A Generally Less Satirical Analysis of Swift’s

“A Satirical Elegy on the Death of a Late Famous General”

Swift, born in Dublin, Ireland in 1667 to a recently widowed mother, was destined

to have a difficult childhood before his life even began. His father died seven months

before his birth, and so when he was born, his mother was desperate to provide for him.

At one point in Swift’s childhood, his mother left him with his nurse in Ireland while she

went to find work in England. After this, young Swift split his time between his nurse, his

mother in England, and his father’s family who lived in Ireland. This difficult childhood

led Swift to become a compassionate man, evident in his priesthood and satirical works.

In “A Satirical Elegy”, Swift exposes Duke John Churchill for the creature devoid of

morality that he is, and extends this to all people of noble birth who choose to abuse their

power through the use of disparaging diction, satire, and his unique perspective on life.

John Churchill, was, like his distant ancestor, an extraordinary war leader. He led

divisions of the English army to many victories. His record, however, was not spotless.

He was accused of committing war atrocities. According to Ivor Burton, “Without

assistance to Austria the war would be lost, but Marlborough knew that the Dutch would

oppose a distant campaign; therefore he attacked on the Moselle River, deceiving both

friend and foe, and he deceived them again by a feint against Alsace.”(Burton). As a

general, Churchill acted as a rogue agent, and while he deceived his enemies, he kept his

allies in the dark about his strategy as well, which led to accusations of treason.
 In “A Satirical Elegy”, Swift states about Churchill, “Nor widow’s sighs, nor

orphan’s tears, Wont at such times each heart to pierce, Attend the progress of his hearse.

But what that, his friends may say, He had those honours in his day"(18-22). Swift states

that Churchill committed many acts of sin during his tenure as a general, such as killing

men thereby making widows and orphans, which is why no one showed up and grieved at

his funeral procession. Swift's difficult childhood fostered compassion within him, which

is why he so adamantly condemns Churchill for his involvement in war.

Swift’s masterful use of satire and satirical format accentuate the moral attack on

John Churchill and members of the aristocracy. According to find name, “The poem is

written in iambic tetrameter. In English, heroic verse, a form traditionally used in epic

and dramatic poetry, is iambic pentameter. The missing iamb, then, signifies a lack and

reflects the satirical content in form. The rhyme is masculine end rhyme in couplets”.

Swift’s structural format of his poem is even satirical. By mocking the scheme of heroic

verse, Swift’s subject immediately becomes the point of his joke, as he becomes the

mock hero.

Swift continues to use elements of satire to ridicule Churchill, yet he extends his

anger towards all nobility who abuse their power when he says, “Come hither, all ye

empty things, Ye bubbles rais'd by breath of kings; Who float upon the tide of state;

Come hither, and behold your fate. Let pride be taught by this rebuke, How very mean a
thing's a duke;”(26-30). This metaphor reveals the true meaning of this poem. Swift does

indeed revile John Churchill, yet he uses this less than holy man’s death as an opportunity

to bring in to question the social structure that has defined England and most of Europe

for centuries.

At the heart of all satire is the desire for change, brought about in a masterful way

so as to express humor and in some cases avoid persecution. Swift does not have to hide

his point in humor or sarcasm. This is because of the same reason satire itself developed

in England with the likes of Swift and Pope. English citizens have had natural rights

including freedom of speech that date back to the magna carta. Yes, this piece is satirical,

but Swift bluntly reveals his feelings towards the aristocracy in the last few lines of the

poem.

Throughout his childhood and also because of his placement in a poor parish as an

Anglican priest, Swift has seen the extremes of poverty in Ireland. He knows the

aristocracy cares little about the poor. During the Irish potato famine in the nineteenth

century, it took Parliament over five years to repeal a law banning the importation of

grain crops from other countries. Had this been repealed sooner, less would have died in

Ireland, yet the upper class English did not care. The same was true two hundred years

before. Swift’s poem, “A Satirical Elegy on the Death of a Late Famous General”,

displays his enlightened attitude towards society and is one of his defining pieces of

satire.