Swifts A Modest Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Swifts A Modest Proposal - Essay Example The writer begins by ruing the prevalence of beggars and impoverished children and proposes to submit a â€Å"cheap and easy method of making these children sound and useful members of the common-wealth† (Swift, para 2, 1729). Starting on this apparently straightforward note, Swift adopts a tone of practical economics and moral righteousness, which prompts the reader to expect him to list some realistic solution. Swift couches his proposal in terms of apparent objectivity, economic calculation and statistical data. However, the reader tends to be uncertain about the writer’s true motivation, and there is a suspicious undertone of irony in the passage where Swift declares â€Å"we neither build houses nor cultivate land† (para 6, 1729). This suspicion is further strengthened when he goes on to speak of young children in terms of a â€Å"saleable commodity† (para 7, 1729). However, Swift succeeds in hiding his real agenda. As the reader is lulled by his argumentative tone, the â€Å"surprise ending† of Swift’s proposal comes as an unexpected jolt: he proposes that poor children be sold on the market as food for wealthy landlords. Although the â€Å"surprise ending† of the writer’s proposal is unexpected, Swift is unable to validate his suggestion. It is now evident that the writer is using satire as a weapon and the piece is not to be taken at its literal or face value. Swift’s proposal is an attack on the prevailing social relations in Ireland, the widespread poverty, the indifference of absentee landlords, and their exploitation of the peasants, and British oppression of the Irish nation. The reader is quick to grasp that Swift’s actual proposal to alleviate the misery of Ireland is stated in paragraph 29: taxation of absentee landlords, use of locally manufactured goods, nationalism, unity and virtue. Swift’s â€Å"A Modest Proposal† is a satirical attempt to rouse the conscience of the reader to the plight of the impoverished

The Jewish Museum - Berlin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 9000 words

The Jewish Museum - Berlin - Essay Example The Holocaust and the genocide of the Jews in the past are sensitive topics, and many Berliners as well as people from other parts of the country attribute feelings of guilt and remorse at the treatment of the Jews at the hands of the Nazi authorities. The opening of such cultural representations in Berlin thus attracted my attention. The purpose of the dissertation is to explore the Museum in relation to its architecture and its historical and cultural significance. The result of the research would be that I would be able to critically understand the dynamics and the cultural interplay of the Jewish and the non-Jewish communities. With this research I also attempt to establish the potential role that the Jews of the present Germany can play. The research has been done through resources available on the Internet as well as through books and scholarly articles. The research has extensively depended upon the research material that has been available on the Internet and through books and articles. The start of the dissertation gives an introduction of the Museum. This includes information about the Museum ranging from the number of people who visit it to the significance of the construction of a cultural representation in Berlin. The history of the Museum gives information about its history. The next section relates to the architecture of the building and explores how the architect has used architectural designs to represent the Jewish culture as well as the manifestations of the Holocaust. The sections about irony and how the architect has dealt with it discuss in detail the conflict that exists between the construction of cultural representations in a city that was once the propagator of violence against the Jews. An irony exists in the building of a museum that integrates and promotes the history of the Jews in a city that was the hub of anti-Jewish activities. The architect has taken many steps to make