A Rhetorical Analysis Of A Modest Proposal, By Jonathan Swift

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Swift satirizes the British exploitation and neglect of the Irish population by using hyperbolic imagery, rhetoric modes, and allusions to highlight the systemic injustice that is caused by colonial policies. Swift’s use of rhetorical modes enhances the persuasion in the satire, compelling the reader to confront the reality of poverty and exploitation in the early 1700s. Swift indirectly reflects the governors’ inaction using the ethos. He wishes to sell and consume Irish infants as a solution to poverty. Through the three modes, the essay serves as a metaphor for the societal cannibalism perpetrated by the viceroys – English appointed officials who represent the monarch to run a colony or territory. A contributing factor to the fall of Ireland …show more content…

Therefore, Swift claims that the only way to solve the financial crisis is to be involved in the consumption of infants’ flesh because he “[has] been assured by a very knowing American” of his (2). His acquaintance states, “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.” (2). To remove potential skepticism from his argument, Swift introduces an external source of information- his American acquaintance. The utilization of the ethos in the mentioned statement not only builds the Swift’s credibility as a fellow party member, but also depicts the vulnerability of the Irish. For this, the nature of ethos is highly ironic because all the credibility that Swift builds is merely a façade. Because of the references and the treatise-mimicked 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 two layers: a surface level that develops the author’s authority and an internal level that …show more content…

Swift further adds to the reasoning by suggesting industries to “make admirable gloves for ladies, and summer boots for fine gentlemen” using the skin of the deceased infants (5). Swift is underscoring the existence of profit-driven businesses and its moral-decaying ethics. Simply put, he exhibits the uneven distribution of wealth and resources, thus, pleading for the British parliament to mitigate the colonial trade law that had been causing the problem of “uneven agricultural production, lack of capital, weak currency and inadequate transport infrastructure” (Hayton 280). Using logical reasoning, Swift is referencing how the parliament created a parasitic trading relationship with Ireland. Therefore, the policy hindered the economic growth of Ireland. Speaking from an economic perspective, if half of a colony’s resources are exported to its metropolitan country, then the colony is severely dependent on the motherland. Therefore, it makes the colony extremely vulnerable to external influences. Additionally, if the government is too focused on exporting goods, supply shortages and inflation would likely occur in the local area. Consequently, the inhabitants would not be able to afford necessities to maintain proper living

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