Satire and Poverty in Jonathan Swift's Works

Satire by Jonathan Swift

• Satire is a literary technique that ridicules institutions, practices, or behaviors to bring about reform.
• Authors use satire to comment on social and political issues and advocate for improving society.
• The success of satire depends on readers' ability to distinguish between what is stated in the text and what it truly means.
• A Modest Proposal is a satire criticizing British policies and Irish society's callousness towards poverty.

Fighting Poverty

• The selection discussed in the text deals with 18th-century Irish poverty.
• Poverty is a societal issue affecting nearly all societies.
• Students should create a detailed list of anti-poverty strategies, then rank the strategies by effectiveness.

"Sick" Humor

• The text examines the use of humor to shock or disturb.
• Analyzing why people use this type of humor and its effects on the audience is important.

Hot-Button Issues

• Jonathan Swift utilized scornful humor to address a social or political issue he found upsetting.
• Consider which issue currently upsets you most and discuss its emotional impact.

Rhetorical Devices

• Verbal Irony: The writer says the opposite of what they mean.
• Example: The title of the satirical essay, "A Modest Proposal," is ironic because the actual proposal is outrageous, not modest.
• Understatement: The writer says less than is expected.
• Hyperbole or Exaggeration: Exaggerating the truth for emphasis or humor.
• Paradox: A contradiction that initially seems absurd but reveals a truth.

Author's Purpose

• Swift's intention in writing A Modest Proposal was not to persuade people to accept the narrator's claim.
• Instead, he used the argument's structure to critique British policies and the callousness of wealthy individuals in Ireland and England.

Annotation in Action

• The text details the hardships of the poor in 18th-century Ireland.
• The poor suffered from hunger and poverty.
• Many children were forced to beg.

Vocabulary

• Sustenance: Something, especially food, that sustains life or health.
• Prodigious: Enormous.
• Rudiment: Fundamental element, principle, or skill.
• Collateral: Coinciding or accompanying.
• Scrupulous: Conscientious, exact; having scruples.
• Encumbrance: A burden or impediment.
• Inducement: Incentive.

Background

• During the 1720s, Irish Catholics suffered under English rule.
• Poverty increased due to crop failures.
• Swift wrote satirical works to criticize England's policies.

A Modest Proposal

• Swift's satirical essay proposes an outrageous solution to Irish poverty.
• The essay provides a melancholy description of the poverty and suffering among the Irish.
• Swift's argument includes an outrageous plan to address the problem of poverty.

Explore the themes of satire, poverty, and humor in Jonathan Swift's literary critiques, particularly focusing on 'A Modest Proposal'. This quiz delves into the effectiveness of satire as a vehicle for social reform and examines its commentary on 18th-century Irish poverty. Analyze the implications of scornful humor on societal issues.