Swift's satire in 'A voyage to Lilliput' (Gulliver's travels) is playful, amusing and mild while in 'A Modest Proposal it is bitter, harsh and biting. Discuss
Comparison of satire in Swift's essays ' A Modest Proposal' and 'Gulliver's travels' part 1 ( A voyage to Lilliput'
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"A Modest Proposal" purports to solve a number of problems with a simple but morally impossible solution. One's outrage at the proposed solution should be channeled into thinking about a real solution--including the moral elements of the solution. The novel takes on society and subgroups, and the ways we live, more than any particular problem, showing us more about human nature. Gulliver' Travels satirized the British in the ways ways that particular groups (such as intellectuals) are satirized. In each case, find something ironic or humorous, determine at whose expense we laugh, and decide why we are laughing. Sometimes we laugh because our intentions have unintended consequences, sometimes we are inconsistent or irrational, and sometimes we laugh when we see ourselves as outsiders would see us.
Source(s): http://www.gradesaver.com/gullivers-travels/study-guide/essay-questions/
