English Literature

Swift is not a misanthrope rather he is a philanthrope. It is the misconception of those who think Swift as a misanthrope. Swift only wants to reform mankind out of their follies and stupidities. He says that the chief end of all his labour is: "to vex the world rather than divert it". Secondly, he declares that: "I have ever hated all nations, professions, and communities and all his love is towards individuals." Thirdly, though Swift does not believe that: "Man is a rational animal". Yet he believes that: "Man is capable of becoming rational if he makes the necessary efforts." But we see that Swift is notorious for being misanthrope. He was subjected to this allegation during his lifetime because the critics, identifying Gulliver with Swift, attributed Gulliver's blunders to Swift. That Gulliver, in the last voyage, becomes a misanthrope is undeniable and indisputable. Prima facie, it appears that by developing a negative view of mankind,...

Swift's "Gulliver's Travels" is a pure piece of satire where he satirizes party politics, religious differences, and western Culture as a whole in ways still relevant to today's world. But what we find mostly after reading "Book-1" is that it is an allegorical representation of English politics. In where Swift depicts the total political corruption beginning from 16th century and ending with 18th century. One of the forms of political satire is embodied in the first culture that is met by Gulliver. In Gulliver's first adventure, he begins on a ship that runs aground on a submerged rock. He swims to land, and when he awakens, he finds himself tied down to the ground, and surrounded by tiny people, the Lilliputians. "Irony is present from the start in the simultaneous recreation of Gulliver as giant and prisoner" (Reilly 167). Gulliver is surprised "at the intrepidity of these diminutive mortals, who dare venture to mount and walk upon m...

A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift is a seemingly outrageous proposal, but by the proposal he indicts the English Provenstan Irony in A Modest Proposal A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift is a seemingly outrageous proposal, but by the proposal he indicts the English Protestants for their cruel and inhumane treatment of the Papists, or the Catholics, through both economic and Political oppression. And Swift has ironically shown these oppressions, unawareness and cruelty of the Government, landlords and the masses by this essay. Swift's motives for writing A Modest Proposal, which appeared in 1729, were complex. He lived in an Ireland which was a colony and it was politically, militarily and economically dependent upon England . It was clearly in England 's interest to keep a weak Ireland that could not threaten England , and the measures that kept were weak. As a result, Ireland was a desperately poor country, overpopula...