John Swift is the author of, "A Modest Proposal," a work of satire that is the universal reference for satire itself. Published in the early 18th century, Swift utilizes dripping sarcasm and twisted anecdotes to make a mockery of the Irish Parliament. Swift was ruthless in his argument, as he was introducing a genre that had not been seen by much of anyone before. His words would offend mass numbers of people, but that was precisely his intention.
Satire is evident in almost every aspect of media today. Presidential candidates use satirical gists to attack their opponents, TV shows such as South Park utilize satire to create witty, sarcastic episodes, and authors use satire to provoke a change in society today. Overall, what started off as a simple story expressing his beliefs turned into the creation of a new genre, taking literature to an entirely different level.
Swift, Jonathan. A Modest Proposal. Champaign, Ill.: Project Gutenberg, 199. Print.
Satire is evident in almost every aspect of media today. Presidential candidates use satirical gists to attack their opponents, TV shows such as South Park utilize satire to create witty, sarcastic episodes, and authors use satire to provoke a change in society today. Overall, what started off as a simple story expressing his beliefs turned into the creation of a new genre, taking literature to an entirely different level.
Swift, Jonathan. A Modest Proposal. Champaign, Ill.: Project Gutenberg, 199. Print.