Satirical Elements In A Modest Proposal English Literature Essay

Satirical Elements In A Modest Proposal English Literature Essay In A Modest Proposal, satire is one of the main elements Jonathan Swift uses to explain how Protestants abused Irish Catholics in the 1700s. A satire is a literary work that blasts or nudges fun at corruption or any additional error or imperfection. Satire may make the reader express amusement at, or experience hatred for, the individual or object satirized. The major function of a satire to prompt readers to cure the problem under debate. The major weapon of a satirist is verbal irony, a figure of speech in which language is used to disrespect an individual or object by conveying an implication that is the contrary of what the words say. In A Modest Proposal, Jonathan Swift uses elements of satire to assess Protestant cruelty of Irish Catholics. Satire in literature, also known as Juvenalian satire, is used by those whose aim is mockery. It is more simply known than defined. From very old times satirists have shared a familiar goal: to render foolishness in all its disguises and to result in reform through such contact. It was a custom in English Literature through the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries that writers and poets would frequently use the practice of satire either for political purposes or purely to emphasize the   peculiarities of the society. In this regard many chief English literary writers used satire in their work, but while a number of them used it to fashion an amusing situation, others would give it an extremely unsympathetic tone, which resulted in some grave problems with those who were targeted in their work. There are three main types of satire; Juvenalian, Horatian, and Menippean. Horatian satire is named after the Roman satirist Horatian. It seeks to disapprove of rather than assault vice or folly. Some methods of satire include irony, wittiness, or embellishment. In general, Horatian satire is gentler, better humored and sympathetic, somewhat open-minded of human folly. It tends to mock human foolishness in general or by type rather than assail particular persons. Therefore it tends to create a cynical smile. Juvenalian is named after the Roman satirist Juvenal. It is more bitter than Horatian satire. It often flames and shows disapproval for people, and seeks to tackle some malevolence in society through disdain and ridicule. While amusement and mockery are still weapons of Horatian satire, the Juvenalian satirist isnt frightened to use diatribe to construct a point. A Modest Proposal is an example of a Juvenalian satire. Menippean satire, on the other hand, is the oldest form of satire. It was named after Menippus. It is a multifaceted, disorganized, and often shapeless form of satire. It tends to condemn the subject matter. It is a satire that criticizes everything in a disjointed manner. Discussion is vital to this kind of satire. It views human foolishness and iniquity as a communal illness. A Modest Proposal is everything that a satirical text should be. It includes cynicism and mockery as Jonathan Swift takes and shows us how the deprived are treated wretchedly. The seemingly inoffensive beginning leads the audience to presume that Swift will establish suggestions that lessen the suffering of unfortunate children in 18th century Ireland, a moment in time of overcrowding and land strain (suite101.) He seems genuine and thinks it is a misfortune how everywhere they stroll in the streets of Dublin they see unfortunate citizens pleading others for hand outs. Swift tells the audience how the children of poor families are trouble and how instead of requiring fare and garments the rest of their lives, they will supply to the feeding and clothing of numerous amounts of people. Any intelligent person would think he intends to place them in factories or farms to labor and not be on the streets beseeching for food. He then tells however that a young fit child at a year old is a m ost delicious, nourishing and wholesome food (Swift.) Swift then continues on as if he said something wholly rational and sound. According to his suggestion, twenty thousand children may be set aside for proliferation which is more than they consent to for sheep, cattle, and swine. This is when the spoof starts to open up and that is at what time he drops the bomb on the audience. The compensation of his proposal is apparent. All his proposals are humorous, some even repulsive. The poorer tenants will have something prized of their own, which they may sell, to help pay the landlords fee. Not only will they vend their children to the landlords but if they do not pay out their lease, the landlords can seize their babies. The kids are being used as an article of trade and not even considered a human being. This suggestion is ironical in itself because Swifts proposal to sell and eat excess children is not modest at all nor is it a rational solution to Irelands problems. Swift states ki ds nowadays either grow up to be thieves or to fight for the Pretender (Swift), and blames the population as a full. A dark, bitter piece of  literature, Juvenalian satire uses shadowy humor among other satirical techniques to present unkind criticisms of bribery or ineptitude. Jonathan Swift, who is well-known for his satirical writing, uses all aspects of Juvenalian satire in his  essay  A Modest Proposal to assault the means Ireland in general was run during his time. The central figure of speech in A Modest Proposal is verbal irony, in which an author or narrator says the contrary of what he means. Swifts masterly utilization of this device makes his key argument-that the Irish are worthy of healthier treatment from the English-commanding and awfully entertaining. The satirical intent of  A Modest  Proposal  was misunderstood by lots of Swifts associates, and he was unsympathetically criticized for writing an essay with such extremely bad taste. He came close to losing his support because of this essay. The misinterpretation of the intention of the satirical attack came about for the most part because of the difference between the satirical objective of the cannibalistic proposal and the sincere tone of the narrative voice. In A Modest Proposal, Jonathan Swift uses elements of satire to assess Protestant cruelty of Irish Catholics. The major weapon of a satirist is verbal irony, a figure of speech in which language is used to disrespect an individual or object by conveying an implication that is the contrary of what the words say. A satire is a literary work that blasts or nudges fun at corruption or any additional error or imperfection. The major function of a satire to prompt readers to cure the problem under debate. Satire may make the reader express amusement at, or experience hatred for, the individual or object satirized.

Catherine Lucille Moores Shambleu and Greek Mythology :: Science Fiction Greece Myth Essays

Catherine Lucille Moore's Shambleu and Greek Mythology Throughout history, humans have had legends, myths and folk tales. Many of these dealt with monsters that cannot be found on the planet Earth, at least any more, especially the myths of ancient Greece. In such cases, there can be a fine line between where myth ends and science fiction starts. In Catherine Lucille Moore’s short story "Shambleau," one such myth crosses that line. That myth is the ancient Greek myth of the Gorgons. Gorgons had snakes for hair and could turn anyone into stone by looking at them in the eyes. "Shambleau" tells the tail of something very much like a Gorgon with snakes as its hair. This creature, called a "Shambleau," comes to and terrorizes a town. In the American Heritage College Dictionary, myth is defined as: "A traditional story dealing with supernatural beings, ancestors, or heroes that informs or shapes the world view of a people" (903). The same dictionary has science fiction defined as: "A literary genre in which the plot is typically based on†¦space travel, or life on other planets" (1221). Both definitions deal with life that is not natural to Earth. While the origins of such creatures may be different, they both deal with non-human sentient beings. Several science fiction stories deal with extraterrestrials visiting Earth in what humans would call the "Ancient" era and becoming part of a culture’s mythology. Then they might come back in the "Modern" era. One such story is Moore’s "Shambleau." Gorgons from ancient Greek mythology are creatures who look human but have snakes for hair and can make anyone or anything that looks them in the eye turn into stone. In "Shambleau," a female extraterrestrial, resembling a Gorgon but with subtle differences, terrorizes a town. A man, not knowing what she is or what she does, tries to protect her from an angry mob until he finds out her true intentions. The story ends with him promising to go off and kill her. However, it is said that she does something to humans which is like an addictive drug. Unlike a Gorgon, however, she had feline qualities such as "three fingers and a thumb, and her feet had four digits apiece too, and all sixteen of them were tipped with round claws that sheathed back into the flesh" (528). Yet, like a Gorgon, she had hair that "squirmed of itself against her cheek" (531).

Analyse the presentation of Crooks Essay

Analyse the presentation of Crooks in â€Å"Of Mice and Men†. Comment on how this helps to create a realistic picture of 1930’s California  John Steinbeck’s â€Å"Of mice and men† was written in the 1930’s, a time of great depression throughout the world. It was a time when racism was still widespread in America. It is based on a ranch in California. In the story Crooks is the only black person on the ranch. Crooks is disabled, with a crooked back where â€Å"a horse once kicked him†. It describes him as having â€Å"pain tightened lips† because of this. He is also described as being â€Å"a proud aloof man†. He is shown to be an educated man through the fact that he owns a dictionary and tries to research what rights he does have by using his â€Å"mauled copy of the California civil code for 1905.† The fact that Steinbeck uses the word mauled infers that it was used a great deal. In the story, Crooks was treated with little respect. He acts like he wants no real contact with the white workers on the ranch by â€Å"keeping his distance and demanding that other people kept theirs†. I think that he really wanted some friends but doesn’t show it because no-one will be friends with him. The boss also has no respect for him and takes his anger out on him for no reason when he is mad. He lives in a tack room built onto the side of the barn because he is unwanted in the bunkhouse. This is probably due to the fact that the society of the time believed in racial segregation. He has no friends on the ranch and is totally isolated. He had no rights or a say on what goes on on the ranch or in America for that matter. There were thousands like him all over America that were stuck in the same situation. They were not treated well for what seems to me a trivial reason. The book was very controversial at the time as Steinbeck portrays Crooks as being the same inside as any other man. This is a view that challenged all of the other contemporary views at the time. A lot of people were outraged at this as they thought of Crooks and other black people as somehow inferior to them. The fact that we only meet Crooks at all is an accident. I think he hated his life there on the ranch, but had no way to get out of it. In the first part of the book (chapters 1-3) we find out the views of Crooks from the other characters there. The racism towards him may have been innocent as the racism in the country then was inherent (passed down through the generations). We now move on to chapter 4, where we find out about Crooks and his own opinions through an accidental encounter with Lennie. It all starts when Lennie is in the barn with his pup and everyone else has gone into town. He sees the light from Crooks’ little hut which is built into the barn. He stumbles in and Crooks acts like Lennie is unwanted – â€Å"Crooks scowled but Lennie’s disarming smile defeated him.† I think that he actually thought about it and realised that he could do with some company. Steinbeck uses Lennie’s character to ‘accidentally’ stumble upon him because Lennie does not understand the political views of the world at that time, so he walks right in and talks to him the right way, treating him with respect, as he would anyone else. Crooks then settles down a bit and pours out what seems to be his entire life story to Lennie, now he finally has someone to talk to. He tells him about his life before working on the ranch. He speaks of the fact he was happy before, and says that his father had a chicken ranch. Maybe this meant he would prefer to be back there, missing his relatives who he knows would treat him as an equal. He also talks about that he used to play with the local white kids and that his â€Å"ol’ man did not like that†. He then proceeds to say â€Å"I never knew why till long later why he didn’t do that. But I know now.† During the conversation, Crooks asks Lennie what he would do if George (who he relies on completely) never came back. It seems like Crooks is getting excited over having an advantage over a white person, â€Å"Crooks’ face lighted with pleasure at his torture† but later on you think about it and realise what Crooks was trying to do. He was showing Lennie what it would be like to be him, to have no-one and be completely alone. He then explains this to Lennie: â€Å"a guy needs somebody – to be near him†¦A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody.† Through this we realise how truly lonely he really is. Lennie starts talking about his and George’s dream of getting their own ranch somewhere. Candy then appears at the doorway and Crooks lets him in. Candy confirms all that Lennie says and they share their dream with him. Crooks then realises that they might succeed in getting a ranch. He then says â€Å"†¦If you†¦guys would want a hand to work for nothing – just his keep, why I’d come and lend a hand.† He suddenly realises what this could mean for him. He sees this as an opportunity to escape from his life on the ranch and make a new life for himself He is still holding onto that dream when suddenly Curley’s wife appears in the doorway. She makes all three men feel uncomfortable. She comments that everyone else had â€Å"left the weak ones here.† This is ironic really because what she doesn’t realise is that she too is classed as a ‘weak one’ for being female (women were still unable to vote then and males were the dominant gender). Crooks is then taken in by the dream to the extent that he forgot his place. For a moment he seems as brave as any man. He stood up to Curley’s wife and demands her to leave – â€Å"You ain’t got no rights comin’ in a coloured man’s room†¦Now you just get out.† Curley’s wife then threatens him: â€Å"You keep your place Nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it wouldn’t even be funny.† The reality then hits him. His dreams shattered. He then remembers his place, at the bottom of society. â€Å"Crooks had reduced himself to nothing. There was no personality, no ego – nothing to arouse either like or dislike.† Being threatened like this pushes him back down to earth, and he realises that she is right. She could easily get him lynched if she wanted to. I think that overall Steinbeck succeeds in creating a roughly realistic picture of the general attitudes towards racism in the 1930’s. He creates a convincing character in Crooks that makes you think of the ethics behind racism overall. Why does it happen? Why are people different on the outside any different on the inside? I think that Steinbeck’s intentions were to present these and other questions to the reader and make them think about the reasoning behind traditional racist attitudes.

The joy of giving in a firm - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 2042 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Marketing Essay Type Argumentative essay Did you like this example? The Joy of Giving mainly emphasizes a number of ways to reward the employees on a small scale, which has proven to be more effective than large bonuses for many companies. In companies, when the need to make every employee feel an important part of the organization becomes a priority, such gestures which are on an individual or group level play a vital role in fulfilling the need. This are also known as Motivators as they help in boosting the morale of employees and keeps them motivated and driven to fulfill the organizations goals , along with their own personal goals. Motivation is the result of the internal and external factors that stimulate desire and energy in people to be interested in and committed to a job, role, or subject and to exert persistent effort in attaining a goal. It results from factors like the intensity of desire or need, the incentive or reward value of the goal and the expectations of the individual. There are many motivation theorie s which support the gift giving behavior in the Joy of Giving, however, the study conducted in this paper will be of three of the renowned studies, and discuss them in detail while critically analyzing the methods used in the case study. Frederick Herzbergs Two Factor theory (Kalleberg, A., 1977, pp. 124-143) about the motivation of the employees relates to that certain factors in the work place, which according to him lead to the presence of Job Satisfaction in employees in an organization. The specific factors might vary for every individual; the presence of these will motivate employees and the absence of these would lead to de-motivation among the employees. They will not add much value when they are present, but will cause a lot of damage psychologically to the employees which can result in lower productivity and level of output for the employees. However, they can be distinguished into two major categories, which include: Motivators These include the factors which lea d to positive satisfaction. The main motivators for most people would be challenging work which requires effort and the successful completion of the tasks would lead to a sense of achievement. This sense of achievement is important according to Maslows Hierarchy of Needs. Also, recognition of work well done would also be a motivating factor, as the employees get acknowledged for the work they do. This gives them the confidence that the work they do is being noticed and is given importance by the organization. Hygiene Factors The other type of factor is the hygiene factor which includes elements like salary, job security, status and fringe benefits. These are the factors, when missing from the organization give immense dissatisfaction to the employees. This Motivator-Hygiene Theory supports the gift giving behavior in the companies mentioned in the Joy of Living. The employees of Brassiere retailer, Bravissimo, have to deal with customers on a regular basis, and in the servi ce industry, the higher the level of service, the higher the customer loyalty, the better the sales. Therefore, it is even more important in the service industry that the employees understand and implement the vision and the mission of the company policy. There is a difference in fulfilling the job description and taking ownership of the job and going beyond by doing what is best for the organization. The extra mile is taken by the employees when they know they will be rewarded and recognized for it. For this, the company needs to keep the employees satisfied and motivated. One way of doing this, according to the Herzbergs Two Factor Theory is by providing them with motivators, like the little gifts that Bravissimo is already giving to its employees. Bravissimo does not randomly hand out gifts, its a part of the well thought out strategy. They give gifts when at the times when the employee needs to be made felt special. Holiday times, birthdays always have the soft corner in ever yones lives, and when noticed and celebrated by small, thoughtful gestures like a bottle of champagne, chocolate snowmen at Christmas, etc., by the company leads to a strong goodwill, and a loyalty, which is rarely replaceable by generic bonuses to all. The additional factor that Bravissimo takes into account is the factor that it takes feedback from the employees to keep its gift giving up to date, and in tune with the needs of the employees, and corrects its policy wherever its employees feel it is lacking. Another theory that supports the acts of companies like Peppermint PR, which is a communications firm and gives out special rewards to an employee working harder than usual, or going beyond their job description, is the positive reinforcement theory which is a part of the Operant Conditioning. Operant Conditioning is when the environment is operated upon, and the consequences are then maintained. In simpler words, a few factors in the environment are changed, which the n leads to the required behavior. The four contexts of the Operant conditioning are listed and discussed below in an organizational setting. Positive Reinforcement This is a form of reinforcement which is used to encourage certain wanted behavior of the employees. For example, the employer would want the employees to go the extra mile to provide better services to their customers, achieve the necessary goal in the time allocated, etc. Such behavior is encouraged by the organization, when it is followed by a stimulus that is rewarding to the employees, which then leads to a repetition in that behavior. For example, a difficult task when achieved within the deadline by an employee can be awarded with an additional bonus, or the effort can be acknowledged at the Reward and Recognition Night of the Company. Negative Reinforcement Such reinforcement is to again encourage certain behavior, but instead of rewarding, it continuously gives a negative stimulus, which is only remov ed when the certain required behavior is achieved. For example, in the case of an employee, s/he will have a portion of his salary removed till s/he is able to achieve the task at hand within the time allocated to the employee and with the resources allocated. Positive Punishment Positive Punishment is used to discourage an action, this occurs when an action is followed by an unwanted reaction. For example, if an employee falls short on the job, the supervisor can then have a meeting with him/her to give him/her a warning. This will ensure that the employee does not slack off on the job again. Negative Punishment This is to discourage an action by taking away a wanted stimulus. For example, a portion of the salary will be deducted from the employees paycheck, followed by an unwanted behavior. Keeping in accordance with the Positive Reinforcement theory from Operant Conditioning, the Peppermint PR gives out thoughtful gifts to appreciate some work, or extra help that a n employee provided to the organization, or to another employee, as stated by Carolyn Axtell To be singled outÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ¦.more likely to motivate someone to repeat same positive actions. The factor that Peppermint PR keeps as most important is that individuals should be highlighted, and the gifts should be given soon after the positive behavior demonstrated. According to the Alderfers ERG theory (Boshoff, C. Arnold, C., 2002, pg. 677- 719) there are three types of needs, existence, relatedness needs and growth needs. Existence refers to basic needs that are required for an employee to keep working. Relatedness need refers to the social environment that an employee craves for. Growth refers to the desire for the personal achievement that an employees from a job. A basic salary covers the basic needs, a thriving office environment and culture covers the relatedness needs, whereas, the reward and recognition which leads to the sense of achievement is the highes t stage of the three needs. Growth need is very important, and small token of appreciation, such as the gift giving in the companies, can also be used to create that necessary sense of achievement which motivates the employees and drives them to further achieve goals and tasks allocated to them. The gift giving behavior of the companies mentioned, is supported by all three theories. Every theory accepts the need of the basic factor which makes employees join the labor force and an organization, however, more than that is required to keep the employee satisfied, motivated and productive. The pushing factor may vary for different employees in different organizations, however, the gift giving behavior is enjoyed and appreciated by the employees of the above mentioned companies. 2) Reward defined in simple terms is the return for service, or merit. The reward in order to be effective, and noticed, needs to be tangible enough to be seen as recognition of the service or merit. One of the myths from Pffeffer (1998 b, pp. 9-13), is that people work for money. This myth has been believed by people for centuries now. That has been the reason why to reward employees; the employers give the employees the bonuses or raises in the salaries. However, according to the Alderfers ERG theory (2002, pp.677-719), after the existence needs have been fulfilled, other needs like relatedness and growth need to be fulfilled, otherwise, there is no satisfaction in the job. The basic salary is the existence need, but other needs also need to be catered to, to keep the employee motivated. For loyalty, and for rewarding employees, companies like Madgex appreciate the work of the employees with cakes. Such gestures are said to cater to the other needs of the employees, which a basic salary does not fulfill. Hawthorne Studies (Frank Kaul, 1978, pp. 623-643), provides a theory quite contrary to the one which has been implemented by Madgex. Hawthorne Studies cut out the breaks of the employees, and brought the women back to longer working hours. This, contrary to popular belief, instead of reducing productivity, it gradually increased it. When studied in detail, it was concluded that the social environment also helps in the productivity of the employees, where they can create the atmosphere of their own choice, where they can socialize, talk, and enjoy the atmosphere they work in. The raised self-esteem of the employees was the reason why the productivity increased. The conclusion of the Hawthorne Studies, (Frank Kaul, 1978) proves that monetary benefits, or material gifts are not always the ones that will lead to an increase in motivation and productivity, a factor like the work environment can also prove to be of great significance. In some cases, to make the employees work harder, factors other than material benefits might need to altered, and in such scenarios, no number of gifts would increase productivity or motivation. The method of giving g ifts, may not be the most appropriate to increase the self esteem of the employees. If the employees perceive the gifts to be of little value, cheap or meaningless, they will not add value to the employees self esteem, and might even prove to be unfavorable. For example, Recruitment manager at Metaswitch believes that generic gifts should be given to the employees as they would have broader appeal. This would have little value for the employees if the gift is as generic as a bonus, and is not even that value adding. If the employees start perceiving that the gifts are being given to the favorites of the employers, then instead of seeming as a reward, they will start resenting it. If given to too many employees, then the employees who will not receive it will be de-motivated and it might raise a level of frustration. A similar policy is followed at Bravissimo where little-and-often approach is followed while giving out gifts. When these rewards come too often, they become expected and lose their value, and the reason for the gift giving gets nullified. This, instead of increasing motivation will decrease the morale of the employees. There are advantages of giving gifts to employees, but there are also cons if the gift giving strategy is not thoroughly thought out and major factors like the time interval and the number of recipients is not considered. If handled well, the gifts can lift morale, if not, and then it can lead to adverse consequences for the organization and the self esteem of the employees. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The joy of giving in a firm" essay for you Create order