Assignment paper no.102 :
This blog is an assignment paper no. 102 literature of the neo classical period . In this assignment I am dealing with the Jonathan Swift as a satirists.
Name : Gohel Dhruvika
Paper no. 102 : literature of the neo classical period.
Subject code: 22393
Topic name : Jonathan Swift as a satirists
Batch: M.A sem 1
Roll no. : 07
Enrollment no. : 5108240012
E-mail address : dhruvikagohel252@gmail.com
Submitted to: smt , S.B gardi , department of English, MKBU
💠 Introduction:
Jonathan Swift (born November 30, 1667, Dublin, Ireland—died October 19, 1745, Dublin) was an Anglo-Irish author, who was the foremost prose satirist in the English language. Besides the celebrated novel Gulliver’s Travels (1726), he wrote such shorter works as A Tale of a Tub (1704) and “A Modest Proposal” (1729).
Swift’s father, Jonathan Swift the elder, was an Englishman who had settled in Ireland after the Stuart Restoration (1660) and become steward of the King’s Inns, Dublin. In 1664 he married Abigail Erick, who was the daughter of an English clergyman. In the spring of 1667 Jonathan the elder died suddenly, leaving his wife, baby daughter, and an unborn son to the care of his brothers. The younger Jonathan Swift thus grew up fatherless and dependent on the generosity of his uncles. His education was not neglected, however, and at the age of six he was sent to Kilkenny School, then the best in Ireland. In 1682 he entered Trinity College in Dublin, where he was granted his bachelor of arts degree in February 1686 speciali gratia (“by special favour”), his degree being a device often used when a student’s record failed, in some minor respect, to conform to the regulations.
💠 Jonathan Swift as a satirists :
The foremost prose satirist in the English language. While writing notable poems throughout his career, Swift is primarily known today for being a master of satire. Satire is a form of literature that ridicules immorality, corruption, and foolishness through irony, sarcasm, and humor. John Dryden said the purpose of satire is "the amendment of vices by correction, and he who writes honestly is no more an enemy to the offender than the physician to the patient when he prescribes harsh remedies." Modern examples of satire include the films "Doctor Strangelove: Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb" (1964) and "Don't Look Up" (2021). Both satires look at society's reactions to existential threats — one from nuclear war and one from an Earth-shattering comet.
Swift's first major work of satire, "A Tale of the Tub" (1704), railed against "the numerous and gross corruptions in religion and learning," criticizing who he called "religious enthusiasts." Two of his most famous works, however, are the essay "A Modest Proposal" and the book "Gulliver's Travels."
A Modest Proposal
The full title of this 1729 essay is "A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of Poor People from Being a Burthen to their Parents, or the Country, and for Making Them Beneficial to the Publick."
Swift proposes that poor Irish children be slaughtered and sold as food for rich English landowners. Using what Swift regarded as the irrational overreach of unfeeling logic and reason, he coldly lays out a terse argument with this ridiculous conclusion to ridicule the unjust economic exploitation of Ireland by the English. Swift uses situational irony, where actions have an opposite effect of expectations. The phrase, "a modest proposal," has come to mean any seemingly logical suggestion that has ludicrous results.
"Gulliver's Travels"
"Gulliver's Travels" (1726), published anonymously as "Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World," was rated third on English writer and editor Robert McCrum's 2015 list of 100 Best Novels Written in English. The narrator, Lemuel Gulliver, tells of his adventures, first as a ship's surgeon, then as captain on many voyages. Throughout the story, Swift uses parody, imitating another author or style, mimicking the factual, true-to-life account of the travelogue genre, popular at the time, to call into question English imperial intentions of amity and good sense toward the peoples and cultures encountered on voyages of discovery.
First Voyage
Gulliver begins with his background as the third of five sons. Although poor, he studies medicine at Cambridge, math and navigation in London, and physics at Leyden. He completes a three-year journey aboard the "Swallow," after which he marries and tries his hand at business in London. Failing, he goes back to sea aboard the "Antelope." During a storm, the "Antelope" is destroyed and Gulliver is shipwrecked on the island of Lilliput, inhabited by small people about six inches tall. After initially tying Gulliver up, the Lilliputians gradually learn to trust him, freeing and feeding him in exchange for his help with warfare, surveying, construction, and delivering messages.
🔷 Conclusion:
In "A Modest Proposal," Swift employs a shocking suggestion to highlight the dire situation of the poor in Ireland, using satire to criticize the British government's neglect and the heartless attitudes of the wealthy. Similarly, in "Gulliver's Travels," he explores various societies and their flaws, revealing the absurdities of human pride and the complexities of moral and ethical dilemmas.
Through his satirical lens, Swift not only entertains but also provokes thought and encourages readers to reflect on the societal issues of his time, many of which remain relevant today. His ability to blend humor with serious commentary makes him a timeless figure in literature, and his works continue to inspire discussions about morality, politics, and human nature.
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