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    Satire and Social Reformation

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    This document provides an analysis of how satire was used in the 18th century to ignite social reform. It discusses Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal" and Voltaire's "Candide", analyzing how they used satire and irony to highlight societal injustices and problems of their time. Swift proposed the absurd idea of eating Irish children to draw attention to the poor conditions in Ireland, while Voltaire portrayed Candide's unfortunate experiences to show the naivety of those who thought the world was perfect. Both works helped enlighten readers and address issues through humor and exaggerated portrayals. Satire was thus an important tool for social commentary and reform during this era.

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    Satire and Social Reformation

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    This document provides an analysis of how satire was used in the 18th century to ignite social reform. It discusses Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal" and Voltaire's "Candide", analyzing how they used satire and irony to highlight societal injustices and problems of their time. Swift proposed the absurd idea of eating Irish children to draw attention to the poor conditions in Ireland, while Voltaire portrayed Candide's unfortunate experiences to show the naivety of those who thought the world was perfect. Both works helped enlighten readers and address issues through humor and exaggerated portrayals. Satire was thus an important tool for social commentary and reform during this era.

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    This document provides an analysis of how satire was used in the 18th century to ignite social reform. It discusses Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal" and Voltaire's "Candide", analyzing how they used satire and irony to highlight societal injustices and problems of their time. Swift proposed the absurd idea of eating Irish children to draw attention to the poor conditions in Ireland, while Voltaire portrayed Candide's unfortunate experiences to show the naivety of those who thought the world was perfect. Both works helped enlighten readers and address issues through humor and exaggerated portrayals. Satire was thus an important tool for social commentary and reform during this era.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    133 views5 pages

    Satire and Social Reformation

    Uploaded by

    api-378423823
    This document provides an analysis of how satire was used in the 18th century to ignite social reform. It discusses Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal" and Voltaire's "Candide", analyzing how they used satire and irony to highlight societal injustices and problems of their time. Swift proposed the absurd idea of eating Irish children to draw attention to the poor conditions in Ireland, while Voltaire portrayed Candide's unfortunate experiences to show the naivety of those who thought the world was perfect. Both works helped enlighten readers and address issues through humor and exaggerated portrayals. Satire was thus an important tool for social commentary and reform during this era.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 5

    Kennedy Plott

    LSTD 3133-102: Unit 2 Essay

    Satire and Social Reformation

    Enhanced by technological advancements made in society, knowledge of the tragedies

    and injustices of the modern world have become an inescapable weight individuals must carry;

    however, though some succumb to the weight of this burden, many have found a way to

    lighten the load by viewing these problems through rose-colored satirical glasses. This practice

    dates back to the eighteenth century, where it was used as a vehicle not only to comprehend

    societal injustices, but ignite social reform. This essay intends to analyze the satirical

    components of Swift’s A Modest Proposal and Voltaire’s Candide to convey the many ways in

    which satirical literature assisted in igniting social reform.

    During a time period characterized by social reformation, satire became the greatest

    weapon to draw “attention to the vast contradictions between morals and manners, intentions

    and actions, and, more generally, between Enlightenment aspirations and contemporary

    degradation” (Fiero 159). Resulting from the inevitable dissension arousing from changes in

    society, many took to the form of sarcastic comedy to alleviate some of the strain surrounding

    the message individuals would try to convey.

    Jonathan Swift was the premier British satirist of the eighteenth century, famous for his

    distain for humanity, using irony to highlight the shortcomings of society. As a result of his use

    of irony, Swift’s work was often controversial, for much of what he said often meant the exact

    opposite. In Swift’s famous satire, A Modest Proposal, Swift introduced the notion of breeding

    and butchering Irish children as a food source to highlight the inability of poor men during this
    time period to feed their families. Swift proposes this idea through the use of logic and science,

    thus drawing a comparison to the politicians and officials who sought to relieve these

    conditions with calculations, instead of considering the actual human components of the

    problem. Swift’s uses the perspective of a concerned citizen to create a sense of familiarity

    between himself and the readers. However, quickly into the essay, the reader begins to

    understand that there is little rationality behind the proposal after all. As the essay progresses,

    Swift’s “position” as a concerned and sensible countryman is unwavering, despite the insanity

    of his suggestion. He presents the argument in a way that would undoubtedly solve the

    destitute conditions many individuals were experiencing, without any acknowledgment of the

    outrageous nature of his idea. The irony used in this famous satire is undeniable, for it is blatant

    displayed in the title. Swift’s proposal is anything but modest, therefore, it is already

    abundantly clear that this essay is not to be taken literally, but riddled with underlying meaning

    to illustrate the unfair conditions of society. Demonstrated through his “rational” composure,

    Swift employs the idea that these level-headed qualities and outlooks can become catastrophic

    when taken to the extreme; a notion many in today’s society would resonate with.

    Swift’s satirical influence spread large, reaching other countries throughout the

    eighteen hundreds, especially inspiring many French philosophes, including the leading

    intellectual of French society, Francois-Marie Arouet, also known as Voltaire. Unlike Swift,

    however, Voltaire did not attack humanity itself but went after political institutions and bigotry

    as a whole. “In his writings, he championed freedom of thought and expression; he attacked

    bigotry as man-made evil, and injustice as institutional evil”, thus making his work so notable

    and applicable to the society in which he lived (Fiero 161). The tale of Candide documents a the
    exploits of an innocent young man whose life is tainted by a series of unfortunate occurrences

    to illustrate the naivety of many individuals in society. Prior to enduring these misadventures,

    Candide has an overall positive outlook on life, living by the mantra “this is the best of all

    possible worlds”; however, upon experiencing tragedies such as war, the manipulated use of

    religion by self-righteous individuals, human greed and the unpredictability of nature, his once

    optimistic outlook became dim. This allows reader’s to understand that many in this time were

    ignorant of the true state of society, insinuating they lived in a “what they don’t know won’t

    hurt them” state of mind. This satire “addresses the age-old question of how evil can exist in a

    universe created and governed by the forces of good” (Fiero 162). Voltaire utilizes the boy’s

    comically unfortunate experiences the portray this, but also to acknowledge an answer to the

    foolish blind-optimism displayed by society. Shown by Candide’s decision to settle on a farm in

    the end of his days, Voltaire urges readers to comprehend that human reason can combat evil.

    “This metaphor for achieving personal satisfaction in a hostile world relieves the otherwise

    devastating skepticism that underlies Candide” (Fiero 162).

    Though similar in their quest to identify humanities influence on the unjust conditions of

    society, these two works vary greatly in their linguistic style. While Swift employs a ironic,

    rational approach to convey the preposterous actions taken by society, Voltaire utilizes

    overstated irony to illustrate his point. Voltaire mocks the significance of issues like war and

    religion by exploiting understatement, referring to them as only minor inconveniences, or in

    some instances, blessings to that individual. These works were both instrumental in

    enlightenment, for they helped people in society to understand the issues at hand.
    Dating back far in history, many have always found a way to cope with overwhelming

    experiences and concepts through the use of humor. Sarcasm and irony have provided comic

    relief for individuals, while still allowing them to understand the true message at hand. It is

    because of the works of men like Swift and Voltaire that the boundaries and confinements for

    writers today are so flexible. Their abilities to relate social situations to comedy softened the

    blow of such hard-hitting truth on society.


    Works Cited

    Fiero, Gloria. Humanistic Tradition: the Early Modern World to the Present. Mcgraw-Hill

    Education, 2015.

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