amodestproposal背景知识.docx
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amodestproposal背景知识
Introduction
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.......JonathanSwiftwrote“AModestProposal”in1720tocallattentiontoabusesinflictedonIrishCatholicsbywell-to-doEnglishProtestants.SwifthimselfwasaProtestant,buthewasalsoanativeofIreland,havingbeenborninDublinofEnglishparents.HebelievedEnglandwasexploitingIreland.
.......ManyIrishmenworkedfarmsownedbyEnglishmenwhochargedhighrents–sohighthattheIrishwerefrequentlyunabletopaythem.Consequently,manyIrishfarmingfamilieslivedontheedgeofstarvation.
.......In“AModestProposal,”SwiftsatirizestheEnglishlandlordswithoutrageoushumor,proposingthatIrishinfantsbesoldasfoodatageone,whentheyareplumpandhealthy,togivetheIrishanewsourceofincomeandtheEnglishanewfoodproducttobolstertheireconomyandeliminateasocialproblem.Hesayshisproposal,ifadopted,wouldalsoresultinareductioninthenumberofCatholicsinIreland,sincemostIrishinfants–almostallofwhomwerebaptizedCatholic–wouldendupinstewsandotherdishesinsteadofgrowinguptogotoCatholicchurches.Here,heissatirizingtherivalryandprejudicecharacterizingCatholic-ProtestantrelationsinBritain.
.......SwiftalsosatirizestheIrishthemselvesinhisessay,fortoomanyofthemhadacceptedabusestoicallyratherthantakingactionontheirownbehalf.
.......ThemainliterarydeviceSwiftusesin“AModestProposal"isverbalirony–thatis,heproposestheoppositeofwhathereallybelieves.
HistoricalBackground
.......Overthecenturies,EnglandgraduallygainedafootholdinIreland.In1541,theparliamentinDublinrecognizedEngland’sHenryVIII,aProtestant,asKingofIreland.InspiteofrepeateduprisingsbyIrishCatholics,EnglishProtestantsacquiredmoreandmoreestatesinIreland.By1703,theyownedallbut10percentoftheland.Meanwhile,legislationwasenactedthatseverelylimitedtherightsoftheIrishtoholdgovernmentoffice,purchaserealestate,getaneducation,andadvancethemselvesinotherways.Asaresult,manyIrishfledtoforeignlands,includingAmerica.MostofthosewhoremainedinIrelandlivedinpoverty,facingdisease,starvation,andprejudice.ItwasthisIreland–anIrelandofthetyrannizedandthedowntrodden–thatJonathanSwiftattemptedtofocusattentiononin“AModestProposal”in1720.
Summary
.......Editor'sNote:
In"AModestProposal,"Swiftassumesthepersonaofadaftstatistician.Thefollowingsummaryoftheessaygreatlycondensestheoriginalwording.However,thewordsinbluetypearedirectquotationsfromtheessay.
.......BecausesomanyIrishparentscannotfinddecentjobstosupporttheirchildren,theyspendalltheirtimewalkingthestreetstobegalmsofpassersby.Meanwhile,thechildrengrowuptobecomethievesoremigrants.
.......ThissituationpresentsaseriousproblemforBritain,especiallysincetherearesomanyIrishchildren.Eachyear,severalhundredthousandbabiesareborntoIrishparents.Ifyousubtractthosewhoareborntowell-to-doparents,thosewhoarestillborn,andthosewhodieafterbirthasaresultofdiseaseoraccident,youarestillleftwithabout120,000babieswhohavetobesupportedbypoorparents.
.......Ofcourse,amothercanfeedherchildforoneyearwithbreastmilk.Butafterthat,shemustbegfoodforthechild.However,I[thewriteroftheessay]haveamodestproposaltosolvethisproblem.Hereitis:
.......IhavebeentoldbyaknowledgeableAmericanthatayear-old-infantisa“mostdeliciousnourishingandwholesomefood,whetherstewed,roasted,baked,orboiled....”Therefore,Isuggestthatofthe120,000newinfantsofpoorparents,20,000bereservedforbreedingandtherestbesoldtopeopleofquality.
.......“Achildwillmaketwodishesatanentertainmentforfriends,andwhenthefamilydinesalone,theforeorhindquarterwillmakeareasonabledish,andseasonedwithalittlepepperorsalt,willbeverygoodboiledonthefourthday,especiallyinwinter....”
.......NotonlywillmyplanprovideexcellentfoodandrelievetheburdenonIrishparentsandGreatBritainasawhole,itwillalsoreducethenumberofRomanCatholics,sinceitistheRomanCatholicswhohavethemostchildren.Inaddition,myplanwillhavethefollowingadvantages:
.......Inkeeperswhoservefatchildrenattheirtableswillbepopularwiththeircustomers.
.......Amotherofasoldchildwillpocketahandsomeprofitandbefreetoworkuntilshehasanotherbaby.
.......Theskinfrombabiescanbeusedtomakeglovesforwomenandbootsformen.
.......Womenwilltakeexcellentcareoftheirnewlyborninfants,fortheywillwanttheirbabiestobeplumpandhealthywhenitcomestimetosellthem.
.......“Menwouldbecomeasfondoftheirwives,duringthetimeoftheirpregnancy,astheyarenowoftheirmaresinfoal,theircowsincalf,orsowwhentheyarereadytofarrow;noroffertobeatorkickthem(asistoofrequentapractice)forfearofamiscarriage.”
.......Onlyyoung,tenderchildrenwouldbesold.Olderboys,withyearsofexercisethatdevelopstheirmuscles,wouldbetootoughtoeat.Oldergirlswouldbesoclosetochildbearingagethatitwouldbebesttoletthembreed.
.......Anextremelyimportantpartofmyproposalisthatitwouldeliminatetheneedtoraisetaxestosupportthepoor,therebyenablingtherichtocontinuetoenjoyalloftheirluxuries.Inaddition,EnglishlandlordswouldnothavetoshowmercytotheirIrishtenants.Inturn,theIrishtenantswouldhaveenoughmoneytopaytheirhighrents,thankstothesaleoftheirchildren.
.......ImustpointoutthatIamnotproposingthisplanforpersonalbenefit,inasmuchasIhaveonlyonechild–age9andthustoooldtosell–andmywifeistoooldtohaveanotherbaby.
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CompleteTitleandYearofPublication
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Thecompletetitleof"AModestProposal,"publishedin1720,is"AModestProposalforpreventingthechildrenofpoorpeopleinIreland,frombeingaburdenontheirparentsorcountry,andformakingthembeneficialtothepublick."
WritingandPublishingFormats
"AModestProposal"isanessayoriginallyprintedintheformofapamphlet.Atthetimeofthepublicationof"AModestProposal,"apamphletwasashortworkthattookastandonapolitical,religious,orsocialissue–oranyotherissueofpublicinterest.Atypicalpamphlethadnobinding,althoughitsometimeshadapapercover.Writersofpamphlets,calledpamphleteers,playedasignificantroleininflamingorresolvingmanyofthegreatcontroversiesinEuropeinthe16th,17th,and18thcenturies,aswellasinthepoliticaldebateleadinguptotheAmericanRevolution.Inadditionto“AModestProposal,”SwiftwrotemanypoliticalpamphletssupportingthecausesoftheTorypoliticalpartyafterherenouncedhisallegiancetotheWhigparty.
TypeofWork:
Satire
"AModestProposal"isasatire,aliteraryworkthatattacksorpokesfunatvices,abuses,stupidity,and/oranyotherfaultorimperfection.Satiremaymakethereaderlaughat,orfeeldisgustfor,thepersonorthingsatirized.Impishlyorsardonically,itcriticizessomeoneorsomething,usingwitandcleverwording–andsometimesmakesoutrageousassertionsorclaims.Themainpurposeofasatireistospurreaderstoremedytheproblemunderdiscussion.Themainweaponofthesatiristisverbalirony,afigureofspeechinwhichwordsareusedtoridiculeapersonorthingbyconveyingameaningthatistheoppositeofwhatthewordssay.
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Style
Thelanugageof"AModestProposal"isspecificandsuccinct,anditisloadedwithironyandwit.Swift,oneofthegreatestsatiristsintheEnglishlanguage,carefullyselectswordswithconnotationsthatshockandamusethereaderwhilealsopromotingeuphony.Forexample,inthefollowingparagraphfromtheessay,thewordcarcasses–meaningremainsofadeadanimaldressedbyabutcher–conveysshockvalueandhumorwhilealsoalliteratingwithpreviouswords(constantcustomers,christenings,andcompute,aswellaswithafollowingword,Kingdom:
Supposingthatonethousandfamiliesinthiscity,wouldbeconstantcustomersforInfant'sFlesh,besidesotherswhomighthaveitatmerrymeetings,particularlyatweddingsandchristenings,IcomputethatDublinwouldtakeoffannuallyabouttwentythousandcarcasses,andtherestoftheKingdom(whereprobablytheywillbesoldsomewhatcheaper)theremainingeightythousand.
Theme(orThesis)
BeneathSwift’saudacioussatireisaserioustheme:
thatEnglishoverlordsareshamelesslyexploitingtheimpoverishedpeopleofIreland.
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AuthorInformation
JonathanSwiftwasbornonNovember30,1667,inDublin,Ireland.Hisfather–anEnglishmanwhohadmovedtoIreland–diedearlierthatyear.Receivingfinancialassistancefromrelatives,SwiftattendedagoodschoolforhisbasiceducationandgraduatedfromTrinityCollegeinDublinin1686.HelivedoffandoninEngland,becameanAnglicanclergyman,andeventuallywasappointeddeanofSt.Patrick'sCathedralinDublin,althoughhehadlobbiedforapositioninEngland.Hiswriting–especiallyhissatires–madehimoneofthemostprominentcitizensinGreatBritain,andheworkedforatimeonbehalfofTorycauses.HismostfamousworkisGulliver'sTravels,abookofsatireonpoliticsandsocietyingeneral.SwiftdiedinDublinonOctober19,1745.