humor used to comment and analyze the status of the society. Indeed, satire can be described as comedy with a rationale to inform and straighten the creased sectors of the society. In other words, Satire is a literary technique, which uses intelligence and humorare mooted as satirical literature with a moral intention of reforming the society.

Satire in “A Modest Proposal.”

Swift’s novel, A Modest Proposal is an overwhelming critique on several levels with the most apparent element of satire being the impecunious state of the Irish. This condition is attributed to the tyrannical plantation system where the wealthy property owners oppressed poor farmers. According to historical happenings, the novel can be viewed as a warning of the events that happened in the 1840s in the country. The gravity of the critiques in the novel shows how satire is important in differentiating between the characters in the novel and the author of the narrative (Swift 200). The book starts with the Proposer lamenting about the condition of the should be sold as food items for the wealthy is both cold and shocking because of the sanctity of life. However, this is not Swift’s direct suggestion but it is a way of stating how the rich and the powerful in the Irish society would gladly serve human meat on their tables in the event of a famine. The satire allows Swift to point out the sad nature of the events in Ireland using a hidden language, which makes the wording of the literature mild and able to convey the intended message at the same time (Swift 150).

Satire in Gulliver’s Travels

Swift authored a novel that changed the face of writing in that the novel is an all-around piece of literature in both elucidation and genre. Gulliver’s Travels functions as a lampoon of travel literature and satire of human activities. In Gulliver’s Travels, Swift utilizes Gulliver’s expeditions to criticize various elements of the English Society. The conflicts in Gulliver’s journeys allowed Swift to identify and criticize the moral decays he saw in the English society. The first instance of satire in Gulliver’s Travels occurs when Gulliver stops in Lilliput where he realizes that the Emperor selects his ministers based on whether they can walk a tightrope rather than on their capability to provide good governance (Swift 250). This example is one of the criticisms of the English government where the king, George I, elected his ministers based on their relationship with the king. Swift uses satire in this example to refer to the selfishness in the leadership in England without referring to the king directly. In another instance of satire, Swift criticizes the foolishness in religious animosity in the country using an example of the hatred between people who open their eggs using different approaches. In essence, Swift tackled every aspect of this society using this literary technique.

Additionally, Swift ridicules blind loyalty. While departing Houyhnhnms, Gulliver states that while he was kneeling to kiss the hoof of his master, the master lifted the foot in honor for him. The notion of kissing someone’s foot let alone hoof is disgusting and shows repressive characteristics. However, Swift adds humor in it by adding the word “honor,” which is fit for situations that contrast the one mentioned above. Indeed, Swift turned a virtue into a vice just as he had done in many sections of his past satirical works (Swift 261).

Satire is a very important aspect of literature in that it allows the author to criticize certain activities and personalities without using specific events. In both books, Swift has been able to convey the intended messages without soiling specific people or organization’s activities. This has also enabled him to escape the dangers come with criticizing some authorities.