| Publisher |
SC Active Business Development Srl |
| Publication Year |
2017 |
| ISBN-13 |
9786069831106 |
| ISBN-10 |
6069831101 |
| Binding |
Paperback |
| Number of Pages |
18 Pages |
| Language |
(English) |
A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of Poor People in Ireland From Being a Burden to Their Parents or Country, and for Making Them Beneficial to the Public, commonly referred to as A Modest Proposal, is a Juvenalian satirical essay written and published anonymously by Jonathan Swift in 1729. Swift suggests in his essay that the impoverished Irish might ease their economic troubles by selling children as food for rich gentlemen and ladies. By doing this he mocks the authority of the British officials.
A Modest Proposal is included in many literature programs as an example of early modern western satire. It also serves as an exceptional introduction to the concept and use of argumentative language, lending itself well to secondary and post-secondary essay courses. Outside of the realm of English studies, A Modest Proposal is a relevant piece included in many comparative and global literature and history courses, as well as those of numerous other disciplines in the arts, humanities, and even the social sciences.
Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift was born on November 30, 1667, in Dublin, Ireland, the second child and only son in the family. His father died before he was born and his mother moved to England. His family was related to Sir Walter Raleigh and William Shakespeare. Left in the care of his wealthy Uncle Godwin, he was sent to Kilkenny College and then Dublin University. Later, his mother helped him get a job as an assistant of Sir William Temple, who sent him to London to meet with King William III. Jonathan earned his Master\'s Degree in 1692 from Oxford, then left to become an ordained priest. He proposed to a woman named Jane Waring, but she refused him and he returned to work with Temple, who died in 1699. It is rumored that Swift was married to Esther Johnson in 1716, but she was 16 years younger than him and it has never been proven. In 1704, he began to develop a reputation as a writer, also becoming politically active. It was in 1726, that Swift published \"Gulliver\'s Travels,\" which became an instant hit, with multiple printings. In 1742, he suffered a stroke losing the ability to speak, and began to go insane. Swift died on October 19, 1745, at the age of 77, in Dublin. There was a public viewing for the people of Dublin and he was buried in his own cathedral next to Esther. Most of his fortune went to found a hospital for the mentally ill. It opened in 1757 and still exists today.
Jonathan Swift
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