A-modest-proposal赏析

AmodestproposalJonathanSwift,oneofthegreatestwriters,isfamousforhissatiricworks,especiallyhismasterpiece,Gulliver’sTravels.Amodestproposalisfullofironies.Inthisessay,JonathancriticizestheineptitudeofIreland’spoliticians,thehypocrisyofthewealthy,thetyrannyoftheEnglish.HethinkslandlordsandtheEnglishgovernmentshouldberesponsibleforallthemiseryofIrishpeople.Irony1.Thetitle----amodestproposal（Amodestproposalisactuallyahorribleproposal.Thisproposalisabouthowtofindoutafair,cheapandeasymethodtodealwiththeprodigiousnumberofchildrenofpoorpeopleinIreland,makingthemsoundusefulnumbersofthecommonwealth,woulddeservesowellofthepublic.AndthesolutiontheauthoroffersistosellthesebabiestothewealthyBritainpeopleforfood.）2.Thethirdparagraph----Ishallnowthereforehumblyproposemyownthoughts,whichIhopewillnotbeliabletotheleastobjection.3.Thefifthparagraph----Idothereforehumblyofferittopublicconsiderationthatofthe120,000childrenalreadycomputed,20,000maybereservedforbreed,whereofonlyone-fourthparttobemales;whichismorethanweallowtosheep,blackcattle,orswine.（两次humbly具有反讽效果；将人与畜生相提并论,讽刺英国地主阶级和政府对爱尔兰人民生命的漠视）4.Thefifthparagraph---Andmyreasonis,that……thereforeonemalewillbesufficienttoservefourfemales.(同上一点)5.Theseventhparagraph---Igrantthisfoodwillbesomewhatdear,andthereforeveryproperforlandlords,who,astheyhavealreadydevouredmostoftheparents,seemtohavethebesttitletothechildren…(censurethecrueltyoflandlords,theydevouredIrishpeoplebutpaynosympathytothemortheirchildren)6.Theeighthparagraph---Ithinkofnooneobjectionthatwillpossiblyberaisedagainstthisproposal,unlessisshouldbeurgedthenumberofpeoplewillbetherebymuchlessenedinKingdom.ThisIfreelyown,andit……,uponearth.(强烈谴责了英国政府的无能，地主阶级吃人本质，他们维护贵族利益，对穷苦人民的悲惨生活视而不见，这在世界上绝无仅有，相当罕见。充满讽刺效果。)7.Theeighthparagraph---alltheexpedients(They’reactuallytrulymodestproposals,butnotbeadopted.)8.Thelastparagraph:Theauthorhopestheabovetentrulymodestproposalscanbeputintopractice.