Jonathan Swift And Lady Gregory Analysis

Literature has the amazing ability to convey a culture in different ways. Through the development of Irish culture, literature was able to follow closely behind. Leading this was Jonathan Swift and Antoine Raftery and even though both were widely known, there is a difference in their works and how they influenced authors like W.B. Yeats and Lady Gregory. In order to properly reflect on these differences it is necessary to first provide the respected backgrounds of these authors. To begin, Jonathan Swift, a Dublin born Dean of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, raised by two Protestant parents was the one of the first recognized authors to bring fourth questions on English rule in Ireland. Being an educated man, Swift had the incredible ability to influence his audience through satire works that were mostly seen within pamphlets. The best example being Swift’s work, The Modest Proposal, where he wrote, “I am assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London; that a young healthy …show more content…
Blind and deeply rooted in the poverty stricken class of Ireland, Raftery brought fourth intricate poems that portrayed Ireland without English rule. As Raftery states in Killeaden, or Country Mayo, “Upon the Mile-Bush or upon the Plains of Mayo. Killeaden (is) the village in which everything grows; there are blackberries and raspberries in it, and fruit of every kind; …”(725). Raftery specifically focuses on the land of Ireland and its potential. In comparing Raftery to Swift, Raftery was less politically and economically involved, which allowed him to focus on the Native Irish. As Irish culture continued to develop so did the literature. In order for the more modern authors like W.B. Yeats and Lady Gregory they knew that just harnessing the original skills of Swift and Raftery was not enough and that they must also integrate their own unique background and strategies to revitalize Irish