The imagination and reality are two very different components that each holds a lot of power. The imagination is something that is not real, a thought or idea that in no way shape or form can come true. The reality is what actually exists, the day to day life and struggles that accompanies being alive. The theme of using the imagination to present reality is presented in the works of Gulliver’s Travels and A Modest Proposal, both stories written by Jonathan Swift. Though these stories have the same author, the ideas that they present help to show a world where an idea, made up by imagination, is present to show the reality and issues of what is wrong with the world and society at that time. Through the use of satire and irony, both Gulliver’s
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Due to the extremities of the satirical pieces that he presents the people will read his story and then evaluate the world around them. One of the pieces, A Modest Proposal focuses on the reality of overpopulation of the poor (more specifically poor, uncared for and orphaned children), as well as a solution to the famine that Ireland was experiencing at that time. His solution is to eat those unwanted children. He presents this satire of cannibalism to create a world where the imagination comes up with the example of eating children. Swift writes, “A child will make two dishes at an entertainment for friends, for when the family dines alone, the fore or hind quarter will make a reasonable dish, and seasoned with a little pepper or salt will be very good boiled on the fourth day, especially in winter” (2433). What Swift is suggesting in this quote is to eat the children that no one wants anymore. If those children are being consumed, then not only is the problem of overpopulation solved but so is the problem of famine. …show more content…
In the piece Gulliver’s Travels, the power struggles that Swift was experiencing within society and government during that time period are presented through the representation of humans as slaves to horses. Gulliver the human is put in a place where the human-like creatures are the slaves and treated like animals while the horse like creatures are the rulers and masters of the human slaves. While Gulliver was trying to explain concepts like war, and bad events and things in the world, the horse people could not understand him because the concepts were too foreign for him to comprehend. Swift writes, “This labor took up several days conversations before he was able to comprehend me. He was wholly at a loss to know what could be the use of necessity of practicing those vices.” (2394) The vices of war, rape, thievery, and all of the other bad and illegal concepts of the world. Swift went on to write, “To clear up which I endeavored to give him some ideas if the desire of power and riches…” (2394) What Swift is saying that it is power and money can corrupt all of the worlds. When power and riches are not in play, then the world is peaceful. Through the satirical information of humans being slaves, Swift creates an imagination where people are slaves to society and government, as per human nature in their in reality, while in his imaginative world the human people are only slaves to the selfless
Due to the extremities of the satirical pieces that he presents the people will read his story and then evaluate the world around them. One of the pieces, A Modest Proposal focuses on the reality of overpopulation of the poor (more specifically poor, uncared for and orphaned children), as well as a solution to the famine that Ireland was experiencing at that time. His solution is to eat those unwanted children. He presents this satire of cannibalism to create a world where the imagination comes up with the example of eating children. Swift writes, “A child will make two dishes at an entertainment for friends, for when the family dines alone, the fore or hind quarter will make a reasonable dish, and seasoned with a little pepper or salt will be very good boiled on the fourth day, especially in winter” (2433). What Swift is suggesting in this quote is to eat the children that no one wants anymore. If those children are being consumed, then not only is the problem of overpopulation solved but so is the problem of famine. …show more content…
In the piece Gulliver’s Travels, the power struggles that Swift was experiencing within society and government during that time period are presented through the representation of humans as slaves to horses. Gulliver the human is put in a place where the human-like creatures are the slaves and treated like animals while the horse like creatures are the rulers and masters of the human slaves. While Gulliver was trying to explain concepts like war, and bad events and things in the world, the horse people could not understand him because the concepts were too foreign for him to comprehend. Swift writes, “This labor took up several days conversations before he was able to comprehend me. He was wholly at a loss to know what could be the use of necessity of practicing those vices.” (2394) The vices of war, rape, thievery, and all of the other bad and illegal concepts of the world. Swift went on to write, “To clear up which I endeavored to give him some ideas if the desire of power and riches…” (2394) What Swift is saying that it is power and money can corrupt all of the worlds. When power and riches are not in play, then the world is peaceful. Through the satirical information of humans being slaves, Swift creates an imagination where people are slaves to society and government, as per human nature in their in reality, while in his imaginative world the human people are only slaves to the selfless