I can't seem to find an answer anywhere for this. Im writing an essay and I have already talked about "A Modest Proposal" and "Gulliver's Travels". I need to show how Swift used satire to make people think during his time. I thought it might me good to put why he used satire since I havent read "A Tale of a Tub".
If Jonathan Swift had written serious pieces simply espousing his true beliefs—for instance, that the state of the poor in Ireland was deplorable, that something must be done to help them—he would have likely gotten little response, as there were many such pamphlets circulating at the time. It was hard enough to write a lasting piece in any genre, and at least people like to criticize and they like to laugh. A satirical parody (a shocking one in particular) was likely to get the public’s attention in ways that a seriously written piece could not achieve. “A Modest Proposal” surprised people and got them thinking about the condition of the poor in Ireland and what should seriously be done about it. And when very sensitive subjects are involved, such as criticizing the nation’s prevailing religion, it is much safer to be hard to read and to be seemingly joking rather than to directly challenge authority.
http://www.gradesaver.com/a-modest-proposal-and-other-stories/study-guide/essay-questions/
