A Modest Proposal Rhetorical Analysis

In Jonathon Swift’s, A Modest Proposal, he identifies a major dilemma happening in
Ireland. The problem is that there are children all over Ireland starving and begging for food. He realizes that the subject is not the most comfortable of which to speak, so Swift uses satire to explain. This changes his entire approach, showing the detachment from normal human affection. This makes this piece interesting and ironic. He uses examples of how people do not care for or about the poor and their children.
In paragraphs two and four, Swift states, “…whoever could find out a fair, cheap, and easy method of making these children sound…” and “…dropped from its dam...” The first comment shows that he refers to the children like they are not human. In the second comment, Swift implies that

Thus, mocking the people who show no sympathy or care for the poor and needy.
“…professed beggars…” and “…lawful occupation of begging…” are statements used in the third and fourth paragraphs. When Swift writes “professed beggars” he implies that starving to death is a choice the poor people made and opted to live by, which is far from the truth. By saying, “…lawful occupation of begging…” means that beggars have a legal right, obligation, and choice to beg for money, instead of being forced to do so. These comments suggest that seeking charity is what these people planned to do with their lives instead of that just happening to them.
The last paragraph indirectly states that stealing is a requirement to living and a respectable way to survive by saying, “they can very seldom pick up a livelihood by stealing, till they arrive at six years old.” Children were forced to steal at that time, because they were desperate to live. These children and their families had little to nothing, and stealing happened to be the only way