Swifts A Modest Proposal Essay Example

Swifts A Modest Proposal Essay Example Swifts A Modest Proposal Essay Swifts A Modest Proposal Essay Swifts A Modest Proposal Name: Course: Date: Swifts A Modest Proposal In this reading, there is a surprise ending in the writer’s proposal for how infants who cannot be provided for by their parents should be butchered and sold as meat for meals of the rich in his society. The writer calls for whoever can propose a fair, cheap and easy way to make children beggars useful members of the society to do so, and receive honor from the public. It is a surprise ending therefore that after acknowledging the need for a fair way of getting rid of this unfortunate situation, where women even kill their bastard children to reduce the number of mouths they have to feed, proposes that these infants be eaten as a meal. The act he proposes is just as evil as the killing of bastard children by some women in his society. The surprise ending became identifiable when the writer informed the reader of what his American acquaintance in London told him. He was informed that a young healthy infant at about the age of one year could provide a nourishing and wholesome meal regardless of the manner of cooking. The explanations the writer gives to support his proposal are correct in this context but are outright evil. The royals eating the infants would reduce the high number of paupers in their population. This as he rightfully puts it, would be a collateral advantage. His calculations that the mother would have eight shillings profit upon selling her infant after having spent two shillings to nourish the infant and receiving ten shillings from the squire, are correct to the extent of aiding the mother financially, but not morally. He also says that upon selling their children, the tenants would have money to pay their rent and rid themselves of the costs of maintaining these children also ridding them the agony of begging in the streets. Despite the writer’s observation that such a practice would make mothers look after their children with better care, it is however not morally admissible. Education as a social factor contributes to historical change by increasing the population’s awareness in deciding against an issue at hand or in deciding in favor of that issue. This happens in elections and referenda. An informed vote could vote either to retain a good leader or vote against a bad leader. Traditions as a cultural factor influence the historical direction a society takes. Societies that have liberal cultures will change more because of their easy reception to change faster than societies that have conservative traditions. Artistic contributions inspiring revolution result to historical change. Songs and other art forms inspiring revolution could lead to uprisings against the status quo leading to significant change in a society’s governance structure. It is important to correctly place a society’s cultural and artistic expressions in its historical context to identify whether that society is conservative or liberal in its approach to change. Societies observed to be conservative will be hesitant towards change in their structures and institutions therefore being less prone to historical change. Liberal societies are receptive to changes in their societal structures and are prone to historical changes. Religion largely contributes to a conservative culture and social relations in a society. Artistic expressions in a conservative society are also limited with clear boundaries on what artists can express and how they can express them. Higher intellectual capacity creates more liberal social relations and artistic expressions of members of a society. Legislations made through politics define the cultural and artistic environment of a society. Socio-economic forces determine the advancements made by a society artistically. Societies that are better placed economically have a better artistic environment that allows and funds artists to express themselves more freely than artists in societies lagging behind economically. The two world wars are two major historical events to have taken place after the renaissance influencing all cultures as these wars were fought worldwide. A major historical event after the renaissance in African culture was the colonization of Africa by European and American powers. World Cultures World cultures are the different ways of living by people in different parts of the world. Examples of world cultures include African culture, American culture, Asian culture, and contemporary urban culture. African culture is conservative with strong ties to African traditional institutions and norms. The American culture is both conservative and dynamic since it is formed by a collection of cultures from across the world. Asian culture also has both liberal and conservative tendencies, with strong cultural heritage in art, music, cuisine and literature. Urban culture is prevalent in towns, cities and other urban centers. The urban culture in different towns and cities differs in different countries in terms of fashion and different styles of urban music.