A Modest Proposal Rhetorical Analysis

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In this modern society, materialism is heavily promoted to embody the goal of profit and ownership. Since resources are limited, certain individuals would risk everything to achieve their potential even if their methods sacrifice humanity. Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” serves as a critique of this issue, despite the difference in time. In the satire, the proposal suggests a solution to the widespread poverty in Ireland. Swift adopts a cold-blooded persona who suggests a neither sustainable nor ethical resolution. Outrageously, the content of the text recommends poor Irish families to sell their one-year-old infants to the landlords as food. Through the satirical use of the rhetoric modes, symbolism and allusion, Swift highlights the exploitive nature of the ruling …show more content…

Due to the scientific style of the essay, the implemented ethos aims at the educated population, specifically at the policymakers. Though the justification of eating human flesh aims to dissolve guilt, the effect is totally opposite. To sum up, the ethical appeal has multiple layers. On a surface level, the device aids in the development of the author’s authority. At a more insightful level, ethos not only represents Swift’s condemnation towards the corrupt social structure, but also puts their ethics into question. Moving away from the ethical aspects, the author also implements logos to address another social issue: currency devaluation. To mirror the dire conditions in Ireland, Swift estimates the cost of raising a newborn to a year old to be “about two shillings per annum” (Swift 5). The number is shockingly low, pointing to the severe poverty that is plaguing Ireland. By quantifying the cost, the statistic not only illustrates the child-raising strain of impoverished families, but also the devaluation of life coming from their very own social

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