Early in the 18th century turmoil began to brew in Ireland. A series of rulings in the British house of Parliament took more and more control out of the hands of the Irish. Britain passed laws and instituted practices that were highly lucrative to it self yet immensely damaging to the people of its colonies (Colley 213).
A number of political and intellectual figures began to speak out on the atrocities enacted upon the people of their homelands. Countless satirists took it upon themselves to initiate awareness of the conditions and havoc, if not a total social revolution.
Jonathan Swift was an Irish satirist and political pamphleteer who today is considered one of the greatest masters of English prose. He was also one of the most impassioned satirists of human absurdity and pretension. In addition, his many pamphlets, letters, and poetry were all characterized by an economical and effective use of language (Norfolk npg).
Swift’s religious and political viewpoints had a profound influence on his work. Swift followed the usual course open to young men who were poor and had great ability: he sought a career in the Church, the Church of England. It was through the Church that he became involved in politics (Read npg).
In the early eighteenth century in England, religion and politics were closely connected areas of concern.
Although fundamentally a Whig, Swift differed from his party on many important issues. Swift was still very much of a Whig both in political theory (Read npg).
The Essay on Conrad Blatant Racist Or Political Satirist
There have been many critics, predominantly Chinua Achebe, that have cast a cloak of racism upon the back of Joseph Conrad. Those authors base these allegations upon the novel Heart of Darkness, calling it a vile and most ungodly novel that only seeks to set the black race as a footstool of the white race. However, one must realize that there is a much deeper meaning to the novel than that of ...
However, in 1710 a Tory government came to power in England, and Swift was quickly won over by it (Quigley npg).
What happened to change Swift’s position? Swift was also a most devoted churchman. Increasingly, he had come to feel that the policies of the Whig ministry ran counter to the best interest of the Church of England, and when the Tories came to power in the autumn of 1710 Swift shifted allegiance to them. The new Tory ministers, gauging Swift’s powers as a political writer more accurately than had the Whig leaders, entrusted him to take over the official Tory publication, the Examiner (Kelly npg).
Like all true satirists, Swift was predominantly a moralist, one who chastises the vices and follies of mankind in the name of virtue and common sense. Throughout his writing, Swift constantly raised the question of whether the achievements of civilization – its advancing technology, its institutions, its refinement of manners – cannot be seen as complex forms of barbarism.
Practices Swift saw as barbaric were that of the English treatment towards the Irish. He felt England was raping Ireland for all it was worth. While the people of his home country begged in the streets and died of starvation in the gutters, England and her people sat idly by and grew fat on wealth garnered from Ireland (Read npg).
The indignation and resentment Swift felt towards the English can be seen not only in A Modest Proposal. The Majority of Swift’s work is jeering at best, indignant and bitingly cynical at worst. In 1727 Swift made his final trip to England. What he saw on this trip was the straw that broke the figurative camel’s back. The English insensitivity to the Irish plight impelled Swift to embark on his most mocking and derisive works (Norfolk npg).
Prior to the “Age of Enlightenment,” the consideration of others as equal entities had not been taken into account. Swift took what was relatively commonplace British colonial policy and carried it to its inevitable conclusion, recommending that since the conquerors have consumed the island and its resources, it could pursue a useful policy for dealing with Irish children by butchering them and making them food for the British Swift satirically distinguishes madness from sanity, determines the cause of madness, and finds a function for it in a healthy society.
The Essay on England People Famous Big
England England is a country, and I'm glad I came from it. There are lots of fun things you can do, and a lot of famous sites you can visit. Even though it is far away it really isn't that different from the US. In England the style of clothing is not much different from here. In the summer they wear shorts and short sleeve shirts. In the winter they wear pants and long sleeve shirts. Their ...
This proposal, where he suggests that the Irish eat their own children, is one of his most drastic pieces. He devoted much of his writing to the struggle for Ireland against the English domination (Norfolk npg).
Swift begins his proposal by describing the sorts of morose settings a tourist would find himself in if ever he were to walk down the streets. From there, he skillfully includes computations he has made on the subjects of “breeders” and infants in order to support his ideas. Swift then casually exposes the core of his proposal that is to treat infants and young children like common livestock. They are to be bred, fed, and then baked, broiled, sautéed, what have you, to feed the upper class of England. If not for food, the children could also be used to make such leather fashion accessories such as gloves, purses, belts, etc. Although the idea of dining on an infant seems appalling, Swift rationalizes the situation by focusing on the positive aftermath: the number of Papists would be lessened; the lower class would have something of value in order to pay their bills; the nations stock would increase; the food (children) would become a symbol of fine dining; and it would be “a great inducement for marriage,” (Read npg)
Though an obviously unrealistic and cynical approach to the resolution of Ireland poverty problem, A Modest Proposal was a call to action that did not go ignored. Swift became known as a champion for the common people. He was not alone in his distrust and loathing of the English. People throughout the paucity stricken streets echoed his sentiments. England was seen as a great threat to the nation and culture of the Irish people (Colley 269).
The metaphoric pillaging of the English outposts enraged the people, yet those in a state of starvation and disease found their times best spent surviving rather than speaking out against the harms of England. In Swift the common person stated articulately and eloquently the mounting rage felt towards their valiant king, his structured parliament and the ills of their everyday life. In Swift the people found their voice.
Works Cited
Colley, Robert. Britons: Forging the Nation, 1707-1837; 1992,University Press, Boston Kelly, James. Henry Flood: Patriots and Politics in Eighteenth-Century Ireland; 1990 University of Notre Dame Press, Notre Dame, Ind Norfolk Academy. Jonathan Swift18th Century English Satirist; “http://www.norfacad.pvt.k12.va.us/project/swift/swift.htm” Access date 2-27-02 Quigley, Michael. Irish Historical Studies; “http://www.xs4all.nl/~tbreen/Journals/Hist.html” Access Date 2-24-02 Read, Charles A. Jonathan Swift (1667 – 1745) Original Publication: The Cabinet of
The Essay on Modest Proposal Born In Ireland
... the poverty because Ireland was a conquered land, a colony of England s. Swift wrote this proposal to the ... a succulent meal. Thus there would be fewer people begging on the street and the woman would ... were imported from England. Because of this, the Irish shopkeepers and craftsmen were making very little to ... this as absurd. The women would raise their children till the age of one, then sell them ...
Irish Literature, Dublin: 1880 ” http://genealogy.org/~ajmorris/ireland/swift.htm” Access Date 3-2-02
