Jonathan Swift is a poet of the unacceptable. He observes what people wish to ignore about life, about themselves, and about one another and draws it into the light. From one word to the next, he confronts readers with the words and ideas which nobody else would dare speak much less write to memorialize for future generations. As his personality shines through his writing, Swift can be understood as a humorous, confrontational guy who doesn't quite accept himself and thus seeks to prove his unacceptability to his audience.
Swift treats taboo topics with vehemence and thorough examination. In poems like "Strephon and Chloe" and "The Lady's Dressing Room" the character Strephon is repeatedly disillusioned in his idealization of women when he learns that they too are subject to bodily functions, often undesirable ones. Through knowledge comes dissatisfaction because Strephon had so thoroughly idealization female beauty that now he cannot help but feel disgusted both with himself for having believed the deceit and with the women for having bodies at all.
Ignoring political correctness, Swift writes many a poem which treats the sacred with flippancy and humor. His most beloved tool is satire. He uses satire to challenge the sanctity of topics like death in "Verses on the Death of Dr. Swift, D.S.P.D." and the celebration of life in "Stella's Birthday, 1721." Although the careful reader will observe how Swift demonstrates his mastery of the poetic art in texts like "On Poetry: A Rhapsody," they will also notice how he continually chooses to ignore these skills in favor of challenging his audience to read seemingly incomplete, hasty, or crude poems.
