Assertion Analysis #3

"When I behold this I sighed, and said within myself, "Surely mortal man is a broomstick!" Nature sent him into the world strong and lusty, in a thriving condition, wearing his own hair on his head, the proper branches of this reasoning vegetable, till the axe of intemperance has lopped off his green boughs, and left him a withered trunk; he then flies to art, and puts on a periwig, valuing himself upon an unnatural bundle of hairs, all covered with powder, that never grew on his head; but now should this our broomstick pretend to enter the scene, proud of those birchen spoils it never bore, and all covered with dust, through the sweepings of the finest lady's chamber, we should be apt to ridicule and despise its vanity. Partial judges that we are of our own excellencies, and other men's defaults!" - Jonathan Swift

Jonathan Swift uses an extended metaphor to compare man to a broomstick. He doesn't only use the metaphor effectively, but he also captures the readers attention. He compares your everyday simple broom to oneself, the human. Many wouldn't think much of a broom, thus he creates confusion to the person reading, or listening to the quote. In addition to his extended metaphor, Swift also uses figurative language in his quote, "he flies to art." He also uses symbolism in symbolizing a periwig to represent the people who have "achieved the American dream."  The periwig expresses how famous people in history and of his time wore wigs for people to see they were of wealth.

   In Swift's quote he talks about how nature created man and the broom in great conditions but then "the axe of intemperance" came in and everything began to fall downhill. Once man falls under, he no longer shows hs natural hair and goes to the periwig, he becomes a different person, unlike the person nature set him to be. He begins to judge others and look into other peoples defaults to make himself look better. Swift's uses different types of analogies to express his ideas he has about the American dream. Nature creates man in a thriving condition but as soon as he "achieves"  the American dream, everything goes downhill and one looses who they were once before. This is Swift's thoughts toward the American Dream.