After reading A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift in high school I know that he is a very sarcastic author. So when reading this poem I was on the alert to see what kind of social commentary he could be making. In "A Description of a City Shower" many different levels of society are mentioned. There are workers, whore, politicians and the upper-class. Swift mentions what the rain interrupts each person from doing. Brisk Susan has to take her linens off the rope (line 17), whereas the people who have money to eat must simply find someplace closer (line 7). The commentary Swift is making is that although the rain interrupts everyone, some people have more at stake. The lower-class must stop their work whereas those with money just need to find a place to get out of the rain like a coffeehouse (line 12). Swift is pointing out that even though everyone suffers through the inconvenience of rain it is still not all that equal.
However, I think at the end of the poem Swift makes an interesting point. The rain, like a flood washes away the grime of the city, the WHOLE city. So it takes with it "filth of all hues ad odors" (line 55). I think the point is this: even though there are distinctions in class, everyone has their crap. Upper-class contribute to the muck of the city just as much as the lower. Their food and pets are all part of this hodge podge (line 61-62). So, at the base, humans are similar even if they pretend otherwise with their free-time.
-Molly Hakso
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