A MODEST PROPOSAL
Disguised as a political pamphlet,Jonathan Swift’s “Modest Proposal”, criticizes the higher social classes and their ignorance of the harrowing conditions that the lower social classes find themselves in. His satirical piece aims to inform the government of the conditions of these people, of the poverty, the hunger and of the overpopulation of the Irish streets, due to the presence of all the beggars. Thus, Swift proposes a “solution”; to eat the children. Indeed, he states: "Having no other motive than the publick good of my country, by advancing our trade, providing for infants, relieving the poor, and giving some pleasure to the rich,” and “I propose to provide for them, in such a manner, as, instead of being a Charge upon their Parents, or the Parish, or wanting Food and Raiment for the rest of their Lives, they shall, on the Contrary, contribute to the Feeding and partly to the Cloathing of many Thousands.” The humorous assertion is backed up with all kinds of reasoning and statistics which make the dark humor more evident, but at the same time allows the issue to be conveyed as serious and worthy of attention.
“Gulliver’s Travels” by Lemuel Gulliver ( pen name used by Jonathan Swift), is one of the only books in history which has never gone out of print since it was first published (in 1726). Contemporary critics applaud the evergreen masterpiece as a novel, both for children in search of adventure, and for adults who attempt to decipher its hidden meanings. Indeed, apart from being a story of the adventures of the protagonist, the novel is a satirical piece that targets institutions active in the 18th century and some authoritative figures at the time. “Gulliver’s Travels”, originally called “Travels to Several Remote Nations of the World”, is written in four parts and each part has a hidden meaning or message which investigates a different aspect of society.
The first part of the novel features the Island of Lilliput, native land of the Lilliputians; very small humans that satirize the small mindedness of the English government officials.
The second part is a critique of the violence in Western culture and of the people’s focus on power and wealth rather than morality and humanity. In fact, Gulliver travels to the land of Brobdingnag, a land of giants in which he is a midget. There he tells the king about his life back in Europe and he is disgusted by what he recounts, stating that ““the bulk of your natives the most pernicious race of odious little vermin that Nature ever suffered to crawl upon the surface of the earth.”
The third part instead, is in the Island of Laputa, in which the inhabitants base their life on science and experimentation. This allows Swift to criticize the common fixation on science, which according to him, doesn’t better people’s lives.
The fourth and last part is about a land in which a race of intelligent horses lives. They have tamed the brutish, greedy and violent race of humans that share their land and they call them Yahoos. With this imaginative society, Swift interestingly explores the human-beast relationship.
GULLIVER'S TRAVELS
A book which sold 10,000 copies in the first three weeks after its release...
SWIFT AS AN AUTHOR
Swift wrote about his own thoughts on the emerging social, political and cultural ideas. Being a cynical man, Swift often challenged human nature and the authorities of the time (the monarchy and aristocracy and the Roman Catholic Church). The writing technique he most frequently used was satire, a technique which allowed him not only to explore various aspects of society, but also to let loose of his imagination. He wrote novels, essays, political pamphlets and also poetry. However, he tended to express his controversial ideas anonymously, to avoid persecution, but his unique style makes it very rare for his writing to be mistaken with anybody else’s.
