1. Swift desires for his readers to see his speaker as a reasonable, egalitarian man with an evident desire in fixing the mess of the present time. Obvious examples of this man’s good nature can be discovered in the first eight paragraphs. He not only quantifies but also observes and does this with a manner that is somewhat logical. This presentation serves to make the ironic nature of the proposal that arrives in paragraph 9 all the more outrageous, and all the more effective.
2. In Jonathan Swift’s passage, he condemns the English government, a monarchy that he personally feels is unable to fix the poverty and famine that dominate the country persistently. The writing is in a satiric tone because the resolution the government proposes is to eat children of poor, which is undeniably viewed as abuse because they’re treating them as if they’re savage beasts. This resolution suggests the government officials are greedy by
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sacrificing defenseless children rather than considering a right way to solve the overwhelming dilemma. Also, this method will make it impossible to solve this situation. I think modern audience will not get the joke faster than Swift's contemporaries do because we obviously aren’t in the same predicament as them, so we aren’t able to fully understand their problems. 3. He starts off with “the female sex,” rather than “women,” instantly disclosing a clinical and practical standpoint that some may see as heartless. He then continues to examine the crisis of poverty including the people who’ve fallen victim to it. He’s also skeptical about the “computation” of other “projectors,” and proceeds to use technical diction. In the fourth paragraph he refers to a mother as a “dam,” a word that applies to domestic animal. His use of “solar” year continues the technical nature of his diction. His measuring and quantification is evident within the passage, displaying a characteristic that is mostly likely serious. In paragraph 5 he refers to “voluntary” abortions, surely a sardonic use of the word. Paragraph 6 provides a model of exposition, providing essential proof and reasonable reason. A profound yet insightful reader might notice the irony that sneaks into the next paragraph, where the outwardly empirical voice debates the insufficiencies related with the selling of innocent minors into slavery. Finally, the speaker strengthens his ethos by simply suggesting his proposal. 4.
Swift starts off with the predictable results for two main reasons. First, And secondly, he desires to have his speaker have an optimistic effect on his audience. He interests to readers first and then goes on to suggest his resolution. Secondly, by convincing readers that his proposal will benefit them greatly, they’ll be more than willing to support it. They see it as though the proof is in the pudding.
5. Stopping after the word “food” would cause the reader to stop and contemplate about the appalling quality of the sentence. Swift also qualifies the statement instantly, so as to prevent concentration from the action of eating itself to the method of provision. The modifiers ask, as it were, “In case you doubt the credibility of what I say because you’re wondering just how such a food might be prepared, fret not. I will explain and assuage your culinary concerns.” Swift is loading the gun while the speaker is healing the bullet wounds.
6. Swift appeals to patriotism and to religious prejudice at the same time in the first paragraph
with his reference to the disloyalty of supporting “the pretender in Spain.” He makes an appeal that is similar at the end of paragraph 2, signifying that people who might’ve been able to fix the devastation of poverty could “have his statue set up for a preserver of the nation.” The appeal to patriotism is also evident within paragraph 17 with the “very worthy person, a true lover of his country.” Swift differentiates between economy, meaning resourceful usage of capitals and incomes, and frugality, which refers to penny-pinching stinginess. He appeals to the resourcefulness of his proposal in paragraphs 22–25 by emphasizing that the penniless will have their own “capital,” that the economy will remain continuously healthy, that the eatery business will flourish. Swift appeals to thrift by talking about “a fair, cheap, and easy method.” He then goes on with his appeal in paragraph 10, closing with a mention of “two dishes at an entertainment for friends,” and in paragraph 15 where he appeals to social superiority. Other appeals to economy Swift includes in his passage are evident within paragraph 14, where he mentions “four dishes of excellent meat,” and also in his discussion of economy in paragraph 23. Other appeals that bear investigation are to social superiority, which appears in paragraphs 25 and 28 with the “fine gentlemen” and “gentlemen of the kingdom;” to sociability, which comes up in paragraph 10; and to standard principles, his most sardonic appeal, which crops up in paragraph 26. 7. In paragraph 17 he talks about an additional proposal that is more intense and is improved by “a very worthy man.” This is a typical rhetorical strategy—bringing forth an argument or claim more radical than your own so that your own can appear logical and necessary. 8. In paragraph 21 Swift targets the Protestant landowners dwelling in England and at their prejudices against Catholics, who include most of the Irish peasantry. In paragraph 22 he addresses the absent landlords who are guilty for the dreadful circumstances that dictate the poor’s life. Swift satirizes the nature and nature of a proposal itself with the progression through the six steps. His main stance is that a resolution that is entirely coherent and computable is able be used in a human crisis. 9. There are numerous assumptions evident within these paragraphs. First is the assumption that enhancement of taste and national manufacturing of resources are outcomes that are deeply favored. The second assumption is that the citizens are extremely penniless to the point that they’re unable to pay their rent although they yearn desperately to do so. The third is that less Roman Catholics is a beneficial fact. In this assumption, Swift appeals to the clear prejudice of his readers. The fourth is that the proposal would be extremely beneficial for the “breeders” because the economy will give the type of love to their children that outdoes their own love for their children. The fifth assumption is that an increase in trade is also beneficial as well and the sixth assumption is that marriage serves both a common and a civil commitment, and that love and care aren’t as influential and liberating factors as income and economy.
How does Swift want the reader to view his speaker? That is, how would Swift want his reader to describe the persona he adopts? Swift wants the reader to view the speaker as a reasonable, compassionate and rational person who has a genuine interest in solving the problems of the poor Irish. In the beginning of the essay, the speaker appears to be a concerned person who demonstrates a keen insight into the issues he addresses. However, this is contrary to the fact that the speaker predominantly relies on random and absurd statistics and logic to present his solution. By acting as someone compelled to solve the plight of the poor Irish, the unknown speaker makes his words more effective and establishes himself as someone who would never make the outrageous proposal that follows.
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.
In Swift’s satirical essay he stated the main issue to be the hunger and starvation of Irish country and their lack of money to support oneself. He said the complication was they themselves don’t have food, to many families in poverty, and that the Englishman took their land and charging high prices for rent. Swift makes this argument because he too is an Irish men and he struggles to see his fellow men parish in the streets. He desires his people to stand up against England and take back what’s theirs. He argues that the Irish...
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 ironic the title is as the essay develops. This was mostly done by his descriptions of preparing the children like they are a chicken, and his list of advantages to eating children. While describing how to prepare a child, Swift said, “a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food.” The manner in which he described a human child the same way one would a cow, chicken, or fish.
In addition, the wit that is contained within “A Modest Proposal” is astonishing and superb. Although some have taken “A Modest Proposal” seriously and actually thought that Swift was trying to propose to boil infants and eat them. The reader cannot yield that seriously and if the reader does then it would co...
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.
In his lengthy literary career, Jonathan Swift wrote many stories that used a broad range of voices that were used to make some compelling personal statements. For example, Swifts, A Modest Proposal, is often heralded as his best use of both sarcasm and irony. Yet taking into account the persona of Swift, as well as the period in which it was written, one can prove that through that same use of sarcasm and irony, this proposal is actually written to entertain the upper-class. Therefore the true irony in this story lies not in the analyzation of minute details in the story, but rather in the context of the story as it is written.
The issue is that there is a growing number of poor and starving women and children living on the streets of Ireland that are a burden to the public and the country. The context is that these homeless and starving women and children are left to fend for themselves on the streets. Jonathan Swift is making the argument from the point of a concerned citizen who has spent years among the poor in Ireland studying the situation and trying to come up with a solution. Johnathan Swift used the example that those who visit Ireland and see the streets crowded with women and children that are beggars conclude that Ireland is a very poor, overpopulated country full of beggars and that they look down upon their country that is in such poor shape. His bias is that as a citizen living in Ireland, he does not want to be looked down upon by other countries. His targeted audience seems to be the citizens of the country and those in higher up positions who ...
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.
Imagine reading an anonymous work that promotes cannibalism! Swift eventually had to reveal himself and the purpose of his pamphlet, which was to exaggerate the steps necessary to stop the Irish famine and poverty epidemic. A Modest Proposal is almost a scare tactic. It brings attention to the distances people will go to stop hunger and homelessness. The audience of rich, land-owning men were expected to take the text to heart.
Swift's opposition is. indirectly presented in the report. The author uses satire to accomplish his objective not only because he is able to conceal his true identity but also because it is the most effective way to awake the people of Ireland into seeing their own deprivation. Firstly, the narrative voice begins the essay by describing the horrible conditions in which the Irish peasants live. He demonstrates there is a serious problem with a great need for a solution.
During the 1720’s, the Irish people were suffering dearly, due to the oppression by Great Britain. There oppression came in the form of being displaced by wealthy English people who were buying up land in Ireland and then not living there. They would proceed to rent some of their land to the Irish people at extremely high rent, which eventually led to them not being able to pay neither their rent or provide their families with food or clothes. The reason behind Swift’s proposal is simple. He is an Irishman. He has a sense of patriotic duty to attempt to help his fellow Irish people. He wants them to know that it is possible to move forward form poverty and out from under the oppression of the British. He structures his essay through a basic form of presenting an idea and then backing it up with “facts” like the growth in weight of babies or expert accounts on the taste of children from a credible source. Something that Swift just assumes that the audience will take for granted. Additionally he assumes that the audience won’t simply put his article down, taking it as the ramblings of a mad man talking about eating babies like it’s a normal everyday thing.
Swift begins his argument by stating his view on the situation and displaying his annoyance. He states, "It is a melancholy object to those who walk through this great town or travel in the country when they see the streets, roads, and cabin doors crowded with beggars of the female sex, followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags, and importuning every passenger for an alms" (Swift 1). He uses melancholic imagery for the readers to sympathize with the suffering children and to understand their situation. Similarly, Swift displays his disgust for the wealthy by stating that "There is likewise another great advantage in my scheme, that it will prevent those voluntary abortions, and that horrid practice of women murdering their bastard children… which would move tears in the most savage and inhumane beast" (1). He talks about abortion and shows how ghastly and disheartening the practice is. Clearly, Swift makes use of pathos to slowly gain the reader’s confidence in preparation for his appalling proposal. He knows that many will be emotionally affected by his proposal because no one would want their own c...
This essay will have no value unless the reader understands that Swift has written this essay as a satire, humor that shows the weakness or bad qualities of a person, government, or society (Satire). Even the title A Modest Proposal is satirical. Swift proposes using children simply as a source of meat, and outrageous thought, but calls his propo...
Irony is a beautiful technique exercised to convey a message or call a certain group of people to action. This rhetorical skill is artfully used by Jonathan Swift in his pamphlet “A Modest Proposal.” The main argument for this mordantly ironic essay is to capture the attention of a disconnected and indifferent audience. Swift makes his point by stringing together a dreadfully twisted set of morally untenable positions in order to cast blame and aspersions on his intended audience. Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” employs despicably vivid satire to call for change in a world of abuse and misfortune.