Jonathan Swift
(1667-1745)
Jonathan Swift has been called the greatest satirist in the English language. His genuine outrage at man’s inhumanity to man and his commitment to championing liberty found voice in his biting satire and unflinching criticism of his times. Few writers of the 18th century were as politically and socially influential as Swift.
Irish Patriot
In 1713, Swift was appointed dean of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin. Though Swift at first felt exiled in Ireland, in time he regained his interest in politics. Angered by the way England tyrannized Ireland, Swift fought back in a series of publications called The Drapier’s Letters, in which he wrote, “Am I a freeman in England, and do I become a slave in six hours by crossing the channel?” For Irish Catholics and Protestants alike, Swift became a hero. His last major work about Ireland, “A Modest Proposal,” is one of the most famous satires ever written.
Gulliver’s Success
In 1726, Swift anonymously published the masterly satire Gulliver’s Travels, in which he vents his fury at political corruption and his annoyance with the general worthlessness of human beings. Though Swift aroused controversy, Gulliver’s Travels turned out to be surprisingly popular, and it remains a classic for readers of all ages.
Irish Patriot
In 1713, Swift was appointed dean of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin. Though Swift at first felt exiled in Ireland, in time he regained his interest in politics. Angered by the way England tyrannized Ireland, Swift fought back in a series of publications called The Drapier’s Letters, in which he wrote, “Am I a freeman in England, and do I become a slave in six hours by crossing the channel?” For Irish Catholics and Protestants alike, Swift became a hero. His last major work about Ireland, “A Modest Proposal,” is one of the most famous satires ever written.
Gulliver’s Success
In 1726, Swift anonymously published the masterly satire Gulliver’s Travels, in which he vents his fury at political corruption and his annoyance with the general worthlessness of human beings. Though Swift aroused controversy, Gulliver’s Travels turned out to be surprisingly popular, and it remains a classic for readers of all ages.
Satire
After centuries of chronic unemployment, millions of small children across the United Kingdom saw their lives drastically improve when the Industrial Revolution at long last provided them with steady factory work regardless of age, size, or experience.
"Before the turn of the 19th century, frail boys and girls had no choice but to sit at home all day, playing with their younger siblings, just watching as another empty, unproductive week passed them by," noted British scholar William Donnelley said. "Once the Industrial Revolution began, however, any child able to fit inside a narrow mining shaft, or reach deep within a malfunctioning textile press, could venture out into the world and find himself a job."
Added Donnelley, "It was a time of unprecedented opportunity for the nation's 5- to 9-year-olds."
According to records, the introduction of machine-based manufacturing provided a desperately needed solution to England's toddler-unemployment epidemic. Out-of-work children, many of whom had struggled since birth to earn any kind of wage at all, were now afforded the chance to work seven days a week, up to 19 hours a day, in such competitive industries as iron-smelting and steel-tempering.
Not only was finding employment easier than ever for countless preadolescents, but the generous overtime available to them allowed boys and girls to catch up on years of experience they had lost while learning how to walk, nurse, or, in some unfortunate cases, attend several months of school.
"As a child of the time, it must have felt wonderful to be able to go to bed at night, confident in the knowledge that a job as a coal-boy, furnace operator, or even bore-grinder machinist awaited you the next morning," historian Russell Black said. "The sense of satisfaction and well-being all those orphans must have experienced week in and week out—it's hard to imagine."
"After all, there's nothing like a full-time job to help someone get back on his feet," Black continued. "Especially if he's lost one of them in a horrifying threshing accident."
"Before the turn of the 19th century, frail boys and girls had no choice but to sit at home all day, playing with their younger siblings, just watching as another empty, unproductive week passed them by," noted British scholar William Donnelley said. "Once the Industrial Revolution began, however, any child able to fit inside a narrow mining shaft, or reach deep within a malfunctioning textile press, could venture out into the world and find himself a job."
Added Donnelley, "It was a time of unprecedented opportunity for the nation's 5- to 9-year-olds."
According to records, the introduction of machine-based manufacturing provided a desperately needed solution to England's toddler-unemployment epidemic. Out-of-work children, many of whom had struggled since birth to earn any kind of wage at all, were now afforded the chance to work seven days a week, up to 19 hours a day, in such competitive industries as iron-smelting and steel-tempering.
Not only was finding employment easier than ever for countless preadolescents, but the generous overtime available to them allowed boys and girls to catch up on years of experience they had lost while learning how to walk, nurse, or, in some unfortunate cases, attend several months of school.
"As a child of the time, it must have felt wonderful to be able to go to bed at night, confident in the knowledge that a job as a coal-boy, furnace operator, or even bore-grinder machinist awaited you the next morning," historian Russell Black said. "The sense of satisfaction and well-being all those orphans must have experienced week in and week out—it's hard to imagine."
"After all, there's nothing like a full-time job to help someone get back on his feet," Black continued. "Especially if he's lost one of them in a horrifying threshing accident."
Swift's Satire and "A Modest Proposal"
There’s an old proverb that states, “The pen is mightier than the sword.” Jonathan Swift wielded his pen like a rapier, using it to slash away at injustice. While some satirists can be generally sympathetic to their satirical targets, Swift’s work is darker and more biting. Though some may claim the power of the pen is greatly diminished these days, people still fight injustice with words—in speeches, in newspapers and magazines, and on the Internet.
Satire is a literary technique in which people’s behaviors or society’s institutions are ridiculed for the purpose of bringing about social reform. Swift used satire to comment on specific political and cultural concerns that angered and offended him.
One of the satirist’s most reliable tools is verbal irony, in which what is said is the opposite of what is meant. As you read “A Modest Proposal,” notice how Swift uses verbal irony to present his seemingly rational proposal.
Satirical Devices | |
File Size: | 31 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Historical Background
Over the centuries, England gradually gained a foothold in Ireland. In 1541, the parliament in Dublin recognized England’s Henry VIII, a Protestant, as King of Ireland. In spite of repeated uprisings by Irish Catholics, English Protestants acquired more and more estates in Ireland. By 1703, they owned all but ten percent of the land. Meanwhile,
legislation was enacted 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. It was this Ireland—an Ireland of the tyrannized and the
downtrodden—that Jonathan Swift attempted to focus attention on in “A Modest
Proposal” in 1720.
Mock Television Editorial Newscast
In this assignment, you and a partner will identify a current social issue and develop a three- to five-minute mock television editorial newscast about it using satiric techniques. You can model your television script on a segment of Saturday Night Live's "Weekend Update," The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, or The Colbert Report.
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Colbert Report, and the "Weekend Update" segment of Saturday Night Live base their satire upon recent events, generally news stories from the week prior to the original broadcast. Your goal is to imitate the form of the mock newscast, which occurs at the beginning of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. "Weekend Update" occurs 30 minutes into the broadcast of Saturday Night Live. Your issue may be drawn from school, the city of Evansville, the state of Indiana, the nation, or even the world. Your issue may extend past the week prior to the assignment, but try to keep it relatively current.
Prewriting:
Writing, Revising, Editing:
Evaluation:
You presentations will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
Schedule:
Wednesday, 4/15 - prewriting
Friday, 4/17 - writing / background images
Monday, 4/20 - revising / rehearsing
Wednesday, 4/22 - final rehearsal / presentation
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Colbert Report, and the "Weekend Update" segment of Saturday Night Live base their satire upon recent events, generally news stories from the week prior to the original broadcast. Your goal is to imitate the form of the mock newscast, which occurs at the beginning of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. "Weekend Update" occurs 30 minutes into the broadcast of Saturday Night Live. Your issue may be drawn from school, the city of Evansville, the state of Indiana, the nation, or even the world. Your issue may extend past the week prior to the assignment, but try to keep it relatively current.
Prewriting:
- Working with your partner brainstorm several contemporary social issues, who is affected by them, and what needs to be done to address each issue.
- In the manner of Swift, propose an absolutely outrageous solution to address the problem.
- Determine how the solution would be implemented.
- What persons, either real or fictional, might endorse your solution?
- What potential objections might you encounter (both those that you might concede and those that you would refute)?
- Develop an appropriate closing for your proposal.
Writing, Revising, Editing:
- First, write the address for your newscaster to read to the “television” audience (only a page or two long), which you will practice and read from in making your presentation.
- Once you’ve written your script, brainstorm what sorts of images, audio tracks, or videos you might select to enhance the satiric effects of your newscast.
- Locate and download your desired images, audio, or video to use when preparing a PowerPoint presentation (not a Prezi) to provide the background images for your mock broadcast.
- Format your script for a television broadcast, being sure that both partners have equal participation.
- Practice your presentation with your PowerPoint presentation so that it fits within a three- to five-minute broadcast segment.
Evaluation:
You presentations will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Definition of social issue
- Outrageousness of solution
- Implementation of solution
- Endorsements of solution
- Potential objections / Addressing of objections
- Appropriateness of closing
- Use of satiric techniques
- Appropriateness of visual images
- Overall vocal delivery
- Overall physical delivery
Schedule:
Wednesday, 4/15 - prewriting
Friday, 4/17 - writing / background images
Monday, 4/20 - revising / rehearsing
Wednesday, 4/22 - final rehearsal / presentation