Jonathan Swifts A Modest Proposal And The Daily Show

For centuries, the act of a common citizen pointing out the faults of a country has always been frowned upon. Individuals have had to mute their grievances and wait for slow and often ineffective changes to take place. However, in the eighteenth century Jonathan Swift broke societys norms through his highly disturbing and shocking satirical piece A Modest Proposal. Swift proposes to the English Protestants a cannibal solution for the Irish Catholic children who are dying of starvation and diseases on the streets each day. Swift’s far from â€Å"modest† solution paved the way for modern day satirical outlets like The Daily Show. In a time where news commentators are reporting their own beliefs rather than unbiased news, The Daily Show has†¦show more content†¦He explains to them that if one news channel makes a mistake then it hurts everyone collectively similarly to how Mexican immigrants as a whole are being blamed for the mistakes of few people. Both Swift an d The Daily Show through their pieces are hiding the actions of their opponents within their exaggerations. The pieces hold a deeper meaning when the opponents are able to realize their wrong actions on their own rather than being scolded for it. This method allows them to look within themselves. As a result, satire is an outlet for individuals to express their concerns seeing that people do not realize the true meaning at first glance. Second, A Modest Proposal and The Daily Show are successful in targeting the individuals that they are frustrated with. Swift throughout his piece highlights the stereotype faced by Irish women when he refers to them as â€Å"constant breeders† (319), which demonstrates that the British simply saw them as lowly individuals. Ironically, Swift does not view the killing of children as inhumane or wrong. In fact, he refers to them as animals when he states they will dress the children â€Å"for the knife, as we do roasting pigs† (317). Swift does not consider them humans with rights but livestock. Swift’s use of irony is effective because it reveals the English deep-seated hate for the Irish. They are slowly killing the parents so whyShow MoreRelatedNot Many People Can Write A Proposal Consisting Of Three1396 Words   |  6 PagesNot many people can write a proposal consisting of three thousand three hundred and seventy-six words in which political and economic issu es are discussed and given a solution in such a serious yet sarcastic tone, but this is exactly what Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal does. Swift was born in Dublin, Ireland to British parents and as result of this, he yearned to get as far away as he could from the Irish. After he was ordained into the Church of Ireland in 1964, he was exposed to the livesRead MoreJonathan Swift’s Essay A Modest Proposal, and Voltaire’s Novella, Candide999 Words   |  4 Pageslong or short, essay or novella. In these two works, the authors bring light to ongoing social, political, and philosophical issues of their time and age. The two works I am referring to are Jonathan Swift’s satirical essay, A Modest Proposal, and Voltaire’s novella, Candide, or Optimism. In both A Modest Proposal and Candide, there is a portrayal of irony, cold logic and reasoning rather than emotion, and misguided philosophy. Exploring the issues within these texts can implement a bett er understandingRead MoreCompare/Contrast Thomas Jefferson and Jonathan Swift1434 Words   |  6 Pagesthe citizens have to show their dissent, and what form should that dissent take? All of these are questions looking to be answered, with varying degrees of seriousness, by Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Swift. Thomas Jefferson’s A Declaration of Independence may be thought of as a universal symbol of traditional American values, however in it exists several layers of meaning, each appealing to the reader and their sense of social responsibility. While Swift’s A Modest Proposal attempts a similar entreatyRead MoreJonathan Swift s A Modest Proposal1456 Words   |  6 PagesJonathan Swift was an Irish poet and satirist of the eighteenth century. Although the son of Englishmen, Swift was born and raised in Ireland. While living in Ireland, he witnessed the death of thousands of Irish due to starvation which was caused due to crop failure. Swift, who wasn’t even personally affected by the issue, acknowledged that the death of the Irish population which he argues was caused because of the neglect of English landowners. Instead of allowing for the is sue to continue to beRead MoreAnalysis Of Swift s A Modest Proposal 1546 Words   |  7 Pagesactivism, irony, exaggeration, humor, and ridicule are all valuable rhetorical tools to expose faults and make a point (New Oxford American Dictionary). Both Jonathan Swift and William Blake confront social systems of oppression in their literary careers, most notably with A Modest Proposal and Songs of Innocence respectively. Swift’s A Modest Proposal is an address to the wealthy English and appeal to the consumerism that drives economic exploitation that causes inequity and poverty. Due to the tenseRead MoreAnalysis Of Gulliver s Travels 1933 Words   |  8 PagesProfessor Lund Final Paper 14 May 2017 Throughout all of Jonathan Swift’s writings there are many commonalities. One in particular that stands out is the use of satire throughout both â€Å"Gulliver’s Travels†, which tells the story of a series of voyages of Lemuel Gulliver’s published in 1726, and â€Å"A Modest Proposal†, where Swift uses the idea of cannibalism to captivate his audience as well as focus on society’s problems. Throughout Swift’s life, politics and religion had a huge impact on him and moreRead MoreSummary Of Jonathan Swifts A Modest Proposal918 Words   |  4 PagesIrish. One of these people was a man named Jonathan Swift. In his essay â€Å"A Modest Proposal† Swift challenges the status quo of the time and place in which it was written by proposing that they eat the children of the poor, ending the hate between the Protestants and the Catholics, and suggesting that the landowners have mercy towards their tenants. In his essay, Swift first suggests that the population of Ireland eat the children of the poor. This proposal would shock anyone, but it was definitely