Jonathan Swift Research Paper

Swift begins his essay by describing walking down a street in Ireland. He describes how you would see, “beggars of the female sex, followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags, and importuning every passenger for an alms” (Swift, Para. 1). This gives the reader a mental

Swift’s proposal attempted to do so with the same logic and motivation that he considered to be the cause of the melancholy that could be observed traveling through Ireland. He aims his observations and remarks as sympathetic for the people, but more importantly empathetic because, as a prosperous traveler, one does not want to see such things while

Swift obviously wants the readers to realize that he has studied the problem for a very long time. He even confides from a commendable person about the proposal, thus stating, “A very worthy person, a true lover of his country, and whose virtues I highly esteem, was lately pleased in discoursing on this matter to offer a refinement upon my scheme” (Swift 3). By referencing experiences of friends and acquaintances, Swift asserts that his proposal is indeed feasible and can be applied to remedy Ireland’s economy and social ills. He writes, “But with due deference to so excellent a friend… my American acquaintance assured me, from frequent experience…” (Swift 3). Another one, “But in order to justify my friend, he confessed that this expedient was put into his head by the famous Psalmanazar… who came from thence to London above twenty years ago… that in his country when any young person happened to be put to death, the executioner sold the carcass to persons of quality as a prime dainty” (Swift 3). Likewise, from a grave author, an eminent French physician, who says that infant’s flesh are more plentiful in March because there are more children born in Roman Catholic countries due to the fish diet that they eat during Lenten season (Swift 2). Swift undoubtedly uses ethos to show the readers that he actually gathered facts from people

The sarcastic views of Swift’s understanding of the poverty of Ireland leads him to make a proposal for a solution to poverty, where he ignores the concern of human morale by displaying the lacking efforts of England to help. Swift uses methods that work to get or help better understand a situation, for example being sarcastic in a situation where a person wants something out of the situation by satire. The undeniable effect of satire catches the attention of England to further display the poverty of Ireland which is displayed throughout Swift’s Modest Proposal with exaggeration, incongruity and reversal.

“We can incur no damage in disobliging England.” “First as things now stand how will they be able to find food and raiment for a hundred thousand useless mouths and backs.” By telling the people that his plan can solve Ireland's problems without hurting England and also calling Irishmen useless. Swift says these things to appeal to the citizens emotions of hatred. Swift also uses Ethos in this essay. “As to my own part, having turned my thoughts for many years, upon this important subject.” By telling the people that he has been observing what was going on in Ireland for many years it gives him credibility that he knows what he is talking about. “As I have been informed by a principal gentleman in the county of Cavan.” “I am assured by our merchant,that a boy or a girl before twelve years old is is no saleable.” In order to give himself and what he is proposing more credibility, the speaker enlist the help of other people who have either witness or are involved with what he is proposing and all of them say that the proposal has benefits.

Swift attracts attention to the cruel mistreatment of the impoverished class of Ireland through the use of his absurd proposal, his tone, and also his insincerity.

Swift demands the audience to recognize the narrator's purpose "having no other motive than the public good of my country, by advancing our trade, providing for infant's, relieving the poor, and giving some pleasure to the rich." (Swift 489) The speaker optimistically believes that his idea is for the best. If Swift did not believe that his idea would not have a positive outcome he would not have suggested. Regardless of Swift's inhumane suggestion, which is negative, he only tries to reveal the positive of the situation. This feeling of insecurity is his way of disparaging the Irish and English government.

Beginning with an examination of the subtitle, the stance of the narrator and his views of the poor are evident immediately. “…For Preventing the Children of Poor People in Ireland, from being a Burden to their Parents or Country; and for making them beneficial to the Public." (Swift Para.1). This example is a distinct instance of irony; in which Swift uses such long, elaborate sentence to summarize his main proposition. By referring to

This left Swift feeling “a complete contempt for the teaching at Trinity,” and I believe this may have been the beginnings of his contempt for Ireland, people in positions of power and leadership, as well as adding to his resentment of parental figures. After graduation Swift left Ireland and went to England, where he received a job, but government officials there never gave him a chance to advance in politics or law and he never had much success in those areas.

One of my favorite stories I read as a child was Gulliver's Travels. It was later that I realized one of my favorite stories was written by a well known author who goes by the name of Jonathan Swift. Focus will be brought on his childhood, education, and any other information or interests which are particularly fascinating, as Jonathan Swift one particularly famous quote, “A​ ​wise​ ​person​ ​should​ ​have​ ​money​ ​in​ ​their​ ​head,​ ​but​ ​not​ ​in​ ​their​ ​heart.” I found this quote a fitting opening to convey where Jonathan Swift's mind is at and basically says to have money on your mind, but when it gets to your heart and you do anything for money, this is something a wise person would stay away from. Jonathan Swift was a famous author from Ireland and the Dean at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin. You will find that wisdom has been with him from a young age.

Jonathan swift - born on (30 November 1667 – 19 October 1745) was an Anglo-Irish  satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer (first for the Whigs, then for the Tories), poet and cleric who became Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin. He is remembered for works such as Gulliver's Travels, A Modest Proposal, A Journal to Stella, Drapier's Letters, The Battle of the Books, An Argument Against Abolishing Christianity, and A Tale of a Tub. Swift is probably the foremost prose satirist in the English language, and is less well known for his poetry. Swift originally published all of his works under pseudonyms – such as Lemuel Gulliver, Isaac Bickerstaff, M.B. Drapier – or anonymously. He is also known for being a master of two styles of satire: the Horatian and Juvenalian styles.

Born on November 30, in 1667 in Ireland, Jonathan Swift was raised by his uncle after the unexpected death of his father and the departure of his mother to England (“Jonathan Swift” 1, 2). Following his unknown childhood, Swift received many college degrees before earning his Masters of Arts at the Trinity College of Dublin (“Jonathan Swift” 1, 2). His career consisted of traveling back and forth from England to Ireland and working for Queen Anne (England). Even today, he contributes to literature by giving readers a new perspective once they have read one of his books and applied it’s insights to the modern world’s circumstances (Williams all pages). He continues to be recognized for his outstanding satire (Williams all pages) in works such as The Battle of the Books, Travels Into Several Remote Nations of the World (later published as Gulliver’s Travels), and A Tale of a Tub (“Jonathan

Swift inspires himself of the social and political situation of England at the time. He uses the method used by Thomas More, another satirist, to develop the political satire of England (Chlöe 1). For example, the method used to elect officials in the Lilliput society are opposite to the real world. The best dancers are elected as officials or other higher positions. This is controversial to our society standards where people are appointed to higher positions based on their intellectual capacities. Through this metaphor, we can see Swift’s

While leading his congregation at St. Patrick 's, Swift began to write what would become his best-known work. In 1726, at last finished with the manuscript, he traveled to London and benefited from the help of several friends, who anonymously published it as Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World, in Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships—also known, more simply, as Gulliver 's Travels. The book was an immediate success, and hasn 't been out of print since its first run. Interestingly, much of the storyline points to historical events that Swift had lived through years prior, during intense political turmoil. In 1742, Swift suffered from a stroke and lost the ability to speak. On October 19, 1745, Jonathan Swift died. He was laid to rest next to Esther Johnson inside Dublin 's St. Patrick 's Cathedral.