An Analysis on A Modest Proposal

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Famous satirist, Jonathan Swift, in his essay, A Modest Proposal, talks about how to solve Ireland's overpopulation and severe poverty. Swift’s purpose in this essay is to convey how serious Ireland’s problem is and to convince the people of Ireland, both rich and poor, to make a change. Swift adopts a serious tone in order to make his ridiculous proposal seem “modest” when in fact it is ludicrous. This tone of his helps highlight just how severe Ireland's depression is.
Jonathan Swift, Irish Satirist, is trying to change Ireland by first proposing a crazy proposal, and then giving a realistic solution in the end. Ireland, at the time, had a terrible economy, overpopulation, and an abundance of beggars. The author assumes that everyone in the world knows Ireland is messed up, and needs help. He writes as if Ireland being in a bad state is a fact. This help makes his point more serious, and makes the consequences seem more real. His main argument is that the Irish, both rich and poor, need to chance. Change is necessary for Ireland to become a prosperous nation.
The writer assumes a calculating, but warm persona which genuinely wishes to help Ireland. This persona of his is established through his usage of logos and his desire to change Ireland. He is a Irish writer who went to oxford, and lived in Ireland. His ethos is very solid because of his heritage and his education. He shows good will, humility, and likeability. These traits can be seen through his desire to help his country, his selflessness, and his humbleness. He takes a very logical approach to solving the problem and has an overall serious tone. He uses a very logical approach to solving the problem and has a very serious, but passionate tone. His way of thinking is ...

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...ountry.
Swift argues later on that Ireland needs to be changed socially to create a change. He argues this after having a ridiculous proposal about killing babies, which makes his proposal seem very modest and reasonable. He dismisses all other views by basically stating that Ireland is in a terrible state and there is no other option. His bluntness helps him comes off as a genuine which in turns helps strengthens his arguments.
His masterful usage of pathos, ethos, and logos serve to strengthen his argument. The main weakness of his argument was that his actual proposal was quite weak. He basically said that every needs to wake up and change. This is an effective wake up call, but not a particularly good solution to Ireland’s poverty. Overall Swift uses rhetorical elements skillfully to help people realize how dire Ireland is, and to convince people to change.

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