...pamphleteer, and priest Jonathan Swift takes advantage of the overlooked pamphlets by crafting an absurd, “Modest Proposal.” Swift does this to illustrate the dire situation the Irish people. Swift effectively displays satire by ensuring that the mockery is evident and exposes and mocks the plight of the Irish. In “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift, Swift substantiates his display of satire by employing irony, sarcasm, and appeals to ethos, logos, and pathos. Jonathan Swift uses rhetorical techniques to effectively convey satire in his work of literature. For example, Swift uses sarcasm to ridicule the wealthy elites of Ireland; he writes that smaller babies should be granted to “landowners, who, as they have already devoured most of the parents …” This characterizes the wealthy landlords (who were mostly Anglo-Saxon Protestants) as powerful and unfair people who care less about the well-being of Ireland’s poor population. Moreover, Swift mocks the underprivileged in Ireland in a more direct manner. Jonathan Swift exposes the poor conditions of the Irish working class, describing, “the vast number of poor people, who are aged, diseased, or maimed …” In addition, Jonathan Swift uses irony to further develop his satire. In the conclusion of “A Modest Proposal,” Swift states that his only intention is, “the public good of my county…” This is ironic as it mocks the wealthy Irish landowners, who were only concerned with their personal wealth. Hence, Jonathan Swift uses rhetorical techniques...
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...Vera Obi Prof Sarah Hanks ENG 1213 09/26/2015 A rhetorical analysis of “A modest Proposal”. In 1729 Jonathan Swift, author of “A Modest Proposal,” devised this proposal to show how backwards the social and general state Ireland was in. His proposal was to prevent the less fortunate children of Ireland from becoming a burden to their parents or country. As well as making them beneficial to the public. Jonathan Swift's reasoning behind this proposal is that many women were having children that they were unable to care for. He then suggested that the impoverished people of Ireland should consider selling their offspring to wealthy families as sustenance. He says that this proposal would make the infants, “beneficial to the public” (Swift). In “A Modest Proposal”, Swift uses rhetorical exaggeration, sarcasm, and insincerity to express his aggravation with papists, politicians, and the poverty-stricken citizens of Ireland at the time. In order to make his argument more effective, and to get his message across, Swift uses the rhetorical devices of logos, ethos and pathos. Swift employs the use of logos to help him throughout his proposal. Logos is defined as a clear and logical explanation, or an argument. Swift makes a very logical and persuasive argument that the people of Ireland should eat their children. Swift makes a case that by feeding on the children of the poor, the country would be solving several major issues the country is facing. By eating the...
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...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...
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...Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” name English 301 December 3, 20xx In “A Modest Proposal” (1729), Jonathan Swift used satire for a double purpose: to attack those that he considered responsible for the financial situation of Ireland, and in the same time, to push those who were in a position of power to take rational measures against poverty in Ireland. In his poem, Swift made use of the image of the Projector; a character whose role is that o designing plans that would lead to some improvements being made in the society. Swift’s narrator in “A Modest Proposal” is an Economic Projector who imagines the entire plan from the point of view of a cold and objective individual. The impersonation’s result is that most often, critics see the Projector as a person who sounds just like Swift when in fact, the truth is that Jonathan Swift was brilliant in making himself sound like a projector(Lockwood 1974). The present paper examines the role of the Economic Projector in the paper, arguing that he does not represent a projection of Swift’s own persona but rather, he is a character through which the author realizes his satirical purpose. The paper further holds that the projector has a central role in creating the meaning of the work. Literary critics and commenters of Swift’s work placed great emphasis on the role of Swift’s economic projector, the narrator who imagines the entire cannibalistic plan described in the poem....
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...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...
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...they see the streets, the roads and cabbin-doors crowded with beggars (Swift, 2013). Jonathan Swift, seeking to solve a monumental problem concerning the poor, outlines his ideas in what is really an assertive and bold proposal, rather than the modest proposal that he entreats. Troubled by Ireland’s economic depression and social ills, he resolves to offer his ideas for improving the living conditions for the poor and, in tandem, improving the economy. The answer, supported by no less than six pillars of reason, is to eat the babies. As if that were not appalling enough, he saves the best part for last: “I profess, in the sincerity of my heart, that I have not the least personal interest in endeavoring to promote this necessary work …I have no children, by which I can propose to get a single penny…and my wife past child-bearing” (Swift, 2013). Cannibalism is probably most plausible because it requires no personal sacrifice on Swift’s part. The idea that such an immodest proposal could be taken seriously seems inconceivable. However, the surprise ending is even more ridiculous. Surely, Swift’s finesse at suggesting such a deplorable remedy rests in his knowing that he will be unscathed. To coin a phrase: “there will be no skin from his kin.” For this reason, his propositions are neither credible nor convincing, and the ending simply serves to further illuminate the preposterous ideas in the proposal. Thankfully, Swift’s idea of “fanatical savagery” is but a satire of...
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...there was a shift in literature. The Restoration period was during the 17th century and during this time Jonathan Swift wrote “A Modest Proposal”. “A Modest Proposal” is a satire that discusses the issues and solutions of poverty that occur in Ireland. The Romantic period occurred during the late 18th century. A novel that was written during this time period was Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Considering that each piece of literature is from a different time period, they both express similarities and differences. Jonathan Swift was born in Dublin, Ireland on November 30th, 1667. Swift grew up fatherless because his father died two months before he was born. Being a single mother, his mom struggled to care...
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...Satire Throughout “A Modest Proposal” Jonathan Swift is one of the greatest satire writers of all time. He demonstrates satire through mathematical proposals and multiple quotations throughout a “A Modest Proposal” to focus on the deplorable situation in Ireland that is caused by the English all while engaging the reader with his own barbaric proposal that he makes seem realistic through description. The readers must understand that Jonathan Swift is using satire because through his satire, Swift illustrates issues in society and announces blame to the rightful owners rather than just the obviously bizarre proposal he is making. Swift’s modest proposal is created “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 Publick,” (2028). More simply put, he introduces the idea of cannibalism to the Irish people. He suggests that the lower class Irish citizens sell their one year old children to the upper class so they can have them for meals. Swift explains the advantages to his proposal as being that the Irish will have property of their own, it will help bring an end to the overpopulation problem, and that his proposal will solve the food shortage problem. Swift lays the framework for his satire to be effective through his unnamed narrator. The unmanned narrator is important because he seems to be sensible and well educated. Yet, he is removed from the situation because he does not...
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...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...
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...“A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift In Jonathan Swift’s essay “A Modest Proposal” he provides a satirical look at how to address the issue of the poor in Ireland. Poverty, however, is not the only issue of his time as there is also a question of moral issues among the people, both poor and rich. The focus of Swift’s writing is to unburden both parents and the economy of the over population of children, “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” (Swift 3). Swift used this theme of unjust behavior to announce how tragic and real these issues were, he brought poverty into prospective and ridiculed society all at once. Swift starts out his proposal with a back ground description of just what it would be like to simply walk down a street in Ireland and see all the misfortune that was surrounding so many people. Poverty here was not a hidden problem it was not something that took investigation to see it was very noticeable yet no one was looking for a solution. It can be inferred that the upper class, a good example would be the landlords, were being greedy and irresponsible governing their land from England. Swift pokes fun at the landlords and England’s mistreatment of Ireland in general when he states “I grant this food may be somewhat dear, and therefore very proper for landlords, who, as they have...
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...some of our leaders are just as much to blame by turning their heads rather than finding the solutions. According to statistics one out of eight individuals suffers from malnutrition. This means that out of 7 billion people in the world, 870 million are still underfed. In Jonathan Swift’s “Modern Proposal” essay, he snubs the Irish and English rulers for their economic policies concerning the poor. Swift explains that they are not dealing with the issue of poverty in Ireland by refusing to create a solution. Citizens and those in power need to create lasting solutions to end poverty in our nation. Jonathan Swift essay, “Modern Proposal” presents solutions to keep poor children from being a burden to their families. The English government turned their heads to the deplorable economic conditions in which the people were living in and he hated the inhumanity that he witnessed. Ireland was in dire poverty and most of the victims were women and children that were beggars (630-631). So Swift devised a number of proposal and solutions to rid Ireland of this problem. Swifts argues that poor children would be better off being eaten as food rather than wondering the streets of Ireland begging. According to Swift, “A young healthy well nursed child would make nourishing and wholesome food.” For example, he explains that a child can make two servings as entertainment for friends and claims that their skins would make good boots (632-634). I must admit that these suggestions do sound...
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...Jonathan Swifts “A Modest Proposal” is outrageously filled with sarcasm. One could assume what to expect from the piece just by reading the title “A Modest Proposal for preventing the children of poor people in Ireland from being a burden on their parents or country, and for making them beneficial to society” (Pg 1114). The average reader might would read this piece and think that Swift had literally gone insane. Swift proposes the thought that the mothers whom cannot provide for their children shall breast feed for the first year and once the child is “plump” be offered for sale(pg 1115) Swift even proposes the thought of eating a child… “a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old is a most deliciously, nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked or broiled ” (pg 1115) is just ridiculous. Swift also says that he “humbly” offers his thoughts and opinions, yet anyone would consider this suggestion offensive and irrational, not humble by any means. I believe Swift wrote such a piece in order to show how the wealthier Britons viewed the less fortunate lower class. They may have not thought anything of the actions they were showing toward the poor until reading such an article like Swifts and it opened their eyes to see how badly they were treating the people. I believe that Swift most definitely accomplished his point in writing such an article and that the privileged people offered more opportunity to the unsuccessful people of their community. (Word Count:253)...
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...Antionette Wilson Mrs.Eaddy AP Language / Composition Analysis of “A Modest Proposal “A Modest Proposal", Jonathan swift, takes advantage of the overlooked pamphlets, and also constructs a ridiculous proposal. He illustrates how backwards the state of Ireland is and the social classes. Swift proposes that the babies of all the poor parents that cannot provide for their child will need to contribute to the feeding, and partly to the clothing, of many to help improve Ireland’s economy and standard living conditions. Swift states this because many woman are having children that they cannot provide for and his proposal would be "fair, cheap easy method of making these children sound useful"(3). He employs his sarcastic tone, his insincerity, and idea of how ridiculous the proposal is to make his argument not serious. Swift illustrates the poor living standards in Ireland as well as the corruption in the social classes; he recommends that women sell their children as commodities because they were unable to support their children. Swifts mainly focuses on the social classes in Ireland but shows more attention to the poor class; the rich class would make money off of the poor parent’s children that are being sold, due to the parents not being able to provide for them which forces them to sell their children. Swift reveals bitterness towards papist because he wants them to reduce the number of children "woman murdering their bastard children"(6), and that will reduce the number...
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...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 their bodies. Swift suggested his...
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...of the things that made me choose this piece of literature was the although the pamphlet is more than 280 years old, A Modest Proposal, is still considered one of the finest examples of satire literature. It is not an easy feat to be a renowned satirical writer. To be a great satirical writer, the author must be able to bring out the absurdity in any subject. Satire is considered a powerful and intellectual instrument that can be used to educate and inspire. There are just a few exceptional individuals who know very well how to use it. Additionally, the author must be able to use hyperbole to make their point. Using hyperbole is a rare literary form that exaggerates facts. Many people relate hyperbole to sarcasm. ”I have been assured by...
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