Source: China Paper Download Center [08-11-0915: 21:00] Author: Li Editor: studa07 14.

Combined with the political background of Ireland at that time, readers can have a deeper understanding of Swift's good intentions expressed in gentle words in "A Little Suggestion"-merciless lashing of the British colonial government and deep sympathy for the Irish people. Since16th century, Ireland has been a dependency of Britain and has been exploited by British colonial policies. /kloc-in the 0 th and 8 th centuries, the Irish economy deteriorated, and with natural disasters, many Irish people had no food and clothing and became beggars. However, the upper authorities not only sit idly by, but also some consultants and strategists suggest that the bad situation can be solved by increasing the burden on the Irish people. In the article, Swift imitates the tone of a psychological counselor who cares about the country and the people, and puts forward that selling the babies of the poor in Ireland to the rich for cooking can not only solve the problem of overpopulation of the poor, but also "give some fun to the rich". The calm and thoughtful tone of the article shows the viciousness and ruthlessness of the counselor and master. In his article, he suggested that "you can skin your body" to make "exquisite gloves for ladies" and "sandals for elegant gentlemen". On the issue of slaughter, he suggested that "it is best to buy live children" and "slaughter now and do it later, just like we roast pigs". Then, six advantages of the scheme are analyzed. It's beautiful, but it sounds creepy, which sets off the cruelty and inhumanity of British colonial rule policy. This article has also become a thrilling accusation against British colonialism. Almost all of Swift's essays and novels show vitriolic content, and a little advice uses exquisite satirical skills. As a famous satirist, Swift can say that "laughter and scolding are both articles", and he skillfully uses parody, innuendo, exaggeration, contrast and irony in his creation. However, the irony strategy is the most outstanding and appreciated by readers. In this article, Swift can be said to fully demonstrate the irony skills. Judging from the title, this is a wonderful irony. The word "neither too big nor too small" in A modest suggestion can be translated as "small and gentle". On the surface, this is a "small or moderate" proposal, but in fact it is an extremely "cruel", "vicious" and "outrageous" proposition. In the specific narrative, Swift, as a pious "advice maker", seriously analyzed the serious gains and losses of this matter and worried about the country and the people. In order to make his "coup" more convincing, he calculated carefully, listed the data, and even quoted the classics, solemnly and quietly saying irony. In this article, Swift keeps a straight face from beginning to end. The unusually calm tone makes people shudder. There is a great aesthetic tension between the surface text and the deep meaning of prose, which makes people experience a kind of "abused" pleasure. Because the irony is so lifelike, "some people believe what he said is true and criticize his cruelty", and "even if they admit it is irony, they should say that he is mean and heartless". Zhou Zuoren, a famous writer and translator, claimed that A Little Suggestion was his favorite article, because it was a perfect combination of pungent content and satirical form. Zhou Zuoren also translated it into Chinese, entitled My Humble Opinion on Parenting. Zhou Zuoren expressed his understanding and recognition of Swift. He believes that Swift's "savage humor" is only "superficial criticism", but it is "the back of the shield" and there is a "fire of indignation" hidden under it. According to Zhou Zuoren (2002), compared with other expressions, "irony" embodies full "gentleman flavor". It exposes the irrationality of things in the form of absurdity and twists and turns, avoids abrupt and straightforward venting, and forms the "golden mean" of art; It has a calm and peaceful narrative attitude, which "dilutes" the control of anger and makes the mood not tend to extremes; Seemingly kind, it actually implies murder, showing great wisdom and spiritual superiority in playing dumb; It makes fun of words, produces a strong ironic effect, achieves the purpose of dissolving and subverting the object in the reader's knowing smile, and shows the tolerance of a gentleman sitting in the grip of truth. Therefore, the use of irony to express spicy content can skillfully realize the unity of "Iron and Wen Ya". 4. Conclusion There is no doubt that Swift, with his excellent language ability, keen observation ability and outstanding satirical skills, created a political essay "A Little Suggestion" that has been handed down to this day, profoundly criticizing and lashing the cruel rule and inhuman oppression of the Irish people by the British colonial government at that time. Swift successfully achieved the unexpected and unreasonable irony effect of "what he said was not what he meant" with gentle words. As Mr. Wang Zuoliang (Wang Zuoliang, 1994) said, Swift's prose is a "strange combination". On the one hand, "there is indignation and morality between the lines, and its fiery degree exceeds that of other writers at that time"; On the other hand, "no one can write more elegantly than him". This is the article that best suits his satirical skills. A small suggestion is a model, so this essay can still make readers remember deeply.