Satire: Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (Moliere) and Jonathan Swift

Both Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (Moliere) and Jonathan Swift use satire as a means of conveying their ideas concerning the actions of the characters in their respective works Tartuffe and Gullivers Travels. The object of Molieres satire is the false religiosity suffused the climate of his time. He parodies the lives of persons who confess Christianity and yet in certain situations behave in a manner non-concurrent with the message they preach. Swift too condemns a sort of lip service in his tale, as the professed rank and honor of the leaders of his time pay off under attack in his portrayal of them.Swift in situation uses a variety of different metaphors in order to change the de outstrip of existence and in so doing magnify the problem he seeks to buck out. Both novels, therefore, demonstrate the role of satire as mediator mingled with how life actually is and what is ought to be in the eyes of their authors (Bullit, 3). Moliere uses characters to typify the types of persons he wishes to satirize. The title character of his work, Tartuffe himself, represents the type of person in life who professes righteousness and yet in his action demonstrates himself to be in complete disagree with the tenets of that religion.Tartuffe performs actions that amount to fraud and yet acts in the name of the clergy and of Christianity. This man brook be seen to stand in the place of the clergy of the Catholic faith (the overabundant religion of France at the time) who collected funds (such as indulgences) or otherwise otherwise ingratiated themselves to the masses under false pretences. The person upon whom the fraud is affiliated represents the masses who willingly hap their all to these leaders of the church, whom they believe to be virtuous.However, Moliere indicates that the money being appropriated by the church is being used for individual(prenominal) and non- phantasmal reasons. The situations remedy comes in the form of a fairy who finds out the truth and p unishes Tartuffe for his guilt. Molieres criticism of the clergy is complete in this description, as he indicates that God (ruler of the earth) is in no way supportive of the actions of these religious persons who claim to be doing His will. Moliere also satirizes the determination of some persons (especially the religious masses) to take over ignorance and the misfortune that they fall into because of this behavior.The character Orgon is eager to believe not single in the virtue of Tartuffe but also in the particulars of his claims. As a result, he is swindled out of his p catchrty and can only be deliver by the royal (divine) intervention of the King. The corrective proposition given by Moliere is that the clergy should seek to sincerely represent the knowledge and wishes of God by performing in accordance with his teaching. They should also seek to educate the masses, and by promoting educational activity and transparency all round, virtue will increase.Swift in Gullivers Tr avels takes his readers to several different places, and the effect of this is to remove what he consideres the self-imposed genius. This grandeur is imposed through the building up of socio-political and religious institutions based upon laws that profess to defend (among other things) a hierarchical view of humanity. In Lilliput and Brobdingnag, for example, the natives give air to Swifts accepted ideas concerning these institutions and the form of humanity that obtains indoors them.The Lilliputians demonstrate the pride and high-mindedness of humans, underscoring how petty this form of behavior is. such honors as the favor of the Court is demonstrated in the ministers of Lilliput challenge of bound over a rope and the rewards they are granted. The various heights to which the rope is lifted represent the different titles to which nobles and clergymen might aspire. The Lilliputians who represent such bulk are small, and their size reflects Swifts satirical representation of the true size of humans in relation to their opinions of themselves.Likewise, in Brobdingnag, the larger scale of the persons represents the magnification of humans foibles and vices in a grotesque manner, as they in vain attempt to decorate themselves with a distinction of rank that does not truly exist. Gullivers conversion throughout the tale from a person of naiveness to one who is truly skeptical of human behavior represents method in which Swift indicates that humans should correct themselves. In becoming aware of humanitys own tendency toward pride and pettiness, people will run low more likely to recognize and denounce it within themselves and others.