There is often a deeper meaning in the words of an author, the true message of the text can be discovered through analyzing tone and symbolism. In each of the works of Candide, by Voltaire, “A Modest Proposal,” by Jonathan Swift, and “Do Not Weep, Maiden, for War is Kind,” by Stephen Crane, the authors satirize the society they live in. Through the use of tone and symbolism by Crane, Voltaire, and Swift, they are able to create ironic arguments to satirize certain aspects of society. Voltaire, Crane, and Swift all use different tones to approach their ironic writing. In “Do Not Weep, Maiden, For War Is Kind,” the poet, Stephan Crane, argues against war by creating a dark tone, then he sharply contradicting it with society’s views of war,
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However, Crane immediately follows this statement with what society thinks, that “the unexplained glory flies above [the soldiers],” meaning that society believes they are dying for a greater good, that is too complex for them to understand (9). These statements being used together create an ironic tone because the first statement creates a dark tone, only to be contradicted by the following line, stating that war is a glorious thing that can’t be understood. Crane later speaks of the “Great is the battle-god, great and his kingdom,” saying that society views war as being a sort of deity that should be worshiped (10). Crane then describes the battle-god’s kingdom as being “A field where a thousand corpses lie” (11). This following statement contradicts the tone of the previous statement by promulgating that this “battle-god” is actually an evil force. The statement also brings back the ironically dark tone, through the imagery of a field full of dead bodies. On the contrary, Irish writer Jonathan Swift uses a different tone to present his ironic essay, “A Modest Proposal.” “A Modest Proposal” uses an analytical tone to examine the asinine idea of selling and eating babies. The …show more content…
In “A Modest Proposal” the author, Jonathan Swift, uses the symbol of eating to satirize the rich in society, how they exploit the situation in Ireland. He proposes to use babies as “nourishing and wholesome Food,” which would increase the standard of living for the rest of the Irish, by reducing population size and increasing food sources (Swift 9). Furthermore, Swift portrays Irish society as miserable, and the only way to correct the situation would be to take such a drastic measure. In addition, the symbol of eating satirizes the human race itself. By resorting to cannibalism and giving a value of just “[t]en [s]hillings for the [c]arcass of a good fat [c]hild,” Swift is satirizing the predatory nature of the aristocrats, how resorting to eating children is seemingly normal (14). Swift also uses the symbol of animals to satirize the value of human life in Ireland, compared to how it is viewed by the rest of the world. Swift compares the mothers as “constant [b]reeders… [who will] gain eight shillings sterling per annum, by the sale of their children” (23). Some of the children are “reserved to breed,” and compared to “sheep, black cattle, or swine” (10). This symbol is a metaphor for comparing the proposed system to that present on a farm, where the breeders are the mothers and the cattle are the children, primarily used for food. Swift uses this
However, Crane immediately follows this statement with what society thinks, that “the unexplained glory flies above [the soldiers],” meaning that society believes they are dying for a greater good, that is too complex for them to understand (9). These statements being used together create an ironic tone because the first statement creates a dark tone, only to be contradicted by the following line, stating that war is a glorious thing that can’t be understood. Crane later speaks of the “Great is the battle-god, great and his kingdom,” saying that society views war as being a sort of deity that should be worshiped (10). Crane then describes the battle-god’s kingdom as being “A field where a thousand corpses lie” (11). This following statement contradicts the tone of the previous statement by promulgating that this “battle-god” is actually an evil force. The statement also brings back the ironically dark tone, through the imagery of a field full of dead bodies. On the contrary, Irish writer Jonathan Swift uses a different tone to present his ironic essay, “A Modest Proposal.” “A Modest Proposal” uses an analytical tone to examine the asinine idea of selling and eating babies. The …show more content…
In “A Modest Proposal” the author, Jonathan Swift, uses the symbol of eating to satirize the rich in society, how they exploit the situation in Ireland. He proposes to use babies as “nourishing and wholesome Food,” which would increase the standard of living for the rest of the Irish, by reducing population size and increasing food sources (Swift 9). Furthermore, Swift portrays Irish society as miserable, and the only way to correct the situation would be to take such a drastic measure. In addition, the symbol of eating satirizes the human race itself. By resorting to cannibalism and giving a value of just “[t]en [s]hillings for the [c]arcass of a good fat [c]hild,” Swift is satirizing the predatory nature of the aristocrats, how resorting to eating children is seemingly normal (14). Swift also uses the symbol of animals to satirize the value of human life in Ireland, compared to how it is viewed by the rest of the world. Swift compares the mothers as “constant [b]reeders… [who will] gain eight shillings sterling per annum, by the sale of their children” (23). Some of the children are “reserved to breed,” and compared to “sheep, black cattle, or swine” (10). This symbol is a metaphor for comparing the proposed system to that present on a farm, where the breeders are the mothers and the cattle are the children, primarily used for food. Swift uses this