A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift Essay - 1480 Words

A Modest Proposal A Modest Proposal is everything that a satirical story should be. It includes sarcasm and irony as Jonathan Swift takes us through a roller coaster ride to show us how the poor are treated miserably. The narrator begins by leading us down a path. He seems sincere and thinks it is a pity how everywhere you walk in the streets of Dublin you see the poor begging people for hand outs. He is seeking a solution to help the commonwealth. He appears to be a logical, educated person who makes it clear that he has been studying this subject for years. He then tells us that he has a solution to help the babies whose parents cannot afford them. We think his idea will be charitable and will actually help†¦show more content†¦He has us all wondering what his proposal will be. He then tells us that a young healthy child at a year old is a most delicious, nourishing and wholesome food. The first thing that went through everyones mind is that this man is crazy. Cannibalism? That is disgusting. Yet he continues on as if he said something completely rational and sane. According to his proposal, twenty thousand children may be reserved for breeding which is more than they allow to sheep, black cattle and swine. He is comparing humans to animals again. The rest, being one hundred thousand being sold to persons of quality and fortune. Persons of quality? What kind of person eats a baby? He is even going as far as to tell us to advise the mothers to let their babies suck plentifully in the last month, so as to render them plump and fat for a good table. That is revolting. He is just plain mad. That is the effect I think Jonathan Swift wanted to grab our attention and make us listen to him. That is when the satire starts to unfold and that is when he drops the bomb on us. I grant this food will be somewhat dear, and therefore very proper for landlords, who as they have already devoured most of the parents, seem to have the best title to the children. He is telling us we already have cannibalism. The landlords are cruel and inhuman. The landlords have already taken so much from the families, why not give them the babies as well? ItShow MoreRelatedA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift Essay836 Words   |  4 PagesIn Jonathan Swift’s â€Å"A Modest Proposal†, we are exposed to the timeless issue of homelessness and the state’s role in their social welfare. Swift was a fervent Irish patriot who was disgusted by the flourishing trend of beggars and hungry children that flooded the streets of his beloved country. This topic is relatable as this is a social issue that plagu es many countries in the present age. Swift presents a satirical argument in which he proposes Ireland adopt the horrific practices of eating theirRead MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift1647 Words   |  7 PagesSatire in â€Å"A Modest Proposal† and Different Articles Jonathan Swift, author of â€Å"A Modest Proposal,† tries to present different ideas in order to change the situation of Ireland. Through his proposal, he is able to get people’s attention, and the way he uses satire throughout the article made his argument more successful. He wrote this essay to show how ignored and bad the state of Ireland and its social classes are. In â€Å"A Modest Proposal†, Swift effectively uses rhetorical exaggeration to expressRead MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift982 Words   |  4 Pages Jonathan Swift, author of â€Å"A Modest Proposal,† tries to present different ideas in order to change the situation of Ireland. Through his proposal, he is able to get his point across. He wrote this essay to show how undeveloped and bad the state of Ireland is and the social classes. In â€Å"A Modest Proposal†, Swift effectively uses insincerity, sarcasm, and rhetorical exaggeration to reveal his annoyance of politicians, papists, and overall citizens of poverty-stricken Ireland in the late seventeenthRead MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift813 Words   |  4 PagesJonathan Swift, author of the satirical piece â€Å"A Modest Proposal,† organized an outrageous proposal to the people of Ireland. In this pamphlet, Swift offered his personal views on how to overcome Ireland’s issue of overpopulation and poverty. By raising nationwide attention, Swift plan to shock the readers by emphasizing the idea of cannibalism as a way to deal with Irelandâ€℠¢s problems. Swift’s technique of audience, tone, and pathos help determine the advantages and disadvantages of â€Å"A Model Proposal†Read MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift1333 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"A modest proposal† by Jonathan Swift is an essay, which was written to elaborate the poverty of people in Ireland. Where poor viewed as having an absence of worth in the public eye, playing no essential part in more noteworthy else s benefit of the people. Swift uses situational irony in this essay which also represented a work of satire. By definition situational irony happens when the final outcome is opposing to what was expected. Basically his proposal was for poor children roaming around theRead MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift860 Words   |  4 PagesI was informed to read â€Å"A Modest Proposal† by Jonathan Swift as an assignment for creating annotated bibliographies, I began to develop an interest on how Swift came about the matte r of his request into rebuilding Ireland s economy and way of life. I believed that Swift added cannibalizing children to the subject matter to give his proposal a more profound and eye-opening effect, but my readings further piqued my interests on the topic. As a result, I researched Jonathan Swift’s motives and styleRead MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift1057 Words   |  5 Pages A Modest Proposal â€Å"A Modest Proposal†, written in 1979 by Jonathan Swift, is a fascinating sardonic, overwhelming hyperbole. He explores the miserable fate of poverty-striven Irish whose struggle in vain in an effort to feed their huge emaciated families. In the essay, Swift advocates that the penurious Irish should sell their babies to the rich ladies and gentlemen and obtain monetary power required to ease their economic predicaments. The straight-faced parody that features predominantly in theRead MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift1340 Words   |  6 PagesA Modest Proposal was written in the year 1729 by the famous satirist Jonathan Swift. In his work he outlines the pros of eating unwanted children of Ireland for economical benefits in a time of great poverty. While the reader can obviously discard the idea of eating children, in his proposal, in a roundabout way, Swift speaks to hard pressing issues of the time. The state of Ireland is well described by Swift in this piece. He speaks of woman who â€Å"instead of being able to work for their honestRead MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift1795 Words   |  8 PagesHave you ever thought about eating an infant to ease your economic hardship? You’re not the only one! Jonathan Swift wrote an entire pamphlet about it (satirically, of course). Satire has the ability to point out societal inadequacy and ridicule political policies in a way that is humorous in its absurdity while masking its true intent. In A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift, the author’s use of exaggeration and irony to draw attention to the meaningless lives of the Irish people to English ruleRead MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift1032 Words   |  5 PagesJonathan Swift’s satirical pamphlet, A Modest Proposal, as a way to ironically find a way For the CommonWealth of Ireland to benefit from the starving children. He proposes the idea that an un wanted child should be fattened up then feed to landlords or have their meat sold in the market. In turn curing the nation’s problem of overpopulation and contribute to the economic well-being of the nation. Swift’s satire exploits the fundamental human function of eating. The need to eat is a driving human