More handpicked essays just for you.
Everyday examples of rhetoric
Essays examples containing rhetorical devices
Essay examples using rhetorical analysis
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
In the 1720s, there was widespread poverty and hunger in the country of Ireland that was completely under the English control. Jonathan Swift, a native of Ireland, was enraged about the treatment of the Irish People. Swift’s was then influenced to write his Modest Proposal to stun his readers into creating a reasonable solution to Ireland’s dilemma. Swift use different symbols to figuratively express the issues that the county is facing. Swift’s tone and style displayed in the Modest Proposal evokes unpopular reactions from his readers thus, causing his point to be noticed.
Eating is an important symbol throughout Modest Proposal in a literal term to demonstrate the behavior of the upper class and colonial powers. Swift feels that the
…show more content…
upper class is engrossing the Irish people at a swift rate. In the circle of life as babies reach the age of one-year-old, they start to crave more than their mother’s milk. Swift explains that this is the appropriate time to feed the children to their older counterparts when he stated “Secondly, the poorer tenants will have something valuable of their own, which may be made liable to distress and help to pay their landlord's rent, their corn and cattle being already seized, and money a thing unknown (Swift 67).” This implies that the wealthy people burned through all the nation’s resources and has practice in consuming the nation. The lower class is left with scraps and must survive by any means necessary. All throughout the Modest Proposal, there are animal references.
Swift compares the Irish children to horse, cows, deer, and pigs. He uses these animal comparisons to the children to illustrate the value of human life in the county of Ireland during this time. In the proposal, Swift states, “I do therefore humbly offer it to public consideration that of the hundred and twenty thousand children already computed, twenty thousand may be reserved for breed, whereof only one-fourth part to be males, which is more than we allow to sheep, black cattle, or swine (Swift 65).” He is saying the those who cannot live wealthily are deducted in their value. He also is saying that let them not only eat the children but to make some of them future breeders. Towards the end of the essay Swift substitutes the word children for mortal in this quote, “I desire those politicians who dislike my overture, and may perhaps be so bold as to attempt an answer, that they will first ask the parents of these mortals, whether they would not at this day think it a great happiness to have been sold for food, at a year old in the manner I prescribe, and thereby have avoided such a perpetual scene of misfortunes as they have since gone through by the oppression of landlords, the impossibility of paying rent without money or trade, the want of common sustenance, with neither house nor clothes to cover them from the inclemencies of the weather, and the most inevitable prospect of entailing the like or greater …show more content…
miseries upon their breed for ever (Swift 68).” The world “mortal” rid away any compassionate emotion about human life and gives off the impression that humans are becoming animals. The tone of the story in cooperate many adjectives that help convey his message throughout the proposal. One of the main adjective to describe the tone is Ironic. Swift proposing that small children should be used as a snack is ironic. He “modestly” proposes his views on cannibalism as if it’s a legitimate solution, disregarding the fact that it’s against the rule of society. By using this ironic tone in this quote “I can think of no one objection that will possibly be raised against this proposal, unless it is urged that the number of people will be thereby much lessened in the kingdom (Swift 67),” Swift gives off an insight on the harsh condition in Ireland and until the number of upper class individuals decline in using all the nations resources than they must continue digesting children. In other words, leaving the lower class defenseless and struggling with the terrible conditions. The style of the proposal is wordy and pretentious.
Swift’s use very elaborate vocabulary and numbers into his sentences which can be difficult determining whether he is being serious or not. For example, he states “I think it is agreed by all parties that this prodigious number of children in the arms, or on the backs, or at the heels of their mothers, and frequently of their fathers, is, in the present deplorable state of the kingdom, a very great additional grievance; and therefore, whoever could find out a fair, cheap, and easy method of making these children sounds useful members of the commonwealth would deserve so well of the public as to have his statue set up for a preserver of the nation (Swift 63) .” Swift uses these lengthy sentences which let readers know that he’s a politician. He knows that his readers are expecting Modest Proposal to be pretentious. He uses this expectation as he writes paragraph long sentences and powerful words. This method makes it hard to figure out that he is only
joking. Johnathan Swift used the symbolic use of eating in the Modest Proposal demonstrate the behavior of the upper class and colonial people. He used the animals to symbolize the value of human life in the country of Ireland. The ironic tone of the story gives a hint of the harsh condition in Ireland. The wordy and pretentious style of the proposal makes it challenging to figure out if Swift is being humorous and not. Swift uses these elements to convey his message which evoked unpopular reactions from readers and to enhance the overall message of the proposal. Works Cited Swift, Jonathan. “Modest Proposal.” Schilb, John and John Clifford. A Brief Guide: A Brief Guide:1st Edition. Bedford Macmillan: Boston, 2013.
The modest proposal is of course anything but modest. But other subtle ironies may be overlooked if Swift is simply dismissed as an extravagant madman. Most important, Swift characterizes him as rational and calculating in order to show that these qualities are dangerous when taken to an extreme. People who rely on speculative reason to solve problems may end up thinking the unthinkable rather than following what should be more natural and humane impulses of common sense and compassion. Swift uses these qualities to paint England as the madman in forgetting about
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.
“A Modest Proposal” was written in 1729 by a satirical author by the name of Jonathan Swift. Swift studied at the University of Oxford and was also know for his popular writing in Gulliver’s Travel. The purpose for his satire “A Modest Proposal” was to enlighten the citizens of Ireland about their hardship and suffering. He informed them about their scares of food, money, and property, but provided a possible solution to their problem. To persuade the people Swift adopts a comforting and friendly tone to his audience for the people to react to his solution.
Swift used irony throughout the essay, beginning with the title, “A Modest Proposal”. The irony of the title gives the audience a false idea of what the essay will be, later on he gives his argument and the title serves as an ironic statement. Swift also used the irony of the title to emphasize how absurd his idea truly is, by claiming the proposal is modest he allows the reader to understand how
If Jonathan Swift had written a serious piece simply espousing his true beliefs he would not have received as much feedback, due to the fact that there were already informational advertisements at the time and nobody was interested in reading them. The only thing that would get the people 's attention was something that would create a lasting impression, so he wrote a satirical piece with trenchant humor and mochary. “A Modest Proposal” surprised people and got them thinking about the condition of the poor in Ireland and what should be done to solve it. For example Swift states that “those who are thrifty” can use the carcass of the infant for ladies’ gloves or gentlemen’s boots. This itself can help those reading the piece to begin to think about possible solutions to the substantial issues involving the poor in Ireland. He also proposes that children that are fourteen should be consumed as well so the poor don’t have to go hungry and that it would limit the number of breeders, in an attempt to illustrate the extremity of the circumstances. His sarcastic way of joking enlisted fear in the poor and concern in the rich, helping them realise the drastic issue present in the
Swift's message to the English government in "A Modest Proposal" deals with the disgusting state of the English-Irish common people. Swift, as the narrator expresses pity for the poor and oppressed, while maintaining his social status far above them. The poor and oppressed that he refers to are Catholics, peasants, and the poor homeless men, women, and children of the kingdom. This is what Swift is trying to make the English government, in particular the Parliament aware of; the great socioeconomic distance between the increasing number of peasants and the aristocracy, and the effects thereof. Swift conveys his message in a brilliant essay, in which he uses satire, humor and shock value.
During the 18th century Ireland was in a very serious crisis. Jonathan Swift decides to write “A Modest Proposal” as a satirical response to this crisis. In that essay he gives a solution to each of the problems that Ireland was having during that time. The main points that he wanted to discuss were domestic abuse, overpopulation, poverty, theft, and the lack of food. This crisis led the great nation of Ireland into economic struggles.
...that the author is sarcastic about his own proposal, any kind of opposing view or counterargument is in reality the voice of reason and intelligence when compared with Swift’s proposal. The argument is in a way weak or flawed because of the sarcasm at hand. Yes, it is full of satire, but in the following argument Swift builds up his proposal only to diminish the value of his argument by blatantly expressing the sarcasm in this piece. This proposal is flawed throughout the text and is in no way a rational or logical solution to the problem as Swift claims it is. In conclusion, Swift’s proposal is a satire filled piece, which he delivers in a dry indifferent style. His arguments, rationally presented, support an irrational solution to the problem and he evokes pathos in his audience by using only logos in his proposal and that is the brilliance of his piece.
In 1729, Jonathan Swift published a pamphlet called “A Modest Proposal”. It is a satirical piece that described a radical and humorous proposal to a very serious problem. The problem Swift was attacking was the poverty and state of destitution that Ireland was in at the time. Swift wanted to bring attention to the seriousness of the problem and does so by satirically proposing to eat the babies of poor families in order to rid Ireland of poverty. Clearly, this proposal is not to be taken seriously, but merely to prompt others to work to better the state of the nation. Swift hoped to reach not only the people of Ireland who he was calling to action, but the British, who were oppressing the poor. He writes with contempt for those who are oppressing the Irish and also dissatisfaction with the people in Ireland themselves to be oppressed.
The Effectiveness of A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift "A Modest Proposal for preventing the children of poor people in Ireland from being a burden to their parents or country, and for making them beneficial to the public" - Jonathan Swift 1729. In reading this you will discover the answer to the above question in three parts; · How effective is it as an argument · How effective is it as a piece of information · How effective is it as satire "A Modest Proposal" first appeared in public in 1729, Swift wrote this article after all of his previous suggestions had been rejected by the Irish authorities. Swift felt the English government had psychologically exiled him and this greatly added to the rage he felt over the way the Irish People were treated or rather mistreated by the English. Although Swift's highest and most prominent concerns were for his own class, the Anglo-Irish, he in the end spoke for the nation as a whole.
Irishmen, educated, father and husband. All these titles make Jonathan Swift more than qualified to be the author of “A Modest Proposal,” published in the 1729. It discussed the astonishing poverty that was sweeping the Irish nation, his home country, during the early 18th century, which in his opinion was not the nations own doing. He adopts a sarcastic tone in order to display to the Irish people the injustices cast upon them, and to inspire his countrymen to rise up from poverty and stand up to those who held them down.
His purpose of calling attention to all the terrible things England has done to Ireland is clearly stated throughout A Modest Proposal with the help of these three devices. His purpose of drawing attention to the problems throughout society has been described through A Modest Proposal. The dire poverty in Ireland is clearly expressed in the satire A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift.
Published in 1729, “A Modest Proposal” is a satirical essay that intends to inform readers of the difficult situation of poor low-class people in Ireland. Furthermore, the essay is a piece of literature that condemns the unethical proposal of eating humans. In a satirical proposal, the author suggests that low-class Irish citizens may resort to selling their dependent children in an attempt to attain economic freedom. In exchange of money, the children would be used as food sold to the upper-class society. This essay explores and evaluates the overall effectiveness in achieving its effectiveness in Jonathan Swift’s essay “A Modest Proposal.” In the essay, Swift employs the quality of Aristotle’s rhetoric in to develop the persuasive argument.
Overpopulation and poverty were problems that plagued Ireland in the early 18th century as a result of English imperialism, wherein absentee English property owners controlled Irish legislature, and found it profitable to maintain a destitute Ireland that could not challenge English power. In order to combat this problem, Jonathan Swift makes “A Modest Proposal” that would offer a solution mitigate Irish starvation while simultaneously limiting the effects of overpopulation, since nothing else seemed effective. Swift argues “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 thus should be raised and sold like cattle to provide food for the Irish,
In conclusion, “A Modest Proposal” is a pamphlet by Jonathan Swift with disturbing fantasy and rhetorical irony written on Ireland. In form and tone it looks like a "conventional philanthropic appeal to solve Ireland's economic crisis, but Swift's anonymous speaker suggests a barbarous plan, to cannibalize the nation's children" (An Analysis). The English is eating away the Irish in a never ending process. That process is the act of the oppressor upon the