Compare the satire styles of Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift.

There are two forms of the rhetorical device of title="Satire Terms: Definitions. Roxanne Kent-Drury, Northern Kentucky University"
href="http://www.nku.edu/~rkdrury/422/satire_terms.html">satire. One is
named for the Roman poet satirist Horace who wrote in
Latin; his satire is gently mocking and humorously cajoling
in the hopes of inspiring a return to a higher standard for whomever or whatever he was
satirizing. The second is named for the Roman poet satirist
Juvenal also writing in Latin; his satire is distinguished
by a contemptuous and indignant tone that employs harshness
and realism to incite a return to a higher standard for whomever or whatever he was
viciously attacking and satirizing. The distinguishing feature of the two is therefore
tone and intent: Horatian satire has a mild smiling voice
of indulgent wit that inspires improvement while Juvenalian
satire has an indignant contemptuous tone of chastisement and harsh
ridicule that is meant to incite
reform.

Pope is an excellent
example of the first style: of mild, indulgent, smiling Horatian
satire. Pope's most famous satire is The Rape of the
Lock. In it he reduces social foibles to amusing poetic banter with the hope
of bringing order and a return of sensible living to a social situation gotten out of
hand. His tool is humorous witty banter that exposes absurdities and
follies.

Swift is an excellent
example of the second style: of harsh, contemptuous Juvenalian
satire. Some of Swift's more famous satires are Gulliver's
Travels and "A Modest Proposal." It is particularly evident in "A Modest
Proposal" that Swift's vein of satire falls to the bitter, cutting Juvenalian satire
that is so different from the mild, gentle Horatian satire of Pope. In "A Modest
Proposal," Swift tries to be (and succeeds at being) shocking and outrageous in his
suggestions and statements. For instance, he suggests that there are individuals in
Ireland that would be properly used for food.

Therefore the
final comparison of the overall similarity and difference between the satire of Pope and
Swift is that while Pope is a mild-mannered, gentle Horatian satirist, Swift is a
vulture-manned, indignant Juvenalian satirist, which is a style that can be used to good
purpose when and where the need arises for it.