Thomas More’s Utopia and Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal both captured my attention this semester with how they both were very political in addressing real life problems of their respective time periods. Thomas More was a writer of the 16th century while Jonathan Swift was a writer of the 18th century. The writing styles of both authors also plays an enormous part in how their points came across in each writing. More’s Utopia was writing in a humorous sort of style and Swift’s A Modest Proposal was written to be satirical. This essay will be about the comparison of how both authors address current issues in their lives during each time period and also how they both used very different techniques to get their points across about the problems.
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In Utopia, issues of poverty and scarcity, capitalism, and the issue of the rich buying up everything like it was a game of monopoly seemed to be present. In A Modest Proposal, poverty and scarcity was also a major issue because at the time Ireland was very poor and being over thrown by England which had little or no poverty issues. Both authors set forth social and political ideas with their writings to suggest, address, or amend the problems and issues going on. Utopia was written as a sort of “alternative “ to a better life because in this place that this traveler has come from, these problems of poverty, scarcity, and capitalism doesn 't not exist. A Modest Proposal was written to exaggerate solutions to Ireland’s ongoing problems of poverty and scarcity. At the time, many people had do able solutions that could possibly help Ireland in some ways but they were all derailed so Swift decided that since no one would listen to the practical proposals maybe he should suggest unpractical ones to grab their attention. The proposal shows how bad and backwards the social class and general state Ireland was in. Both More and Swift suggests in their writings that the wealthy people do things to get wealthier while exploiting the poor and not even trying to help at all. Utopia: “ To make this hideous poverty worse, it exists side by side with wanton luxury”(More 1.20 ). A Modest Proposal: “ That the remaining hundred thousand may at a year old be offered in sale to the persons of quality and fortune through the kingdom”(Swift 232). More and Swift both use sources to make it seem as if what they are trying to convey is credible. More uses Raphael to tell the story of Utopia because he is a traveler, "sailed not as a seaman, but as a traveler, or rather a philosopher”(More 1.14). Swift includes a statement from the proposers old acquaintance, “ I have
In Utopia, issues of poverty and scarcity, capitalism, and the issue of the rich buying up everything like it was a game of monopoly seemed to be present. In A Modest Proposal, poverty and scarcity was also a major issue because at the time Ireland was very poor and being over thrown by England which had little or no poverty issues. Both authors set forth social and political ideas with their writings to suggest, address, or amend the problems and issues going on. Utopia was written as a sort of “alternative “ to a better life because in this place that this traveler has come from, these problems of poverty, scarcity, and capitalism doesn 't not exist. A Modest Proposal was written to exaggerate solutions to Ireland’s ongoing problems of poverty and scarcity. At the time, many people had do able solutions that could possibly help Ireland in some ways but they were all derailed so Swift decided that since no one would listen to the practical proposals maybe he should suggest unpractical ones to grab their attention. The proposal shows how bad and backwards the social class and general state Ireland was in. Both More and Swift suggests in their writings that the wealthy people do things to get wealthier while exploiting the poor and not even trying to help at all. Utopia: “ To make this hideous poverty worse, it exists side by side with wanton luxury”(More 1.20 ). A Modest Proposal: “ That the remaining hundred thousand may at a year old be offered in sale to the persons of quality and fortune through the kingdom”(Swift 232). More and Swift both use sources to make it seem as if what they are trying to convey is credible. More uses Raphael to tell the story of Utopia because he is a traveler, "sailed not as a seaman, but as a traveler, or rather a philosopher”(More 1.14). Swift includes a statement from the proposers old acquaintance, “ I have