Introduction
Satire is a literary technique that considers the use of any genre and combines sharp humor and critique of a subject to improve its meaning, making authors like Jonathan Swift and Alexander Pope use satire due to many societal problems. By deftly critiquing and making light of society’s concerns, they hoped to bring attention to their subjects so that they may be corrected. Pope’s work on The Rape of the Lock is an excellent example of a mild and humorous satire since it uses epic poetic patterns to show that society needs to change its perspective on such trivial concerns. Swift’s satirical works, including A Modest Proposal, appear to be sharp and have a great impact. Both authors incorporate satire to highlight their important messages through cool savagery, wit, brilliant damaging rhymes and metaphors.
Discussion
The Rape of the Lock by Alexander Pope and Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift are both comedic satires, yet they are very different in tone, purpose, and style. Alexander Pope uses humor in The Rape of the Lock to evoke an off-kilter, foreboding atmosphere highlighting the absurdity of squabbling over hairstyles. In this poem, the theft of a lock is tied into a sly indictment of modern society (Pope 21). A culture where outward appearances substantially impact one’s sense of self and the inconsequential are given the highest priority. The title of this satirical epic provides a clue using the word “rape” and all of its implications.
Alexander Pope’s principal focus in The Rape of the Lock is crafting a satire of upper-class life while tackling moral and political issues. Using the conventions of epic poetry, this poem shows how society’s perspective on such trivial matters needs to evolve (Pope 22). Pope uses mock epic traditions to ridicule the culture of the upper class during the Restoration era. As Pope points out, the restoration society values physical beauty above brains when he writes, “If belles had defects to hide, if to her portion come female errors fall” (22). The author goes ahead to create mythical creatures like Nymphs to symbolize the prevailing morals of contemporary culture and serve as a reminder to the reader. The hero prays to God in epic mythology, but Belinda worships her reflection in the mirror.
The Rape of the Lock portrays the upper class as ridiculous due to their preoccupation with wealth and physical attractiveness. Pope exaggerates in this poem to demonstrate the need for elite culture to change to forgive and overlook minor transgressions. Belinda’s stunning beauty has led some to compare her to a deity. In the poem, he attacks the questionable notions of the Restoration era’s culture while relieving pressure on women and blaming the Catholic Church (Pope 23). His poem’s highly depicted word ‘rape’ served as a metaphor for hair theft, arguing that the wealthy place too much weight on trivial matters.
Jonathan Swift took note of the plight of the Irish people and offered suggestions for improvement. After writing several proposals that were ultimately shot down, Swift resorted to satire to shock his audience into paying attention to the subject he addressed (McBride 94). In A Modest Proposal, Swift disguised his proposal as a scientific investigation because he did not trust modern science. During the Age of Reason, when science and rational thought triumphed over romantic love, Swift creates a fictional persona, the projection, the speaker in A Modest Proposal. The projectionist is a scientist and logistician who may be a member of the recently founded Royal Society. No reasonable person would agree to the projector’s modest request, which turns out to be completely ridiculous.
Swift uses the phrase of eating children as a satire for the most delightful, healthy, and wholesome ways of dealing with children, also showing his idea that the problem could be easily fixed. Swift used irony to enrage the well-to-do and the illiterate, whom he blamed for failing to distribute money throughout the Irish economy and advocating cannibalism to solve the country’s economic troubles. Despite its modest title, this answer exhibits his intelligence by making readers re-evaluate their current situation (McBride 116). The wealthy treat the poor as if they were animals, stripping them of their humanity rather than accepting responsibility for the impact of their lavish lifestyles.
Swift uses political humor to voice his thoughts, often focusing on the challenges moms face in today’s world of a rising population and scarce resources. Swift’s plan is a mock-serious attempt to provide a fair, low-cost, and easy solution to the problem of Ireland’s hungry children growing up to be good citizens and contributing members of the Commonwealth. Swift does not want the Irish to trade their children for food, but he uses the ridiculous idea to make a point (Freiburg 99). Husbands will treat their wives with more respect, and the value parents place on their children will increase beyond comprehension. He claims his plan will solve Ireland’s political, social, and economic problems more than any previous law.
Conclusion
Jonathan Swift’s works on A Modest Proposal and Alexander Pope’s work on The Rape of the Lock exemplify the power of satire to capture an era’s spirit. Their work highlights the urgent need for change in a society that, among other things, viewed the poor with disdain and placed a premium on superficial values like beauty and wealth. The employment of Pope’s epic traditions in The Rape of the Lock reveals the sarcastic goal to lampoon the aristocrat’s actions to draw readers’ attention away from more urgent societal issues. Swift similarly attacks the upper class on how politicians think just as stupidly as their own opinions, and he wants to get people to think critically.
Works Cited
Freiburg, Rudolf. “Jonathan Swift, Irish Political Writings after 1725: A Modest Proposal and Other Works, by Jonathan Swift.” The Scriblerian and the Kit-Cats, vol. 53, no. 1, 2020, pp. 98-101. Web.
McBride, Ian. “The Politics of a Modest Proposal: Swift and the Irish Crisis of the Late 1720s.” Past & Present, vol. 244, no. 1, 2019, pp. 89-122. Web.
Pope, Alexander, and Thomas Marc Parrott. “The Rape of the Lock and Other Poems by Alexander Pope.” Web.
Swift, Jonathan. A Modest Proposal and other Stories. General Press, 2018.