Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    From $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    A Modest Proposal: Including "The Benefits of Farting Explained"
    A Modest Proposal: Including "The Benefits of Farting Explained"
    A Modest Proposal: Including "The Benefits of Farting Explained"
    Ebook31 pages20 minutes

    A Modest Proposal: Including "The Benefits of Farting Explained"

    By Jonathan Swift

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    In "A Modest Proposal," Jonathan Swift employs a satirical style that masterfully critiques the socio-economic conditions of 18th-century Ireland. Through an eerily rational yet shocking proposal to alleviate poverty by suggesting the consumption of children, Swift juxtaposes absurdity with genuine social commentary, highlighting the neglect and exploitation of the Irish populace by the English ruling class. The essay, rich in irony and rhetoric, captures the disillusionment of the period, reflecting the dire consequences of complacency in the face of widespread suffering. Jonathan Swift, a prominent satirist and a keen political commentator of his time, was profoundly influenced by the socio-political climate in Ireland. Having witnessed the immense poverty and oppression faced by his fellow countrymen, Swift's experiences fueled his pen, leading him to advocate for change through provocative literature. His unique perspective as both an Irishman and an Anglican cleric granted him the authority to challenge the injustices that plagued his society, thus establishing his lasting legacy as a critic of exploitation. "A Modest Proposal" is essential reading for those seeking to understand the intersection of satire and social criticism. This incisive work not only entertains but also provokes deep moral reflection on ethics, responsibility, and the role of societal indifference, making it a poignant and relevant text for contemporary readers.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSharp Ink
    Release dateMar 26, 2023
    ISBN9788028297725
    A Modest Proposal: Including "The Benefits of Farting Explained"
    Author

    Jonathan Swift

    Jonathan Swift (Dublín, 1667–1745) cursó estudios en el Trinity College y se ordenó sacerdote anglicano en 1695 tras una fallida experiencia como diplomático profesional en Inglaterra. Aunque inicialmente se alineó ideológicamente con el partido liberal, sus importantes diferencias de criterio con sus compañeros de filas lo llevaron a militar en el partido tory (conservador), cuando éste logró el poder en Inglaterra en 1710. En 1713 fue nombrado deán en la catedral de San Patricio, en Dublín. Los años siguientes, hasta que perdiera sus facultades físicas y psíquicas en el último lustro de su vida, están marcados por un sentimiento de soledad y amargura personal cada vez mayor, en contraste con una fama literaria creciente y con una inmensa popularidad como defensor de la causa irlandesa. Su epitafio, escrito por él mismo, reza: «Aquí yace el cuerpo de Jonathan Swift, déan de la catedral, en un lugar en que la ardiente indignación no puede ya lacerar su corazón. Ve, viajero, e intenta imitar a un hombre que fue un irreductible defensor de la libertad.»

    Read more from Jonathan Swift

    Related to A Modest Proposal

    Related ebooks

    European History For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related categories

    Reviews for A Modest Proposal

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      A Modest Proposal - Jonathan Swift

      The Benefits of Farting Explained

      Table of Contents

      Lovely Babe of Maid of Honour,

      Every Grace shall smile upon her,

      Sweetest Warbler of the Tail,

      Soft as Breeze of Southern Gale;

      Or the fanning Zephyrs Blast,

      Over Beds of Spices past;

      Gentle Puff of fragrant Air,

      Squeez’d from Breech of Virgin Fair;

      ‘Tis by Thee the Fair discover,

      Proof of Vigour in a Lover;

      Silent Fizzle; or Speaking Fart,

      Easily both Ease impart;

      Sweet Fore-boder, joyful Sound,

      To the Belly that’s hard bound;

      Cure of Cholick, Cure of Gripes,

      Tuneful Drone of lower Pipes.

      Thus the Winds in Cavern pent,

      Widen Holes, and force a Vent;

      Stealing Whisper, ‘scape of Bum,

      Soft as Flute, or loud as Drum;

      Downwards breathing, backwards sigh,

      Happy Smock that lies so nigh;

      Happy she that can this Way,

      Shut her Mouth, but loudly Bray.

      Of Chloe all the Town has rung;

      By ev’ry size of Poets sung:

      So beautiful a Nymph appears

      But once in Twenty Thousand Years.

      By Nature form’d with nicest Care,

      And, faultless to a single Hair.

      Her graceful Mein, her Shape, and Face,

      Confest her of no mortal Race:

      And then, so nice, and so genteel;

      Such Cleanliness from Head to Heel:

      No Humours gross, or frowzy Steams,

      No noisom Whiffs, or sweaty Streams,

      Before, behind, above, below,

      Could from her taintless Body flow.

      Would so discreetly Things dispose,

      None ever saw her pluck a Rose.

      Her dearest Comrades never caught her

      Squat on her Hams, to make Maid’s Water.

      You’d swear, that so divine a Creature

      Felt no Necessities of Nature.

      In Summer had she walkt the Town,

      Her Arm-pits would not stain her Gown:

      At Country Dances, not a

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1