A Modest Proposal And Angela's Ashes Comparison

The vision of Irish poverty resonates in both works,“A Modest Proposal” and Angela’s Ashes. Yet both works present Irish poverty in similar ways that also differ from one another, in regards to Irish poverty through the utilization of narrator, tone, imagery, and historical situation. Both writings show an aspect of Irish poverty caused by the events happening during their era. For example, Swift states that “ … it is well known, that they are everyday dying, and rotting, by the cold and famine, and filth, and vermin, as fast as can be reasonably expected” (Swift 145-146). In this case Famine is a major situation in “A Modest Proposal, which cause the inhabitants of Ireland to suffer from Starvation, malnutrition, and disease. In comparison

Swift and McCourt use tones like despondency to present the poverty that either is being witnessed or experienced. Swift shows despondency by stating that “ … mothers instead of being able to work for their honest livelihood, are forced to employ all their time stroling to beg sustenance…” (Swift 5-6). He utilizes this tone to show how far people stoop to get by during the period of Famine in Ireland. McCourt also bestows such a tone in his novel when he states “When I look back at my childhood I wonder how I survived at all. It was, of course, a miserable childhood… Worse than the ordinary childhood is the miserable Irish childhood…” (McCourt 11). Despondency is well utilized tone in both these quotes because they describe how horrendous Irish poverty in both present times. The differences in between the two is the point of view in which they are told and how McCourt represents his childhood in a nonchalantly way, while swift represents his experience in total seriousness. Swift also uses humor as tone in his writing. As addressed early starvation is one of the main effects of famine, to the point that swift purposes that “ … a young healthy child … at one year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food…” (Swift 66-67). His proposal is somewhat disturbing, however it is comical. No one in a right

Similar to one another, they both excellently describe Irish poverty at the time. Swift describes in his work that he witnesses “ … in the country… streets, the roads, and cabbin-doors crowded with beggars…” (Swift 2-3). This bestows the reader with a vivid image of the struggle of the residents of Ireland, whom suffer of poverty. Like Swift, McCourt also uses imagery to define Irish poverty by describing a friend who “ … has no shoe to his foot, his mother shaves his head to keep lice away, his eyes are red, his nose always snotty” (McCourt 120). This image describes how most of the young Irish poverty, like McCourt, appear in Angela’s Ashes. This quote also helps the reader understand the depth of Irish poverty. Even though this does not describe McCourt himself, he still faces this aspect of poverty in his land. Unlike McCourt, Swift, an observer to the events happening in his era, has no experience whatsoever of destitution. Swift then goes further into detail of the setting of Ireland during the Famine by describing “ … beggars of the female sex followed by 3,4, or 6 children, all in rags, and importuning every passenger for an alms” (Swift 3-4). Swift elegantly uses imagery to present the populace of Ireland at the time, which also causes melancholy to the