A Modest Proposal

单击此处编辑母版标题样式,单击此处编辑母版文本样式,第二级,第三级,第四级,第五级,*,A Modest Proposal,Jonathan Swift,1,What is the political context for this proposal?,What is,the melancholy object, according to Swift, when people went through the country?,The author provides statistical evidence for his proposal.,How does he work out the number of children to be sold annually?,What assumption does he provide about their weight and price?,How does suggest that the babies should be consumed?,What does Jonathan Swift mean by “ I grant this food will be somewhat dear, and therefore very proper for landlords, who, as they have already devoured most of the parents, seem to have the best title to the children.” ? (P258),Which month offers the best supply of the babies?,The narrators friend has another suggestion, why does he reject it? (P259),Explain the use of irony and satire in this essay.,2,1.,What is the social context for this proposal?,Swift published,A Modest Proposal,in 1729 as a pamphlet .,At that time, Ireland (not an independent country) was far poorer than England.,This ruling class were usually Protestants. Many of them were not born in Ireland, nor did they live there permanently.,Most Irish people were,Roman Catholics,and employed as labourers or tenants. They had been driven to extreme,poverty.,3,2.,What is,the melancholy object, according to Swift, when people went through the country?,In this country, there were,a prodigious member of women beggars,with their children because of extreme poverty.,4,In view of the problem that parents couldnt afford to raise their children,Jonathan Swift presents,in a very,serious,manner,with,facts,and,figures,and very,refined,diction,a,fair,cheap,and,easy,method of making these children sound useful members of the commonwealth.,5,一个谦卑的建议,以文雅的措词和所谓经济学数据，,郑重其事地,作为“一个公正、不费钱而又简易可行的办法”提出来，,自称目的在于解决爱尔兰穷人儿女过多而又无力养育的迫切问题。,What is the proposal?,6,and it is exactly at one year old that I propose to provide for them in such a manner as,instead of being a charge,upon their parents or the parish, or wanting food and raiment for the rest of their lives, they shall on the contrary,contribute to the feeding, and partly to the clothing, of many thousands,. (P256),7,3. The author provides statistical evidence for his proposal.,How does he work out,the number of babies to sold annually,?,The whole population might be 1 million and a half. (,150,0000,),Two,hundred,thousand women were breeders. (,20,0000,),Thirty thousand couples are able to maintain their children.,(-3,0000,),8,Fifty thousand women might miscarry or whose children might die by accident or disease within the year. (-5,0000),There only remained a hunderd and twenty thousand chidren of poor paretns annually born. (12,0000),I do therefore humbly offer it to public consideration that of the hundred and twenty thousand children already computed, twenty thousand may be,reserved for breed,(-2,0000),9,whereof only one-fourth part to be males; which is more than we allow to sheep, black cattle or swine; and my reason is, that these children are seldom the fruits of marriage, a circumstance not much regarded by our savages, therefore one male will be sufficient to serve four females.,现谨建议如下，祈请公众垂鉴。已统计的十二万名儿童，两万可留下传种，其中四分之一可为男性，此数已超过牛羊猪豕之类留种的比例，理由是这类儿童大多非正式婚姻所生，,粗鄙之流亦不介意此点,，因此一男可配四女。,10,That,the remaining hundred thousand,may, at a year old, be offered in the sale to (1,0000),the persons of quality and fortune,through the kingdom;,always advising the mother to let them suck plentifully in the last month, so as to render them plump and fat for a good table.,余下的十万可在一岁时卖给国内有地位有钱者，事前切嘱母亲们在最后一月喂足儿童的奶水，使其肥嫩，以备筵席之用。,11,What assumption does he make about their weight and price?,I have reckoned upon a medium that a child just born will weigh,12 pounds, and in a solar year, if tolerably,nursed,increaseth,to,28 pounds,.,我曾计算，初生儿每个平均重,12,磅，养育得当，一年后可重,28,磅。,and I believe no gentlemen would repine to give,ten shillings,for the carcass of a good fat child,the mother will have,eight shillings net profit, and be fit for the work till she produces another child.,只要区区十先令就能换如此可口的肉孩，我相信，没有哪位绅士会为此开销皱皱眉头。而做母亲的每年也可以有八个先令的净收入， 这使她能好好干活，直到再次生育。,12,What does he suggest about,their consumption patterns,?,I have been assured by a very knowing American, my acquaintance in London, that,a,young,healthy,child,well,nursed,is at a year old,a,most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome,food,whether,stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled,;,and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee or a ragout.,我在伦敦认识一个见识很广的美国人，他向我保证说：,一个奶水充足的健康儿童养到一岁，其肉是最鲜美，最滋补、最健康的食品，,炖,、,煎,、,烤,、,煮,都好，无疑也可做油煎肉丸和肉丝。,13,A child will make two dishes at,an entertainment for friends,;,and when the,family dines alone, the fore or hind quarter will make a reasonable dish,and seasoned with a little pepper or salt will be very good boiled on the fourth day, especially in winter.,友朋小集，一儿可作两莱；家庭自享，则一臂一腿可各作一道好菜，若能调以少量胡椒和盐，则存放四天后煮吃仍佳，冬季尤然。,14,Those who are more thrifty (as I must confess the times require) may flay the carcass; the skin of which artificially dressed will make admirable gloves for ladies; and summer boots for fine gentlemen.,那些节俭一些的父母（我必须得承认此乃时势所迫）可以剥去婴儿的皮，加工一下就会制成精致的女士手套以及男式凉靴。,15,4.,What does Jonathan Swift mean by “ I grant this food will be somewhat dear, and therefore very proper for landlords, who, as they have already devoured most of the parents, seem to have the best title to the children.” (P258),诚然，此类食品不免价昂，但也因此更合地主们享用。,他们既已吞食了儿童的父母，当然也最有资格饱餐这些儿童,。,This statement is a severe criticism of the brutal exploitation of the Irish people,by the English and Irish landlords.,16,5,. Which month offers the best supply of the babies?,There are more children born in Roman Catholic countries about nine months after Lent than any other season; therefore, reckoning a year after Lent, the markets will be glutted than usual, ,在斋月之后的第九个月，罗马天主教国家新生儿的数量比其他季节要多；因此，据此推算，斋月后的一年，供应将比平时充足,17,6.,The narrators friend has another suggestion, why does he reject it? (P259),The suggestion is that the lack of venison might be supplied by the bodies of young boy and girls between 12 and 14 who live under starvation.,Jonathan rejected this because,the flesh of the boys were lean and tough,while eating the girls would be a great loss to the public because they would soon be breeders themselves.,18,In,A Modest Proposal, Swift suggested with bitter irony, that the poverty of the Irish people should be relieved by the sale of their children as food for the rich.,With the utmost gravity, he set out statistics to show the revenue that would come if the idea were adopted.,It would save the people the cost of maintaining many children;,it would reduce the expensive and shameful abortions;,it would reduce the number of Catholics in Ireland.,19,在文中，作者模仿谋臣策士的口吻，以忧国忧民的姿态，提议将爱尔兰贫民的婴儿卖给有钱人做菜肴, 以解决贫民人口过多的问题。,文章口气之冷静，考虑之周密，更显出谋臣策士及主子们的毒辣和无情。,他在文中建议“可以把尸体剥了皮”，用来做“贵妇人们精美的手套”和“风雅绅士们的凉鞋”。在屠宰这个问题上，他建议“不如买活的小儿去”，“随后现宰现做，像我们烤猪那样办法”。后面又分析了这个建议的六大好处。,说得娓娓动听，听来却令人毛骨悚然，衬托出英国殖民统治政策的残酷和惨无人道。,这篇文章也成为对英国殖民主义惊心动魄的控诉。,20,从标题看，就是绝妙的反讽。“,A Modest Proposal,”中的 “,modest,”可以译为“小小的、温和的”。表面说这是“小小的/温和的”建议，实际却是无比“残忍”、“恶毒”和“令人发指”的主张。,在具体的叙述中，斯威夫特以一个虔诚的“献策者”的口吻，忧国忧民地分析这件事的厉害得失。,为了让其“妙计”变得更加有说服力，他精打细算，列举数据，甚至引经据典，煞有介事、不动声色地说着反话。,在这篇文章中，斯威夫特从头至尾，都不露声色，那种超乎寻常的冷静语调，让人不寒而栗，散文的表层话语与深层蕴含之间，形成巨大的审美张力。,21,Irony,is a figure of speech that achieves emphasis by saying one thing and meaning the opposite.,Satire,refers to the,ridicule,or,irony,used,to show the evil or foolishness,of somebody or something,in an amusing way,.,22,With an apparently,logical,and,sincere,tone, Swift is indeed saying:,the English are devouring the Irish.,The,bitter,irony,is seen in the sharp contrast between,the calm tone, the apparently humble manner of the speaker,and the brutality and savagery of the content.,23,