at the age of one, when they are plump and healthy. He thought that it would be good to give the Irish a new source of income and the English a new food product to help their economy. He stated that “his proposal, if adopted, would also result in a reduction in the number of Catholics in Ireland, since most Irish infants—almost all of whom were baptized Catholic—would end up in stews and other dishes instead of growing up to go to Catholic churches”. By 1703, the Irish Catholics owned about ten percent of the land. Meanwhile, legislation limited the rights of the Irish to hold government office, purchase real estate, get an education, and advance themselves in other ways. As a result, many Irish fled to foreign lands, including America. .Because so many Irish parents that cannot find a decent job to support their children would spend all their time walking the streets begging. Meanwhile, the children would grow up to become thieves or emigrants. This situation presented a serious problem for Britain, especially since their are so many Irish children. Each year, several hundred thousand babies were born to Irish parents. Swift said that if you subtract those who are born to well-to-do parents, those who are stillborn, and those who die after birth as a result of disease or accident, you are still left with about...
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...Mark Twain’s “Huckleberry Finn” observes a heavily satirized southern society placed in a time before the Civil War. The topics lampooned within range widely and allow us ample opportunity to address Twain’s commentaries on the assigned topics of religion, education, and slavery. Our protagonist, Huckleberry Finn, is a young man of limited education and religion. Having been taken into a household comprised of a widow and a spinster, the women were determined to rectify Huck’s deficiencies. One of the tactics the ladies used was to educate Huck about both heaven and hell, and to relate his behavior to the likelihood of his attaining one or the other. Unfortunately, the Widow Douglas and the spinster Miss Watson had differing ideas about the delights Providence offered. Miss Watson presented a dry account of a heaven peopled by harp playing singers, while the Widow offered a more attractive proposition. These contradictions caused Huck some consternation as he’d he felt that he’d tolerate the Widow’s heaven, but wasn’t interested in Miss Watson’s, especially as she felt his friend Tom Sawyer would not be there. There may have been a grain of truth to Miss Watson’s statement, as despite Tom having been the person who convinced Huck to return to the ladies’ home, he did so by offering Huck a chance to join his band of robbers and murderers if he would live respectably. That aside, Tom and his gang were not without redemptive qualities. When trying to find a day of the...
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...Davidson Both texts are similar, in the fact that they both are reminiscence on a person’s life after their death. Many differences, however, can be seen throughout the poem written by Jonathan Swift and the Obituary. The opening of both Texts is contradictory as Text A opens with a series of exclamations, ‘His Grace! Impossible! What, dead!, ’which gives an impression of surprise at the death but not a sense of grief is aroused. On the other hand, Text B embarks with a compliment ‘was in his element at the heart of the action’; both openings give a clear implication of the withdrawal of the rest of the text. The structure of both are also at a contrast, Text A is an elegy so Is a farewell to the dead but the fact that Swift writes a satire elegy therefore removes the traditional aspect of an elegy. Text B is an Obituary, but although also a farewell to the dead, it is read at a remembrance or a funeral so is written with aspiration to honour William Davidson and not undermine him in the way that Text A is. Text A is written with a sarcastic and mocking tone, through the poem it is highlighted that the general has earned the disrespected he has received through the mention also of his failures with use of the parallelism of ‘Nor widows’ sigh, nor orphans’ tears’ which gives the impression that no grief is present throughout any of the people he ruled and stresses the expected sympathy lacking in his funeral but also brings across the suffering in which he cause by sending...
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