Swift takes on a contradictory tone, using seemingly careless and airy words to portray the plight of the Irish poor. For example, the phrase, “Their dear native country,” evokes a sense of nationalism upon first glance. As one reads into the underlying meaning of this piece, one can hear the seething tone that mocks the dear native country that has both repressed and rejected the Irish poor. Another example is the use of the phrase, “her lawful occupation of begging,” to describe the occupation of a woman on the streets. It evokes the sense that this woman was born on the streets, inherited the ‘position,’ and will die on the streets. It also hints that she is there because she was designated to be there and will have no help to leave that job. Swift’s use of ‘doublethink’ and self-contradicting terms contributes to the rich satirical context of this piece as it enhances the underlying significance of his words and provokes thought upon the subject.
…show more content…
This piece is a Juvenilian Satire and uses outrage in order to convey the biting truth of the subject of his satire. Swift’s tone takes on a bitter quality as he speaks of the “deplorable state of the kingdom” in which children are subjected to rampant poverty and a life without hope but to “sell themselves to the Barbadoes” or to “turn thieves for want of work.” He also speaks of the “horrid practice of women murdering their bastard children,” using cacophonous words and transitioning from a flowing long sentence about the abortions to a short, exclamatory sentence to emphasize the occurrences that befall less fortunate women in order to avoid unwanted children who will follow in their footsteps, begging hungry in the streets. The use of outrage and scorn as a type of satire in order to convey a message in this piece is
This piece is a Juvenilian Satire and uses outrage in order to convey the biting truth of the subject of his satire. Swift’s tone takes on a bitter quality as he speaks of the “deplorable state of the kingdom” in which children are subjected to rampant poverty and a life without hope but to “sell themselves to the Barbadoes” or to “turn thieves for want of work.” He also speaks of the “horrid practice of women murdering their bastard children,” using cacophonous words and transitioning from a flowing long sentence about the abortions to a short, exclamatory sentence to emphasize the occurrences that befall less fortunate women in order to avoid unwanted children who will follow in their footsteps, begging hungry in the streets. The use of outrage and scorn as a type of satire in order to convey a message in this piece is