...Assignment #1: Surprise Ending in The Modest Proposal A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift is a satirical story with lots of sarcasm. This proposal was written to shock or force the government into a reaction. As the government read his proposal it should bring about a response. This proposal suggests a “barbaric solution” that amounts purely to cannibalism. Mr. Swift’s idea is to help end poverty and decrease the amount of women beggars by eating babies of the poor. He devised a plan where he would take 20,000 babies and decide how many would be sold, how many would be breeders thus creating a balance between rich and poor. Mr. Swift’s plan would give the poor a means of income and the wealthy would get a fine and delicate meal. He stated that feeding on Irish babies was a treat and the English should be honored to feast on the babies. Swift based his proposal on facts and figures of many years of analyzing the situation. He does seem well educated and well versed on his proposal. He noted several benefits and advantages to his proposal. Some of those benefits included women being more loving towards their children. Another benefit would be more marriages happening with men catering to their wives while they were pregnant. Swift also quoted a friend that was a modern day swindler. The friend was supposedly from Formosa and told a story where 18,000 young boys were sacrificed to the Gods’ and Priests’. The Gods’ dined on the hearts and the Priests’ dine on...
Words: 663 - Pages: 3
...Jonathan Swift's satirical essay "A Modest Proposal" was published anonymously in 1729. The author draws a reader's attention to problems related to poverty in Dublin, Ireland. Swift recommends his own solution and explains how the problems can be solved. In an outrageous way, he proposes that Irish infants can be sold, eaten, and used for other purposes as well; "instead of being a charge upon their parents or the parish, or wanting food and raiment for the rest of their lives, they shall on the contrary contribute to the feeding, and partly to the clothing, of many thousands" (832). Swift goes further and suggests, "Those who are more thrifty (as I must confess the times require) may flea the carcass; the skin of which artificially dressed will make admirable gloves for ladies, and summer boots for fine gentlemen" (834). The author's essay is full of examples, numbers, and descriptions which undoubtedly shock a reader. After describing all the details related to his proposal, Swift lists the advantages of his proposed solution. He ensures that his offer will have a positive impact on the economy, society, and marriages. This essay is a proposal because the author suggests a concrete solution. We can consider it modest when we read the last sentences of his work, "I profess, in the sincerity of my heart, I have not the least personal interest in endeavoring to promote this necessary work, having no other motive then the public good of my country, by advancing our trade...
Words: 397 - Pages: 2
...this assignment is for us to read a preselected writing and state in our words how the surprised ending was quite different from the way the story began. Then we have to identify at what point during the story that we realized the ending was different from the way the story began. A Modest Proposal In the beginning of the story, John Swift speaks of women who are beggars on the street with their children following as they trying to get money so that they will be able to feed and clothe themselves and their children. As the story is progressing and speaking of the overabundance of children and the state of the country as to how they are going to be able to provide for so many, since they are not able to work and the mothers cannot work due to they have to take care of them. The author then comes up with a plan as to how the country can reduce the population by selling the children at a young age as food, but yet they must be good and plump in order for them to worth the money being paid for them. He is only speaking of those children who were born by mothers who are beggars and unable to properly provide for their children until they are grown and able to provide for themselves. His proposal was then that the children of at least one year of age be sold as food to feed those that would pay a sufficient amount of money. I knew that such a thing could never be thought of by a man, a county or government for that matter, but I started to realize that when he started by talking...
Words: 518 - Pages: 3
...Ryan Warm 1 Swift wrote "A Modest Proposal" under a pseudonym, so who is the speaker here? The speaker was created by Swift, and in this case was a man off of the street. 2 Discuss the tone of the piece. Pull examples from the text to support your discussion. The tone was informative and optimistic, because the man told of his solution and believed that it would work. For example, when he says, “There is likewise another great advantage in my scheme, that it will prevent those voluntary abortions, and that horrid practice of women murdering their bastard children, alas!” 3 As you know, effective argumentation appeals to logic (logos), ethics (ethos) and emotions (pathos). Please discuss how Swift uses all three appeals and how these tools impact his purpose. Swift appealed to logic by proposing something illogical, which provokes attention. He appealed to ethics by creating something unethical, which is eating children. He appealed to emotions by making certain people angry with his crazy proposal. All of these appeals cause readers to take interest in his essay and helped them realize the issues in society. 4 Explain the irony in Swift’s title, "A Modest Proposal." This proposal was very extreme, by suggesting the eating of children to solve the problem; so calling it modest is very ironic. 5 Where does this essay fit on the continuum (Horatian to Juvenalian)? Explain/support your position. The essay is Juvenalian...
Words: 540 - Pages: 3
...A Modest Proposal by Jonathon Swift In the essay A Modest Proposal, Swift’s promoter, David Berkowitz, proposes what he thinks is the right solution to the problems being faced by the public of an eighteenth century Ireland. In this particularly long essay, Berkowitz promotes the idea of selling and consuming children. The promoter proposes the immoral ideas in an unsubstantiated fashion which results in this essay being an unsuccessful research essay. In A Modest Proposal, there are three key elements in this piece of writing that render Berkowitz’s argument baseless: the seriousness of the tone of the promoter, the proposal itself, and the use of unreliable sources used throughout the essay. A Modest Proposal begins with the writer describing the underprivileged state of the country of Ireland. Berkowitz starts to build on and take advantage of the relationship of a writer and his audience. He develops sympathy with the masses of Ireland forcing the reader to begin to sympathize and consider how big the problem is. He says that “this prodigious number of children in the arms, …, is in the present deplorable state of the kingdom, a very great additional grievance.”(Swift 2). He implies that having such a great number of starving children is a huge problem being faced by the country. He explains that the mothers of these children are driven to beg for any kind of support they can get for their infants when he says “are forced to employ all their time in strolling to beg sustenance...
Words: 834 - Pages: 4
...A Modest Proposal In the story, A Modest Proposal, the author, Jonathan Swift, begins with the title by saying, “For preventing the children of poor people in Ireland from being a burden to their parents or country, and for making them beneficial to the public.” This was said to be used as “an ironically conceived attempt to "find out a fair, cheap, and easy Method" for converting the starving children of Ireland into "sound and useful members of the Commonwealth." (SparkNotes Editors). There is famine and poverty all throughout England and they are not receiving money to help with this problem. The author then gets ideas and possible solutions to handle this problem. His proposal, is to fatten up these undernourished children and feed them to Ireland's rich land-owners. (SparkNotes Editors). In this story, you will find that there are issues with suffering, power, and greed. In this story, suffering is one of the biggest issues. In this story, Swift calls out many of the landlords who are greedy and only cares about their well-being instead of the poor families who are not able to feed their children. Swift says, “These mothers, instead of being able to work for their honest livelihood, are forced to employ all their time in strolling to beg for sustenance for their helpless infants, who, as they grow up, either turn thieves for want of work, or leave their dear native country to fight for the Pretender in Spain, or sell themselves to the Barbados.” (The Norton Anthology...
Words: 739 - Pages: 3
...Student Name Professor English Composition II 27 March 2015 A Modest Proposal: Part Two A “Modest Proposal” is a short story written by Jonathan Swift. To the best of my understanding it is supposed to show a solution to a problem of a social issue. In this story the apparent problem was the overabundance of children whom their mothers could not care for and they were roaming the streets begging or stealing. The setting as in Ireland and until the proposal came up, I thought this was a real life situation. After reading the story, I realize (or at least I hope) it cannot be. The author used irony in multiple situations throughout the story and along with ridiculous justifications the reader or audience is expected to accept. I found this story to be very distasteful and had it not been recommended reading, I would have chosen not to read it. The story falls under argumentive style. The proposal is arguing for hat he feels is right and beneficial to the town. Regardless of my personal opinion of the story, irony in a story is sometimes beneficial and effective. One of the most effective pieces of irony in this story was the proposer’s justification of using the children as food. He states “it will prevent those voluntary abortions, and that horrid practice of women murdering their bastard children (Swift, 306). He acted as if he was concerned about all the deaths of the children. When the...
Words: 640 - Pages: 3
...Assignment 1: Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” Dr. Anthony McCormack Strayer University World Culture II Gladys A. Reyes July 25, 2015 In the satire “A Modest Proposal’, Jonathan Swift expresses his feelings of frustration with regard to the aggravation and political issues in Ireland. He describes being frustrated with the indifference of Ireland politicians, the wealthy, the English tyranny, and the degradation and poor conditions in which many poor, Irish women and children have been forced to live in. Swift is embarrassed for those that come to the towns and travel the country, only to see the streets full and crowded with beggars. Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” satire is a reality called for the politician, the wealthy, and the people of Ireland to look for way to improve the lives of the poor, to stop the English social oppression, and to ultimately end the indifferences and life inequalities in Ireland (Levine, 1995). Jonathan Swift was born of Protestant, English parents in Dublin, Ireland on November 30, 1667. He was a man that was immersed in the secular world of men and woman, of politics and political intrigue. He was a devoted friend to those he loved as he was an implacable enemy to those he disliked. He lived in London most of his life, but after the death of Queen Anne in 1714, he was offered a position as Dean of St. Patrick’s in Dublin. He held his position until his death in 1745 at the age of seventy eight. He was buried in St. Patrick’s Cathedral (Glendinning...
Words: 1084 - Pages: 5
...A Modest Proposal was a satirical essay written by Jonathan Swift depicting the horrific conditions of Ireland and the lives of the Irish people in 1729. Swift writes the satire disguised as a social planner of the time who as Swift satirizes were known to be overly rational rather than compassionate. The author portrays and attacks the cruel and unjust oppression of Ireland by its oppressor, the mighty English and ridicules the Irish people at the same time. However, Swift's opposition is indirectly presented. Jonathan Swift is able to do so by using the persona, irony, and wit in order to expose the remarkable corruption and degradation of the Irish people, and at the same time present them with practicable solutions to their economic problem Swift uses the false persona in order to satire the social workers of the time as he saw them. Swift creates a fictional persona because by hiding his true identity he is able to convince the readers of the significance of Ireland's problem and allow them to see truth and reality. The persona is a concerned Irishman who is very intelligent, sound, and serious. He appears to be a brute and a monster for proposing something evil and immoral very calmly as if it is normal to consume the flesh of another human being. What makes his proposal to be even more depraved is that he proposes to eat the babies. The persona declares, and at exactly at one year old that I propose to provide for them, in a such a manner as, instead of being...
Words: 1077 - Pages: 5
...A A Modest Proposal Roosevelt Wilkerson Strayer University Professor Mark A. Coppelli November 20, 2011 A Modest Proposal While reading an essay entitled A Modest Proposal, it showed me the struggles of Ireland to provide for their people ensuring the people were not starving and without a place to stay. The writings illustrated a man, Jonathan Swift, who through his travels throughout Europe including Ireland, there was something that struck him seeing the women and children living on the street and being looked at as if they were animals. While he has seen this many times while coming up and as an adult, it really did not hit him until then. He felt there had to be a solution that gets them off the street and become productive members of society. Understanding his mentality before his revelation and those that are well off, I believe he thought there had to be an attention getter that would make people really think about the problem of people being treated like animals in the street. His proposal to solve this issue rather took me by surprise as I’m sure it did most considering his proposal was a rather radical one. His proposal, which was midway through his writing, was to, in effect, beef up the children and feed them to Ireland's rich. Children from poor families could be sold into a meat market at the age of one, which could combat the issue plaguing the poor and that was the caring of kids they really could not afford to take care of. This would...
Words: 387 - Pages: 2
...Kui rector World Literature April 28, 2012 Professor Walton “A Modest Proposal” 5QX Q1. True or False: Jonathan Swift enjoys making his audiences seem uncomfortable while reading his works. A1. True. (See Page 2027, Paragraph 1.) Q2. Three years after receiving his M.A. from Oxford University, Jonathan Swift became a ________. A. Clergyman in the Anglican Church B. Catholic priest C. King of England D. Professor at Cambridge University A2. A. (See Page 2027, Paragraph 2.) Q3. True or False: Statistics indicate that there are only about 100,000 children born to poor parents each year. A3. False. There only remain one hundred and twenty thousand children of poor parents annually born. (Page 2029, Paragraph 5.) Q4. Which of the following statements is false about Jonathan Swift? A. He lived from 1667-1745. B. He spent the final years of his life suffering from Senility. C. He is best known as the writer of Gulliver’s Travel. D. His work “A Modest Proposal,” was a piece of work that expressed his attack on the economic oppression of the English by the Irish. A4. D. (See Page 2027, Paragraph 3.) Q5. After reading “A Modest Proposal,” how is Jonathan Swift’s attitude towards the poor? A5. After reading the essay, I feel that Swift show’s a great deal of sorrow for the poor people. However, at the same time, he feels that they should blame themselves for their problems since they put themselves...
Words: 294 - Pages: 2
...Surprise Ending for A Modest Proposal John J Bradley IV Professor Nancy Pettigrew Humanities 112: World Cultures II November 5th, 2012 A Modest Proposal by Jonathan shift is a literary work of the 18th century that takes a symbolic aim at the greed of England’s renting policies and a plan to reduce the burdens, in this case children, caused by it. According to Sayre (2011) Swift composes with his tongue lodged in his cheek, quite possible, as never before. You can detect this in his work from the outrageous suggestions intended to lift the burden of children in poverty-stricken Ireland and alternatively to reap benefits from them. It is earlier stated that the proposal would be geared toward Irish families that could not afford to provide for their children, thus the slaughter of their children to cater the English would be the possible solution. The ‘Surprise Ending” in this proposal would be the revelation of Swift’s true proposition, the consideration of the poor and rebuttal of policy makers with realistic ideals to correct this ever so abundant problem. According to Lynch (n.d.) Swift preferred living in England, although he was Irish, which causes him to begrudge the policies toward his own people. With that being said, it becomes clear that the proposal will indeed have a surprise ending when swift speaks of his American acquaintance discoursing the subject, offering refinement. Although prior Knowledge obtained from Native Salmanaazor of Formosa Island offered...
Words: 558 - Pages: 3
...A Modest proposal Name Instructor Course Date A Modest Proposal “A Modest Proposal”, an article containing recommendations for preventing Ireland children from becoming a burden to their poor parents, is not modest by any means. Written in 1729 by Jonathan Swift, it highlights the plight of poor citizens in their quest to cater for their children. The author starts by describing the pitying sight of begging women on the streets together with their unkempt children. Their future is described as being bleak, as they can only end up as thieves, dishonorable fighters, or slaves. Due to the article’s opening statements, one might expect the author to propose a course of action that would benefit the children, parents, and the country at large. However, the surprise comes about when he suggests that, “...a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled...”. It seems quite ludicrous for him to recommend that the problem can be eradicated by selling off one year old infants to be served as delicacies to the rich and mighty. His remarks come as a surprise considering the fact that he referred to the practice of women murdering children born out of wedlock as “horrid”, which would “....move tears and pity in the most savage and inhuman breast”. It is ironical that he goes on to advocate for a more heinous act, the killing of innocent infants so...
Words: 619 - Pages: 3
...A modest proposal – essay “Every great and deep difficulty bears in itself its own solution. It forces us to change our thinking in order to find it.” According to Niels Bohr, difficult times force us to change our ways of thinking, in order to find a solution. In 1729 Jonathan Swift wrote proposed a solution to such a difficult problem, and in order to carry out the solution, a radical change of thinking was needed, to say the least. The full title of his satirical essay is “A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of Poor People From Being a Burthen to Their Parents or Country, and for Making Them Beneficial to the Publick”, but to the general public, it is known as “A modest proposal”. Covered up by numbers, expert opinions and other rhetorical devices, he presents the idea that the Irish should kill off their young ones at the age of one, and thus relieving themselves from the burden of feeding a flock of children. By proposing such a barbaric idea in a professional manner, Jonathan Swift deceives the reader into thinking that his proposal is genuine. Although it quickly becomes clear that he is being sarcastic, Jonathan Swift uses his sarcasm as a device to create awareness about the dreadful situation in Ireland. Swift engages the reader by appealing to all three modes of persuasion: Pathos, Ethos and Logos. He begins his essay with the lines: “It is a melancholy object to those who walk through this great town (…), when they see the streets, (…), crowded with...
Words: 910 - Pages: 4
...A Truly Modest Proposal In the early 1700’s, the Whig party came to power under King George I and Prime Minister Robert Walpole. Walpole was a strong believer that England should control Ireland’s activities because it was their colony. However, Ireland had its own Parliament and cultural identity and did not want to be under England’s control. Legislation was enacted by England that severely limited the rights of the Irish to hold government office, purchase real estate, get an education, and advance themselves in other ways. As a result, many Irish fled to foreign lands, including America. Most of those who remained in Ireland lived in poverty, facing disease, starvation, and prejudice. By the 1720’s, Ireland was overly occupied and a majority were the poor lower class. In Jonathon Swift’s essay, “A Modest Proposal”, Swift uses the literary devices satire, persona, and logos to emphasize the poor quality of living and overpopulation of the inhabitants of Ireland, and calls for a renovation of the current system through the cooperation of the classes thus showing that one voice, can be a loud one. Swift uses many rhetorical devices throughout the work to demonstrate the necessity of change to the current lifestyle of the lower class. This essay is well known for its’ satire, which Swift uses throughout the whole composition, trivializing the poor conditions of the low Irish class. “A young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome...
Words: 1285 - Pages: 6
