A Modest Proposal Essay Example for Free

A Modest Proposal Essay A Modest Proposal is a satiric essay by Jonathan Swift, written in 1729. It is aimed at the rich landowners of Ireland who are keeping the poor of Ireland in poverty and virtual starvation. The narrator is Swift, who seems to be making a strong case for cannibalism as a method for solving the problem of hunger and overpopulation in one ostensibly simple solution. He proposes that the Irish should sell their children under the age of one year as meat for the tables of the wealthy. The problems Swift describes are primarily the number of poor in Ireland who are being forced to work for food in amounts less than that which is needed to feed their families. He hints that because of their religion they over-breed, being catholic and not practicing birth control. The same problems described by Swift in the 18th century are occurring today in many parts of the world. Hunger exists and children are born into families too poor and uneducated to do anything about a pregnancy when they cannot feed or clothe the children they have. The U. N. attempts to ameliorate the hunger but nothing is done about the source of the problem so the food only fuels a new generation who are doomed to be as hungry as the one before it. Swift argues that marriage could be looked upon as a method of producing children as meat for the tables of the rich and that the union of a couple would have great financial benefits. They could produce meat children as a farmer raises pigs for slaughter. Swift speaks ironically of his proposals having the benefit, â€Å"Of teaching landlords to have at least one degree of mercy toward their tenants,† (Swift). Bibliography Swift, J. A Modest Proposal 1729.

A Proper Victorian Marriage Proposal Essay -- Victorian Era

A Proper Marriage Proposal Mr. Bradley Headstone, steadfast and uncontrolled, was met with denial from his beloved. By examining the etiquette apropos of an acceptable Victorian marriage proposal, and the social â€Å"rules† associated with courtship, we may understand the failure of Headstone’s hasty attempt at love. A Note on Love, and Falling â€Å"Love,† and the expression of it, in the Victorian Era was characterized by strict social etiquette and idealized expectations. Courtship was fundamental to the process of falling in love, and in fact, for the upper and middle classes, it was this systematic structure that allowed for the love and union of two people to be acceptable. A member of society could not fall into a fit of passion for another, express it freely, and expect an agreeable response. There was an admirable and proper way for a man to attain a wife. In general, for Victorians, the process of falling in love by means of courtship was a pleasant process if the proper measures of propriety were taken. Pre-Proposal Matters A gentleman, upon determining a marriage prospect, bears in mind several key features that constitute an ideal lady and wife. For the â€Å"stream of matrimony† to be ventured upon, an essential partner must possess these qualities- accomplished manners, be an amiable person, have an unblemished reputation, and â€Å"a mind stored with virtuous principles† (Lessels 25). Once this is determined and he feels love for the woman, the gentleman decides to proceed with the proposal process. The most important thing for a gentleman to do, once he has chosen a prospect, is to allow himself to reveal to the lady his character. â€Å"Some men†¦may have all the traits of a gentleman- a handsome exterior, and well skilled ... ...ue of monetary standing also comes into play after the proposal. In the dealings of settling the family’s and the upcoming couple’s finances, â€Å"let candor and generosity actuate you in this difficult transaction† (48). The Victorians allowed even love to be dictated by strict social order and control. However, it was still idealized as a blissful and ultimate convention. If all matters of propriety were considered, and if all is executed accordingly, â€Å"we will assume these rocks and quicksands past, the engaged couple happy, and the wedding day at hand†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Humphry 110). Works Cited Hill, Averyl. Averyl’s Attic. Averyl's Attic Design, Images & Text. 16 Mar 2005. . Humphry, Mrs. Manners for Men. London: Pryor Publications, 1993. Lessels, Julie. The Etiquette of Love and Courtship. Sussex: Copper Beech Publishing, 1995.

Human Condition †Away by Michael Gow Essay

Literature can reflect the human condition by presenting aspects of our existence, including the wide range of emotions, our mortality and the transformations which differentiate us as a species. Examples of texts which do so include the play Away by Michael Gow, the photo â€Å"Woman on Bondi† by Marco Bok and the poem â€Å"Ode To A Nightingale† by John Keats, which provide similar and contrasting views on these aspects of humanity. Away by Michael Gow, first published in 1986, is an Australian play set in the 1960s, following the Vietnam War, which explores the mortality, loss, restoration and transformation experienced in our existence. Gow suggests that Tom is the catalyst through his characterisation of Puck in â€Å"A Midsummer Night’s Dream† in the opening scene. He alludes to Tom’s role as a healer, as it is through his death that others are able to begin the process of restoration – â€Å"Give me your hands, if we be friends, and Robin shall restore amends†, while adding elements of magic through the play-within-a-play. Tom engineers the play’s upheaval through the ‘Puckish’ curse – â€Å"I hope you have a rotten holiday† and by conjuring up the storm further into the text, which causes both great conflict and the restoration of the characters. The mortality of our existence is also expressed through Tom. By reading the excerpt from â€Å"King Lear† in the final scene, Tom undergoes a cathartic transition, reflecting upon his foreshadowing death and finally accepting its inevitability – â€Å"while we unburden’d crawl towards death†. Gow’s casting of Tom as Lear insinuates that he has completed his role as the healer and is ready to face his destiny. Despite the tragic overtones conveyed through these lines, the concept of a new beginning is also implied through the stage directions and setting – â€Å"The light becomes bright, summery, morning† and thus reflects the positive aspect of being able to accept our mortality. The concept of loss and restoration is portrayed through Coral, whose process of healing is triggered by Tom’s role in â€Å"A Midsummer Night’s Dream†, with Gow using a soliloquy following the performance allowing Coral to express her emotions and reach out to the audience – â€Å"What angel wakes me from my  flowery bed?† The repetition of this line throughout the dramatic monologue reinforces her ‘awakening’ from depression and dysphoria, with the angel acting as a recurring motif for Tom’s role as the healer. The â€Å"flowery bed† can also be interpreted as Tom’s deathbed and thus, she unknowingly foreshadows his fate. Gow uses the play-within-a-play, â€Å"The Stranger On The Shore†, to express Coral’s final acceptance and restoration. This play demonstrates love, sacrifice and death, with Coral’s role allowing her to experience the greatest change. The repetition of the line â€Å"I’m walking† emphasises this change and portrays her healing. Gow also uses the lighting of the bonfire as a symbol for the death of old beliefs and a signal for new life, â€Å"They’ve lit a bonfire on the beach. Look!†. Similarly, Gwen goes down the path of restoration, as she is initially encapsulated within a shell formulated from her materialistic mentality, â€Å"We’ve got a brand new caravan. Everything you could want.† Her change in attitude is triggered by the storm which Gow uses as symbol for cleansing, bringing in elements of magic – â€Å"The FAIRIES return and stage a spectacular storm†. The emotional breakdown of Gwen as she receives news of Tom’s illness also expresses her change and she seeks forgiveness from Jim, â€Å"You must hate me? I’m sorry†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . The clichà ©d expression – â€Å"There’s a terrible taste in my mouth† as Gwen tries to take the Bex Powder also emphasises her transformation. Thus, Away echoes the human condition by expressing aspects of our existence which deal with our mortality and the transformations we may experience. Bibliography â€Å"Away†. Gow, Michael (1986)†Michale Gow’s Away†. Beckett, Wendy (Glebe: Pascal Press, 1993)

Analysis Of Born During The Witch Trials - 1119 Words

Born during the witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts Nathanael Hawthorne’s depicted many beliefs of the well-known puritans in his novels. (Bloom) Hawthorne used color and symbolism to portray themes of sin Guilt, innocence in everyday life. He also uses visual clues to portray the themes of the short story Goodman Brown. Hawthorne: ability to employ so much imagery that mesmerizes readers to the degree of connecting his short story with their everyday life. Young Goodman Brown a young pure hearted man, bids farewell to his wife faith reassuring his wife he must leave. He ventures into the infamous forest of Salem. Where a series of events take place changes Goodman Browns life forever. The color pink is associated with innocence and†¦show more content†¦Hawthorne mentions Faith’s pink ribbons several times at the beginning of the story, imbuing her character with youthfulness and happiness. He reintroduces the ribbons when Goodman Brown is in the forest, struggling with his doubts about the goodness of the people he knows. When the pink ribbon flutters down from the sky, Goodman Brown sees it as a sign that Faith unquestionably falls into the jurisdiction of the devil—she has shed this sign of her purity and innocence. At the end of the story, when Faith greets Goodman Brown as he returns from the forest, she is wearing her pink ribbons again, suggesting her return to the figure of innocence she presented at the b eginning of the story and casting doubts on the truth of Goodman Brown’s experiences. Female purity, a favored conception of Americans in the nineteenth century, is the balancing force for Goodman Brown as he wonders whether to forsake his religion and join the devil. When he takes leave of Faith at the beginning of the story, he promises that after this one night of evildoing, he states â€Å"Well, she s a blessed angel on earth; and after this one night I ll cling to her skirts and follow her to heaven.. This idea, that a man’s wife or mother will redeem him and do the work of true religious belief for the whole family, was popular during Hawthorne’s time. Goodman Brown clings to the idea of Faith’s purity throughout his trials in the forest, swearing that as long as Faith