amodestproposal背景知识

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

2、hmenwhochargedhighrents-sohighthattheIrishwerefrequentlyunabletopaythem.Consequently,manyIrishfarmingfamilieslivedontheedgeofstarvation.InAModestProposal,”SwiftsatirizestheEnglishIandlordswithoutrageoushumor,proposingthatIrishinfantsbesoldasfoodatageone,whentheyareplumpandhealthy,togivetheIrishanews

3、ourceofincomeandtheEnglishanewfoodproducttobolstertheireconomyandeliminateasocialproblem.Hesayshisproposal,ifadopted,wouldalsoresultinareductioninthenumberofCatholicsinIreland,sincemostIrishinfants-almostallofwhomwerebaptizedCatholicwouldendupinstewsandotherdishesinsteadofgrowinguptogotoCatholicchur

4、ches.Here,heissatirizingtherivalryandprejudicecharacterizingCatholic-ProtestantrelationsinBritain.SwiftalsosatirizestheIrishthemselvesinhisessay,fortoomanyofthemhadacceptedabusestoicallyratherthantakingactionontheirownbehalf.ThemainliterarydeviceSwiftusesinAModestProposal"isverbalirony-hatis,he

5、proposestheoppositeofwhathereallybelieves.HistoricalBackgroundOverthecenturies,EnglandgraduallygainedafootholdinIreland.In1541,theparliamentinDublinrecognizedEngland'HenryVIII,aProtestant,asKingofIreland.InspiteofrepeateduprisingsbyIrishCatholics,EnglishProtestantsacquiredmoreandmoreestatesinIre

6、land.By1703,theyownedallbut10percentoftheland.Meanwhile,legislationwasenactedthatseverelylimitedtherightsoftheIrishtoholdgovernmentoffice,purchaserealestate,getaneducation,andadvaneethemselvesinotherways.Asaresult,manyIrishfledtoforeignIands,includingAmerica.MostofthosewhoremainedinIrelandlivedinpov

7、erty,facingdisease,starvation,andprejudice.ItwasthisIreland-anIrelandofthetyrannizedandthedowntrodden-hatJonathanSwiftattemptedtofocusattentiononinAModestProposal”in1720.SummaryEditor'sNote:In”AModestProposal,"Swiftassumesthepersonaofadaftstatistician.Thefollowingsummaryoftheessaygreatlycon

8、densestheoriginalwording.However,thewordsinbluetypearedirectquotationsfromtheessay.BecausesomanyIrishparentscannotfinddecentjobstosupporttheirchildren,theyspendalltheirtimewalkingthestreetstobegalmsofpassersby.Meanwhile,thechildrengrowuptobecomethievesoremigrants.Thissituationpresentsaseriousproblem

9、forBritain,especiallysincetherearesomanyIrishchildren.Eachyear,severalhundredthousandbabiesareborntoIrishparents.Ifyousubtractthosewhoareborntowell-to-doparents,thosewhoarestillborn,andthosewhodieafterbirthasaresultofdiseaseoraccident,youarestillleftwithabout120,000babieswhohavetobesupportedbypoorpa

10、rents.Ofcourse,amothercanfeedherchildforoneyearwithbreastmilk.Butafterthat,shemustbegfoodforthechild.However,Ithewriteroftheessayhaveamodestproposaltosolvethisproblem.Hereitis:IhavebeentoldbyaknowledgeableAmericanthatayear-old-infantisamostdeliciousnourishingandwholesomefood,whetherstewed,roasted,ba

11、ked,orboiled.”Therefore,Isuggestthatofthe120,000newinfantsofpoorparents,20,000bereservedforbreedingandtherestbesoldtopeopleofquality.Achildwillmaketwodishesatanentertainmentforfriends,andwhenthefamilydinesalone,theforeorhindquarterwillmakeareasonabledish,andseasonedwithalittlepepperorsalt,willbevery

12、goodboiledonthefourthday,especiallyinwinter.”NotonlywillmyplanprovideexcellentfoodandrelievetheburdenonIrishparentsandGreatBritainasawhole,itwillalsoreducethenumberofRomanCatholics,sineeitistheRomanCatholicswhohavethemostchildren.Inaddition,myplanwillhavethefollowingadvantages:Inkeeperswhoservefatch

13、ildrenattheirtableswillbepopularwiththeircustomers.Amotherofasoldchildwillpocketahandsomeprofitandbefreetoworkuntilshehasanotherbaby.Theskinfrombabiescanbeusedtomakeglovesforwomenandbootsformen.Womenwilltakeexcellentcareoftheirnewlyborninfants,fortheywillwanttheirbabiestobeplumpandhealthywhenitcomes

14、timetosellthem.Menwouldbecomeasfondoftheirwives,duringthetimeoftheirpregnancy,astheyarenowoftheirmaresinfoal,theircowsincalf,orsowwhentheyarereadytofarrow;noroffertobeatorkickthem(asistoofrequentapractice)forfearofamiscarriage.”Onlyyoung,tenderchildrenwouldbesold.Olderboys,withyearsofexercisethatdev

15、elopstheirmuscles,wouldbetootoughtoeat.Oldergirlswouldbesoclosetochildbearingagethatitwouldbebesttoletthembreed.Anextremelyimportantpartofmyproposalisthatitwouldeliminatetheneedtoraisetaxestosupportthepoor,therebyenablingtherichtocontinuetoenjoyalloftheirluxuries.Inaddition,EnglishIandlordswouldnoth

16、avetoshowmercytotheirIrishtenants.Inturn,theIrishtenantswouldhaveenoughmoneytopaytheirhighrents,thankstothesaleoftheirchildren.ImustpointoutthatIamnotproposingthisplanforpersonalbenefit,inasmuchasIhaveonlyonechild-age9andthustoooldtosell-andmywifeistoooldtohaveanotherbaby.CompleteTitleandYearofPubli

17、cationThecompletetitleof"AModestProposal,"publishedin1720,is"AModestProposalforpreventingthechildrenofpoorpeopleinIreland,frombeingaburdenontheirparentsorcountry,andformakingthembeneficialtothepublick."WritingandPublishingFormats"AModestProposal"isanessayoriginallyprint

18、edintheformofapamphlet.Atthetimeofthepublicationof"AModestProposal,"apamphletwasashortworkthattookastandonapolitical,religious,orsocialissue-oranyotherissueofpublicinterest.Atypicalpamphlethadnobinding,althoughitsometimeshadapapercover.Writersofpamphlets,calledpamphleteers,playedasignifica

19、ntroleininflamingorresolvingmanyofthegreatcontroversiesinEuropeinthe16th,17th,and18thcenturies,aswellasinthepoliticaldebateleadinguptotheAmericanRevolution.InadditiontoAModestProposal,”SwiftwrotemanypoliticalpamphletssupportingthecausesoftheTorypoliticalpartyafterherenouncedhisallegianeetotheWhigpar

20、ty.TypeofWork:Satire"AModestProposal"isasatire,aliteraryworkthatattacksorpokesfunatvices,abuses,stupidity,and/oranyotherfaultorimperfection.Satiremaymakethereaderlaughat,orfeeldisgustfor,thepersonorthingsatirized.Impishlyorsardonically,itcriticizessomeoneorsomething,usingwitandcleverwordin

21、g-andsometimesmakesoutrageousassertionsorclaims.Themainpurposeofasatireistospurreaderstoremedytheproblemunderdiscussion.Themainweaponofthesatiristisverbalirony,afigureofspeechinwhichwordsareusedtoridiculeapersonorthingbyconveyingameaningthatistheoppositeofwhatthewordssay.StyleThelanugageof"AMod

22、estProposal"isspecificandsuccinct,anditisloadedwithironyandwit.Swift,oneofthegreatestsatiristsintheEnglishIanguage,carefullyselectswordswithconnotationsthatshockandamusethereaderwhilealsopromotingeuphony.Forexample,inthefollowingparagraphfromtheessay,thewordcarcasses-meaningremainsofadeadanimal

23、dressedbyabutcheronveysshockvalueandhumorwhilealsoalliteratingwithpreviouswords(constantcustomers,christenings,andcompute,aswellaswithafollowingword,Kingdom:Supposingthatonethousandfamiliesinthiscity,wouldbeconstantcustomersforInfant'sFlesh,besidesotherswhomighthaveitatmerrymeetings,particularlyatweddingsandchristenings,IcomputethatDublinwouldtakeoffannuallyabouttwentythousandcarcasses,andtherestoftheKingdom(whereprobablytheywillbesoldsomewhatcheaper)theremainingeightythousand.Theme(orThesi