A Modern Proposal is a satirical essay written by Jonathan Swift in 1729. Swift was unhappy with the way that the Irish politicians were running the country, and the poverty that ensued. The Irish nation was in a hopeless state with a great amount of poor women and children strewn throughout the streets. These poor single mothers were not only unable to care for themselves, but their children as well. With no other way to bring attention to this problem, Swift creates an amusing argument for selling children, in hopes to create a solution for the poor.
Throughout the essay, Swift uses quite a bit of logical fallacy in order to convey to the reader that there is indeed a crisis within Ireland, which needs to be dealt with. To achieve this, Swift beings his essay by laying a foundation of the issues at hand by revealing how the streets are littered with female beggars, and bastard children. These women are unable to work for a living and must resort to begging in order to care for the infants, and in return, these children grow up to be thieves themselves. While
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giving the reader a sense of what’s going on within the streets, Swift abruptly recommends selling the children for food. Swift cleverly states “I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, 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 ...” (Swift) This statement creates a fallacy in that Swift is inferring that his American friend is an expert at eating babies. Because of the implication that the American is an expert, then this statement must be true, therefore the reader should believe him. Another way that Swift persuades his readers by the use of logic, is how he attempts to solve the problem of the poor women and their burdening children. To achieve this, Swift explains logically that “I have already computed the charge of nursing a beggar's child (in which list I reckon all cottagers, laborers, and four-fifths of the farmers) to be about two shillings per annum, rags included; and I believe no gentleman would repine to give ten shillings for the carcass of a good fat child” (Swift) Since these women know that they will be able to turn a profit for selling their healthy children, this will cause them to better care for their infants, which in turn will result in a fat nourished product. Along with selling the children for a profit, which would significantly help out the poor women, Swift ingeniously lists other ideas of how the children can be used.
Swift first ensured the reader that he had a good friend who is an expert on eating children. Because of this, Swift proposes the idea that the children will be an excellent source of food for the country. Swift has been guaranteed by the American 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; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee or a ragout.” (Swift) Since these children will be healthy, their meat could be used in the taverns, and in turn would bring “fine gentlemen” (Swift). Since these gentlemen are familiar with eating well, they would frequently visit the taverns which in turn will bring a nice profit to the
owners. In conclusion it’s apparent that Swift genuinely cares about the poor mothers and children living on the streets. Swift sets the tone for the essay in the beginning by explaining how these poor women cannot care for themselves, let alone “three, four, or six children.” (Swift) This is an example of where Swift uses pathos, or emotion, to sway the reader into believing his ideas are just. Because of the seriousness of the situation at hand, although satirical, Swift explores different ideas and recommendations for the disposal of these children. While listing his ideas, Swift keeps the same serious tone throughout the essay, and although no person in their right mind would even consider the proposals in which Swift recommends, it does grab the reader’s attention. Had this essay reached the politicians in charge of the country, something may have actually been done to combat the underprivileged people, due to Swifts brilliant use of satirical emotion.
The point where you see that Swift’s proposal is meant to be satiric is when he starts to talk about the economic gains of selling poor children. It is meant to be a point to address the exceeding amount of poor children that are being sold to slavery rather than an indication to cannibalism. A modern audience
Jonathan Swift is the speaker in the story, A Modest Proposal. He is also the author of many other books and stories. In the text of A Modest Proposal, Swift addresses what he believes to be a big issue in the magnificent country of Ireland, Dublin to be exact. Therefore, he proposes a solution to the problem, however, the solution is not what we would call humane, orthodox, reasonable, or even one that we would consider performing today. Swift wrote this piece for anyone that can read and comprehend what the text implies.
All though he kept the use of them limited, a use of sympathy for the children by going into detail of how the children will be prepared and eaten. “A child will make two dishes at an entertainment for friends; and when the family dines alone, the fore or hind quarter will make a reasonable dish, and seasoned with a little pepper or salt will be very good boiled on the fourth day, especially in winter” (A Modest Proposal). The audience is made to feel Swift’s irritation at the situation and his unyielding attempts to relieve Ireland of the problems of the poor with his statement, But, as to myself, having been wearied out for many years with offering vain, idle, visionary thoughts, and at length utterly despairing of success, (A Modest Proposal). Swift was fed up with the rich ignoring the situation he did the only thing he thought he could do, wrote a proposal that would shock his audience into seeing the situation for what it was,
Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” is a classic piece of satire written in an attempt to draw attention to a serious problem. He does extremely well in providing proof that his solution will be beneficial and instructions as to how it would be implemented. Overall, Swift wrote this proposal to get the people of Ireland to take their predicament seriously and inspire people to come up with solutions that are sincere and will have a lasting and uplifting effect on the country.
Swift’s modest proposal includes multiple instances where Swift proudly declares that “I can think of no one objection, that will possibly be raised against this proposal, unless it should be urged, that the number of people will be thereby much lessened in the kingdom” in the face of potential objections to his plan (Swift 187-199). While Swift “can think of no one objection,” the reader can definitely think of millions of reasons why his plan will wipe Ireland off the map. In fact, Swift himself uses this phrase sarcastically in an attempt to get the reader to empathize with the Irish. Because the reader begins to pity the Irish, Swift ensures that he gets the message across that current conditions in Ireland are unlivable. Moreover, Swift ends his plan by vainly proclaiming that “I profess, in the sincerity of my heart, that I have not the least personal interest in endeavoring to promote this necessary work, having no other motive than the public good of my country” (Swift 234-236). The narrator clearly does not have any “sincerity of heart” with his intentions, proving that Ireland cannot survive in its current position with people like the narrator in power. Additionally, Swift’s sarcastic remark about promoting “the public good of [his] country” underscores the horrifying effects of his ghastly proposal, solidifying the horrifying fate of the Irish if
It is a great contradiction and absurdity that a husband and father proposes the idea of cannibalism. The narrator does not want the reader to agree that the solution to overpopulation and poverty in Ireland is to eat babies; he wants the reader to see it. needs to be a practical solution. Although something seems one way to the narrator, Jonathan Swift wants. the reader to see it in the opposite light.
This essay will have no value unless the reader understands that Swift has written this essay as a satire, humor that shows the weakness or bad qualities of a person, government, or society (Satire). Even the title A Modest Proposal is satirical. Swift proposes using children simply as a source of meat, and outrageous thought, but calls his propo...
Jonathan Smith goes to extreme measures to explain his new plan to raise the economic wellbeing of his country. He explains what age is too young and what age is too old, in order to eat the tenants children when they are at their prime juiciness. He also gives a list of suggestions on how to cook them, ?A young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled, and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee, or a ragout.? All of this talk about eating children comes as a surprise because previous to this disturbing suggestion, Swift is ironically discussing the plight of starving beggars in Ireland. The reader is unprepared for the solution that he suggests.
Jonathan Swift was ahead of his time. Most of his stories are satirical and meant to be funny, but were harshly chastised as being a actual idea in the eyes of the general public. His strengths, in writing terms, are irony, overstatement, and good ol' sarcasm. His mannerisms are a expressionistic and simple, to say the least. Every sentence trickles instead of flowing. A Modest Proposal is a attention grabber. It, at first, make the reader think that Swift is legit about selling children. Later on they realize he is addressing a problem in Ireland, that is a famine, and sneakily taking a jab at the English across the pond. In modern times, Swift is considered a rhetorical genius in his writing not to mention getting a point across. England tried to solve many of Ireland's problems, but failed in the most miserable way. They made it worse in fact. A Modest Proposal is a perfect example of how a book can be judged by the cover.
I believe that Swift wants the reader to view the speaker as a caring and compassionate man with the simple interest of solving of problem in his country because he is just that patriotic about his country and wants to see it prosper. In the first couple of paragraphs, it sounds as if he really wants to make a proposal that will change Ireland forever and will definitely help it economically until there is an unexpected change of events, tone and even idea and at about paragraph 9 is where the real outrages ideas come in.
The essay “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathon Swift is the proposal to the Irish people to sell and eat their babies. In “A Modest Proposal”, Swift plays the role of a troubled economist who wants to help the country of Ireland, who proposes that, in order to help fight the poverty and overpopulation of Ireland, the children of the poor parents to be sold as food to the rich. As a result, he claims that not only will the population be reduced, but the earnings of the poor will grow if they sell their children. He proposes that the meat of the children of Ireland would be a treat to both the English and to Irish property-owners, and would therefore be highly wanted after for special occasions. In the essay the author Swift gives the readers six reasons why this idea is good. First, it would greatly lessen the number of “Papists” or Roman Catholic, because they were over run, the women were the main “breeders” or mothers of the country, and their
When first reading A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of Poor People from Being a Burthen to their Parents, or the Country, and for Making them Beneficial to the Publick, commonly known as A Modest Proposal, by Jonathan Swift, it is easy to allow the content of the essay to take you by surprise. A Modest Proposal was written by Jonathan Swift in 1729, as an answer to the problems that Ireland was facing at the time. After the first reading of the essay, one might think that Swift is a mad man and that he should be put into a mental hospital. The subject of the essay is quite shocking, but once one learns the history behind the essay, they can discover what Swift was really meaning in his essay. At first glance, this proposal seems
In this sentence, he introduces his readers to the setting of Ireland. He does this to invoke self-pity in people’s hearts. Ireland at this time was very in famine, and with the overpopulation of children, parents struggled to provide for their families. When the English landowners (only ones who could afford the pamphlets) read this, they were shocked at the condition of Ireland. They drawn to read and learn more about the occurrences in the lower classes because they had never associated with them. Swift again uses imagery of his proposal about the eating of children which would lessen the overpopulation. He says, “I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a
Speaking for majority of Irish people, Swift comes up with a plan which is to get children out of the streets and away from their begging profession. Swift clearly states in his proposal, “I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy Child well Nursed is at a year Old, a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome Food, whether Stewed, Roasted, Baked, or Boyled, and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a Fricasie, or Ragoust”. Swift is making fun of the attitude of the British that think of the Irish as not useful in their world of riches. When reading this letter, it is easily mistaken when Swift puts you in the mindset of how Ireland is struggling with their poor and how they are a burden to other people with more money. He then goes to say that the children should be sold into a meat eating industry for the well off, which catches anyone off guard. It isn’t clearly stated that his intentions aren’t exactly true, but coming from the time period in which this letter was written it is easier to understand his attitude and
The situation that he was so graphically stressing was the way the English landowners were devouring the parents financially, to which he responded sarcastically, “why not devour the children also?” His proposed solution caused the reader to consider these issues and was to help stop the maltreatment of the common citizen. Jonathan Swift also expressed the fact that people were constantly trying to solve their social and economic woes thr...