amodestproposal背景知识

1、IntroductionJonathanSwiftwroteAModestProposal”in1720tocallattentiontoabusesinflictedonIrishCatholicsbywell-to-doEnglishProtestants.SwifthimselfwasaProtestant,buthewasalsoanativeofIreland,havingbeenborninDublinofEnglishparents.HebelievedEnglandwasexploitingIreland.ManyIrishmenworkedfarmsownedbyEnglis

2、hmenwhochargedhighrents-sohighthattheIrishwerefrequentlyunabletopaythem.Consequently,manyIrishfarmingfamilieslivedontheedgeofstarvation.InAModestProposal,SwiftsatirizestheEnglishlandlordswithoutrageoushumor,proposingthatIrishinfantsbesoldasfoodatageone,whentheyareplumpandhealthy,togivetheIrishanewso

3、urceofincomeandtheEnglishanewfoodproducttobolstertheireconomyandeliminateasocialproblem.Hesayshisproposal,ifadopted,wouldalsoresultinareductioninthenumberofCatholicsinIreland,sincemostIrishinfants-almostallofwhomwerebaptizedCatholicmouldendupinstewsandotherdishesinsteadofgrowinguptogotoCatholicchurc

4、hes.Here,heissatirizingtherivalryandprejudicecharacterizingCatholic-ProtestantrelationsinBritain.SwiftalsosatirizestheIrishthemselvesinhisessay,fortoomanyofthemhadacceptedabusestoicallyratherthantakingactionontheirownbehalf.ThemainliterarydeviceSwiftusesinAModestProposalisverbalirony什hatis,hepropose

5、stheoppositeofwhathereallybelieves.HistoricalBackgroundOverthecenturies,EnglandgraduallygainedafootholdinIreland.In1541,theparliamentinDublinrecognizedEnglandsHenryVIII,aProtestant,asKingofIreland.InspiteofrepeateduprisingsbyIrishCatholics,EnglishProtestantsacquiredmoreandmoreestatesinIreland.By1703

6、,theyownedallbut10percentoftheland.Meanwhile,legislationwasenactedthatseverelylimitedtherightsoftheIrishtoholdgovernmentoffice,purchaserealestate,getaneducation,andadvancethemselvesinotherways.Asaresult,manyIrishfledtoforeignlands,includingAmerica.MostofthosewhoremainedinIrelandlivedinpoverty,facing

7、disease,starvation,andprejudice.ItwasthisIreland-anIrelandofthetyrannizedandthedowntrodden+hatJonathanSwiftattemptedtofocusattentiononinAModestProposal”in1720.SummaryEditorsNote:InAModestProposal,Swiftassumesthepersonaofadaftstatistician.Thefollowingsummaryoftheessaygreatlycondensestheoriginalwordin

8、g.However,thewordsinbluetypearedirectquotationsfromtheessay.BecausesomanyIrishparentscannotfinddecentjobstosupporttheirchildren,theyspendalltheirtimewalkingthestreetstobegalmsofpassersby.Meanwhile,thechildrengrowuptobecomethievesoremigrants.ThissituationpresentsaseriousproblemforBritain,especiallysi

9、ncetherearesomanyIrishchildren.Eachyear,severalhundredthousandbabiesareborntoIrishparents.Ifyousubtractthosewhoareborntowell-to-doparents,thosewhoarestillborn,andthosewhodieafterbirthasaresultofdiseaseoraccident,youarestillleftwithabout120,000babieswhohavetobesupportedbypoorparents.Ofcourse,amotherc

10、anfeedherchildforoneyearwithbreastmilk.Butafterthat,shemustbegfoodforthechild.However,Ithewriteroftheessayhaveamodestproposaltosolvethisproblem.Hereitis:IhavebeentoldbyaknowledgeableAmericanthatayear-old-infantisamostdeliciousnourishingandwholesomefood,whetherstewed,roasted,baked,orboiled.”Therefore

11、,Isuggestthatofthe120,000newinfantsofpoorparents,20,000bereservedforbreedingandtherestbesoldtopeopleofquality.Achildwillmaketwodishesatanentertainmentforfriends,andwhenthefamilydinesalone,theforeorhindquarterwillmakeareasonabledish,andseasonedwithalittlepepperorsalt,willbeverygoodboiledonthefourthda

12、y,especiallyinwinter.”NotonlywillmyplanprovideexcellentfoodandrelievetheburdenonIrishparentsandGreatBritainasawhole,itwillalsoreducethenumberofRomanCatholics,sinceitistheRomanCatholicswhohavethemostchildren.Inaddition,myplanwillhavethefollowingadvantages:Inkeeperswhoservefatchildrenattheirtableswill

13、bepopularwiththeircustomers.Amotherofasoldchildwillpocketahandsomeprofitandbefreetoworkuntilshehasanotherbaby.Theskinfrombabiescanbeusedtomakeglovesforwomenandbootsformen.Womenwilltakeexcellentcareoftheirnewlyborninfants,fortheywillwanttheirbabiestobeplumpandhealthywhenitcomestimetosellthem.Menwould

14、becomeasfondoftheirwives,duringthetimeoftheirpregnancy,astheyarenowoftheirmaresinfoal,theircowsincalf,orsowwhentheyarereadytofarrow;noroffertobeatorkickthem(asistoofrequentapractice)forfearofamiscarriage.”Onlyyoung,tenderchildrenwouldbesold.Olderboys,withyearsofexercisethatdevelopstheirmuscles,would

15、betootoughtoeat.Oldergirlswouldbesoclosetochildbearingagethatitwouldbebesttoletthembreed.Anextremelyimportantpartofmyproposalisthatitwouldeliminatetheneedtoraisetaxestosupportthepoor,therebyenablingtherichtocontinuetoenjoyalloftheirluxuries.Inaddition,EnglishlandlordswouldnothavetoshowmercytotheirIr

16、ishtenants.Inturn,theIrishtenantswouldhaveenoughmoneytopaytheirhighrents,thankstothesaleoftheirchildren.ImustpointoutthatIamnotproposingthisplanforpersonalbenefit,inasmuchasIhaveonlyonechild-age9andthustoooldtosell-andmywifeistoooldtohaveanotherbaby.CompleteTitleandYearofPublicationThecompletetitleo

17、fAModestProposal,publishedin1720,isAModestProposalforpreventingthechildrenofpoorpeopleinIreland,frombeingaburdenontheirparentsorcountry,andformakingthembeneficialtothepublick.WritingandPublishingFormatsAModestProposalisanessayoriginallyprintedintheformofapamphlet.AtthetimeofthepublicationofAModestPr

18、oposal,apamphletwasashortworkthattookastandonapolitical,religious,orsocialissue-oranyotherissueofpublicinterest.Atypicalpamphlethadnobinding,althoughitsometimeshadapapercover.Writersofpamphlets,calledpamphleteers,playedasignificantroleininflamingorresolvingmanyofthegreatcontroversiesinEuropeinthe16t

19、h,17th,and18thcenturies,aswellasinthepoliticaldebateleadinguptotheAmericanRevolution.InadditiontoAModestProposal,“SwiftwrotemanypoliticalpamphletssupportingthecausesoftheTorypoliticalpartyafterherenouncedhisallegiancetotheWhigparty.TypeofWork:SatireAModestProposalisasatire,aliteraryworkthatattacksor

20、pokesfunatvices,abuses,stupidity,and/oranyotherfaultorimperfection.Satiremaymakethereaderlaughat,orfeeldisgustfor,thepersonorthingsatirized.Impishlyorsardonically,itcriticizessomeoneorsomething,usingwitandcleverwording-andsometimesmakesoutrageousassertionsorclaims.Themainpurposeofasatireistospurread

21、erstoremedytheproblemunderdiscussion.Themainweaponofthesatiristisverbalirony,afigureofspeechinwhichwordsareusedtoridiculeapersonorthingbyconveyingameaningthatistheoppositeofwhatthewordssay.StyleThelanugageofAModestProposalisspecificandsuccinct,anditisloadedwithironyandwit.Swift,oneofthegreatestsatir

22、istsintheEnglishlanguage,carefullyselectswordswithconnotationsthatshockandamusethereaderwhilealsopromotingeuphony.Forexample,inthefollowingparagraphfromtheessay,thewordcarcasses-meaningremainsofadeadanimaldressedbyabutcher-conveysshockvalueandhumorwhilealsoalliteratingwithpreviouswords(constantcusto

23、mers,christenings,andcompute,aswellaswithafollowingword,Kingdom:Supposingthatonethousandfamiliesinthiscity,wouldbeconstantcustomersforInfantsFlesh,besidesotherswhomighthaveitatmerrymeetings,particularlyatweddingsandchristenings,IcomputethatDublinwouldtakeoffannuallyabouttwentythousandcarcasses,andtherestoftheKingdom(whereprobablytheywillbesoldsomewhatcheaper)theremainingeightythousand.Theme(orThes