A Modest Proposal Essay -- essays research papers

Have You Eaten Yet?: Swift’s Final Solution As a lately favored eighteenth century essay, Jonathan Swift’s "Proposal" has been canonized as a satirical model of wit. As will be discussed shortly, Swift’s essay is often seen as an allegory for England’s oppression of Ireland. Swift, himself and Irishman (Tucker 142), would seem to have pointed his razor wit against the foreign nation responsible for his city’s ruin. Wearing the lens of a New Historicist, however, requires that we reexamine the power structures at work in Swift’s society. We must delve into not only Swift’s "Proposal," but also into other of his correspondence, and even into discourse of the epoch in order to gain a thick description of the many levels of understanding present in Swift’s "Proposal." As a model of rhetorical discourse, Jonathan Swift’s "A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of Poor People in Ireland from Being a Burthen to Their Parents or Country, and for Making them Beneficial to the Public" is unique among the plethora of pamphlets which circulated Ireland in the early eighteenth century. However, it is imprudent to think of the work as having emerged purely isolated from the pressures of the society in which Swift wrote. While propositions such as "A Modest Proposal for the More Certain and yet More Easie Provision for the Poor, and Likewise for the Better Suppression of Theives†¦Tending Much to the Advancement of Trade, Especially in the most Profitable Part of It," (Author Unknown, Cited in Rawson 189) were commonly circulated in order to postulate solutions to the crises of the day, Jonathan Swift’s "Proposal" has been read as a parody of this sort of pamphlet (Rawson 189). There can be no solid support for such a thesis, and it would be wrong to infer that what is at work in Swift’s "Proposal" in any important sense is a burlesque on project concerning the poor or on the titles of certain types of economic tracts. The mimicry of these things which Swift employs is but seasoning, and not the main point. Likewise, to suggest that Swift was radically attacking the notion of economic planning of human affairs, or even that his attitude on certain central questions was humane or liberal is misleading. The majority of interp... ...ocaust becomes a close analogue to the "proposal," since the problem, whose formulation and very existence might elsewhere seem preposterous, underwent a Final Solution with hideous efficiency. This comparison reinforces the point that the "proposal" is not a sheer fantasy, nor a sardonically frivolous gesture of despair. With a New Historic lens, we must examine the interplay of interpretations of the history we have been taught. As Tyson puts it, "had the Nazis won World War II, we would all be reading a very different account of the war." (Tyson 282) We cannot be satisfied with any interpretation of history which relies on subjective information. It is not surprising that the targets of Swift’s satire cannot be, and are not meant to be, clearly distinguished from one another, nor that Swift’s allegiances between the English, the Anglo-Irish, and the natives are blurred and fluctuating things. These confusions provide essential energies of Swift’s style. The "Modest Proposal" clearly is an embodiment of the complexities and contradictions of the English-Irish relationship in the eighteenth century.

History of Western Society Ch 13 Outline

History of Western Society Sixth Edition Chapter 13 Outline I. The Evolution of the Italian Renaissance A. Economic growth laid the material basis 1. Cultural achievements of the 14th to 16th centuries 2. Northern Italian cities led the way 3. Advances in ship construction greatly increased the volume of goods that could be transported; improvements in the mechanics of sailing accelerated speed 4. Italian renaissance appeared in Florence 5. The economic foundations of Florence was so strong that even severe crisis could not destroy the city 6.Driving enterprise, technical know-how, and competitive spirit saw Florence through the difficult economic period of the late 14th century B. Communes and Republics 1. The Northern Italian cities were communes, sworn associations 2. Groups tied by blood, economic interests, and social connections 3. A properly qualification, years of residence within the city, and social connections 4. In the 15th century, political power and elite culture enter ed on the princely courts of despots and oligarchs C. The Balance of Power Among the Italian City States 1. Passionate attachment to their individual city states . The kingdom of Naples had long been disputed by the Aragonese and by the French. 3. In the peace treaty signed at Lodi in 1454, Venice received territories in return for recognizing Sforza’s right to the duchy 4. Renaissance Italians invented the machinery of modern diplomacy 5. In a number of fiery sermons between 1491 and 1494, Savonarola attacked what he considered the paganism and moral vice of the city 6. The invasion of Italy in 1494 by the French king Charles VIII 7. In 1508 his cousin and heir, Louis XII, formed the league of Cambrai II. Intellectual Hallmarks of the RenaissanceA. The Renaissance was characterized by self-conscious awareness among the 14th and 15th century Italians 1. Francesco Petrarch (1304-1374) considered the first two centuries of the Roman Empire to represent the peak in the developme nts of human civilization 2. The Renaissance manifested itself in a new attitude toward men, women, and the world B. Individualism 1. Middle Ages had seen the appearance of remarkable individuals 2. Large literature with the nature of individuality emerged, represented the flowering of distinctly Renaissance individualism C. Humanism 1.Humanism emphasized human beings, their achievements, interests, and capabilities 2. Renaissance humanists approached the classics differently D. Secular Spirit 1. Secularism involves a basic concern with the material world instead of with the eternal world of spirit 2. Humanist Lorenzo Valla (1406-1457) defends the pleasures of the senses as the highest good 3. Papal interests, which were far removed from spiritual concerns, fostered, rather than discouraged, the new worldly attitude III. Art and the Artist A. The subject matter of art through the early 15th century as in the Middle Agrs, remained overwhelmingly religious 1.In the 14th and 15th centu ries, a large, intricately carved wooden bed, a chest, and perhaps a bench served as its sole decorations 2. Florentine Masaccio (1401-1428) inspired a new style, realism, the new international style B. The Status of the Artist 1. The Renaissance artist was considered a free intellectual worker 2. The social status of the artist of genius was immortally secured IV. Social Change A. The Renaissance changed many aspects of Italian, and subsequently European, society 1. Renaissance culture witnessed a shift in the status and experience of women B. Education and Political Thought . One of the central preoccupations of the humanists was education and moral behavior 2. In the 16th and 17th centuries, The Courtier was widely read 3. No Renaissance book on any topic, however, has been more widely read and studied in all centuries since its publication (1513) C. The Printed Word 1. By the middle of the 15th century, paper was no problem 2. Gutenberg’s Bible of 1456, movable type had b rought about radical changes 3. Since books and other printed materials were read aloud to illiterate listeners, print bridged the gap between written and oral cultures D. Clocks . The English word quantification was first used in 1840 2. Mechanical clocks, usually installed on the cathedial or town church, were in general use in Germany by the 1330’s, in England by the 1370’s, and in France by the 1380’s 3. The status of upper-class women declined, in terms of the kind of work they performed 4. Laura Cereta (1469-1499) illustrates the successes and failures od educated Renaissance women 5. Women, of course, continued to perform economic functions 6. In the years 1338- 1358, rape was not considered a serious crime against either the victim or society 7.In the 11th century, William the Conqueror had decreed that rapists be castrated E. Gender and Culture 1. The term homosexuality was coined only in 1892 2. On April 17th, 1432, the Florentine government set up a s pecial magistracy, the Office of the Night F. Blacks 1. The beginning in the 15th century, sizable numbers of black slaves entered Europe 2. In 1491 Isabella of Este, duchess of Mantua, instructed her agent to secure a black girl between four and eight years old V. The Renaissance in the North A. Last quarter of the 15th century, Italian Renaissance thoughts inspired northern Europe 1.There More found the time to write Utopia (1516), which presents a revolutionary view of society. 2. Francois Rabelais (1490? -1553) possess a distinctly secular flavor and have attracted broad readership among the literate public 3. Many of Bosch’s paintings reflect the confusion, and anguish often associated with the end of the Middle Ages VI. Politics and the State in the Renaissance (CA 1450-1521) A. Louis XI, Henry VII, and Ferdinand and Isabella in Spain had been labeled as â€Å"new monarchs† B. France 1. In 1438 Charles published the Pragmatic Sanction of Bourges 2.In 1516 the new treaty, the Concordat of Bologna, approved the pope’s right to receive the first year’s income of new bishops and abbots C. England 1. Between 1455 and 1471, adherents of the ducal houses of York and Lancaster waged civil war, the Wars of Roses 2. The council dealt with real or potential aristocratic threats through a judicial offshoot, the court of Star Chamber D. Spain 1. The centuries-long Reconquista- the wars of the northern Christian kingdoms to control the entire peninsula 2. In the administration of Castile, â€Å"New Christians† held the royal secretary ship

20th Century World Literature a Madman’s Diary Essay

In this paper we will research the Chinese Revolution of 1911. Talk about how is Lu Xun’s A Madman’s Diary a reflection of China’s revolutionary history, explain how In Diary, who the madman was and what he represented. Also we will look at and explain what cannibalism represented. And then we will discuss how this can be applied to our lives. The Revolution of 1911 was a period of time during Chinese history which overthrew China’s last imperial dynasty, and established the Republic of China. It was made up of many fights and uprisings. What changed it all was the Wuchang Uprising on October 10, 1911, which was the result of the Railway Protection Movement. This ended with the resignation of the â€Å"Last Emperor† on February 12, 1912, which marked the end of the Imperial rule and set up the China’s Republican era. A Madman’s Diary promoted China’s education and progress similar to the style of Western civilization thorough first-person fiction that is obscenitively satirical. At the end of the piece, the madman says,† Perhaps there are still children and future generations who have not yet fully adopted Confucian values are the likely candidates for social change. The have not yet read the history books pounding in the ideas of age-old morality and piety and social cannibalism. Their parents have not yet corrupted their belief system. Save the children, and save China. The exact words from the book says that the madman: was one of two brothers: Two brothers, whose names I need not mention here, were both good friends of mine in high school; but after a separation of many years we gradually lost touch. Some time ago I happened to hear that one of them was seriously ill. pg. 131 The Longman Anthology World Literature 2nd Ed The brother that was seriously ill was considered the madman and the only illness he was suffering from was a persecution complexity issue within himself. The madman’s ideas represents the changes sought by the Revolution of 1911 which were a spirit of progress and reform at both social and personal levels; the rejection of an tyrannical traditionalism, conformity and ignorance. The madman respects writing as the source of apparent truth but is trying to gain true wisdom through the making of this novel literary. As cannibalism is metaphor for the unfeeling nature of Chinese feudalism, the madman is Lu Xun’s ideal persona. Furthermore, Lu Xun personifies his own ideals through his career choice to pursue writing in an effort to bring about the spiritual awakening that he believes the Chinese are in need of. In the end, Lu Xun effectively places himself as the â€Å"madman† and revolutionary of modern Chinese literature. This story has taught me a lot and I am glad that it was a piece of literature that we had to read. It taught me that no matter how crazy we think we are sometimes we are really the smartest ones in the bunch and it generally is just a persecution complex issue that we have with ourselves which we need to find a way to overcome.