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The Satire in Jonathan Swift

            Satire is defined by Merriam-Webster as a literary work holding up human vices and follies to ridicule or scorn. Writers have used satire throughout time to ridicule many subjects. Jonathan Swift uses satire in all of his writings. In Gulliver's Travels, Part IV, Swift uses satire to ridicule man's selfishness. .
             An example of Swift's satire about man's selfishness is seen when Gulliver tries to explain to his master about how another man can take a cow because he wants it. Gulliver tells a tale of a man trying to take possession his cow because the "neighbor hath a mind to" it. The man must hire a lawyer "to prove that he ought have" his cow. Gulliver continues his story by telling how the only way he can win is for it to seem just to give the neighbor the cow. If this is determined then he will keep his cow and the legal system does not really uphold justice. Gulliver talks about the judges who have "been biased all their lives against truth and equity." This entire legal battle is begun because one man wants another's cow and the legal system cannot defend the true owner because it would be against the neighbor's selfishness.
             Another example of man's selfishness is presented when Gulliver talks about why countries go to war. Gulliver tells his master one reason is "the ambition of Princes, who never think they have land or people enough to govern." He also says, "Sometimes the quarrel between two princes is to decide which of them shall dispossess a third of his dominions, where neither of them pretends to any right." A war will begin and thousands will die to satisfy the selfishness of the princes that want more riches.
             A final example of man's selfishness is shown when the master compares the Yahoos to Gulliver's kind. The Houyhnhnm talks about how "if a cow died of age or accident, before a Houyhnhnm could secure it for his own Yahoos, those in the neighborhood would come in herds to seize it, and then would ensue such a battle.


Essays Related to The Satire in Jonathan Swift

1. Jonathan Swift - Humor, Satire and Irony

... admirers they appreciate the entertainment Swift has brought to the English language. He brings the beautiful and the simple while the irony makes the reader conscious of the risks of following thoughtlessly on one viewpoint, especially when it has a result on the whole population. In "Gulliver's Travels" by Jonathan Swift, the bureaucracy of England is solely founded on satire and irony. Throughout the work of Jonathan Swift's time in the kingdom had a straight effect, even in the dominion of ... law though there was a rising bureaucracy emerging. This is mocked in "Gulliver's Travels"...

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2. Swift's Modest Proposal

Swift's "Modest Proposal- Jonathan Swift's proposal to Ireland concerning growing and selling babies for food and clothing is a barbaric and irrational idea "at first, but Swift gradually manipulates the reader to accept his thoughts as intelligent and rational. Swift uses satire throughout his "Modest Proposal- "satire meaning the use of sarcasm, or humor in a literary piece to ridicule or attack human vices. Swift is very effective in using patterns to create ... - years. Irony is most strongly seen in the use of such an unfitting title. Obviously, Swift is a master at manipulating his audie...

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3. Johnathan Swift

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  • Word Count: 873
  • Approx Pages: 3
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4. Satire

... using sarcasm, irony, and wit, to bring about a change in society, but in the eighteenth century Voltaire, Jonathan Swift and William Hogarth expanded satire to include politics, as well as art. The political environment of the time was one of stress. Any criticism of government would bring punishments. In order to voice opinions writers turned to Satire. Voltaire's Candide and Swift's Modest Proposal are two examples of this new genre. Voltaire ... about three hundred and fifty pounds, and was therefore a person of great consideration (Lamm 175)" Jonathan Swift uses satire to attack go...

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5. Women in the Works of Joyce and Swift

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6. Jonathan Swift

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7. Jonathan Swift's satire in Gulliver's Travels

Gulliver's Travels, while a magnificent, enthralling children's tale, hides Jonathan Swift's extensive and sometimes cynical use of satire. During Swift's period of writing Gulliver's Travels (1726), was a time of great change in Britain and the rest of Europe. Swift shares his views and sentiments about these changes, specifically in "A Voyage to Lilliput- and "A Voyage to the Houyhnhnms-, with his gripping, elaborate satire, which is still surprisingly easy to follow. Sometimes beneficent and ... like George II, who outwardly expressed he didn't favor either party (Starkman 62). Again, in ...

  • Word Count: 1463
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8. Satire in Gulliver

... are never-ending, and history seems to repeat itself, again and again. Bibliography: Swift, Jonathan. Gulliver's Travels. Ed. Robert Demaria. Penguin Classics 2003. Norton Anthology of American Literature. Sixth Edition Volume 1, 1993 "Lecture on Swift (April, 1996)". www.mala.bc.ca/~mcneil/m2lec13a.htm Satire in Gulliver's Travels "In Gulliver's Travels 1 Swift satirized everything the Eighteenth century held dear." I am going to discuss this assertion with special reference ... are never-ending, and history seems to repeat itself, again and again. Bibliography: Swift, Jonathan. Gulliv...

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9. Jonathan Swift

... , Jonathan Swift's writings are considered nothing more than a big joke, not possible to take seriously. Stories of devouring children, traveling to far-away lands, or giving a detailed account of a thunderstorm can leave readers questioning Swift's sanity "until they realize the weight of his words and the meanings behind them. Using satire, which the Oxford American Dictionary defines simply as "the use of ridicule or irony or sarcasm in ... countries Gulliver travels to, such as Brobdignag, Laputa and the land of the Houyhnhnms, are satirical. Even the names of the countries are satir...

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10. The Techniques of the Satirist

... after reading something, If so it was most likely a satire. A satire is a piece of literature that uses outrageous exaggerations, understatements, warped logic, improbable situations, and ridiculous names to ridicule human weakness, vice, or folly in order to bring about social reform, thus undermining their opponents beliefs by showing the opposing views as absurd, vicious, or inhumane. Jonathan Swift's " A Modest Proposal" and Miguel de Cervantes' "Don Quixote ... imitations of Miguel Cervantes. Without true satirist like Smith and Cervantes to write of the worlds misfortunes the worl...

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