“A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift, and “Top of the Food Chain” by T. Coraghessan Boyle, both are short stories that explore the concept of satire. Satire can be defined as a kind of writing that ridicules human weakness, vice, of folly in order to bring about social reform. It is a kind of writing to bring about change to society. Even though both are short stories, they easily get the faults of society across to its readers. In “A Modest Proposal,” Swift is offering an outrageous solution to the problems of human misery. He proposes that people should start eating babies, and using them for everything that they are worth on a daily basis. Swift creates a pamphlet and states six reasons as to why this is a brilliant idea. He states that money wouldn’t be wasted on food, the number of Catholics would be reduced, it would be great inducement to marriages, there would be more food so the economy would increase, poor tenants would have money for their landlords, and it would be an improvement for the tavern business. Swift wants everyone to know how badly the Irish people are being treated by the English. He wants to change the reader’s point of view through this sarcastic satirical pamphlet. The authors’ purpose of “A Modest Proposal,” is to try to change society. Swift is trying to reform the British official’s involvement in Ireland. People are dying, and nothing is being done about it. He is trying to shock readers with a twisted story, but also bring about change
The implied thesis of Swift’s “A Modest Proposal" is that 18th century Ireland would be in a better situation if the Irish society and monarchy actually treated problems such as overpopulation and poverty, While the overt thesis is that Irish people should consider eating their children and selling them to rich Englishmen to solve the issue of poverty and overpopulation in the country. They differ form one another as one focuses on eating children, while the other focuses on giving commentary through the essay itself.
From the beginning, irony is immediately displayed through the title of the text, A Modest Proposal. Modest means to be moderate and the proposal stated is anything but. The irony of this title serves to display to the audience how “moderate” this plan is in comparison to what the government was presently doing which was basically nothing in Swift’s eyes. Throughout the introduction, the speaker introduces the problem -- overpopulation and poverty -- and presents a solution. He mentions children in passing, which later on becomes a large part of his “proposal” to help Ireland. Swift cites that a significant part of the problem in Ireland is the struggle to provide for the evergrowing population and in order to solve this, children -- specifically newborns to a year old -- should be sold to the upper classes as food. He describes that “a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food..” (Swift, lines 70-71). This solution would lessen the pressure for the state to provide for them in addition to other benefits that Swift later expresses. This hyperbolic suggestion serves to express Swift’s viewpoint on the actions of the upper class to solve the issues that Ireland was enduring. He was implying that their
Satire is a form of literature in which an author tries to demonstrate his or her point of view by ridiculing. The author uses heavy irony and sarcasm in order to criticize a social issue. A perfect example of a work of satire is Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal. In this satirical essay, Jonathan Swift attacks on the issue of the Irish poverty in the 1700s. The essay sarcastically suggests that Ireland’s social and economic problems would be quickly solved by putting the children of impoverished Irish families on the food market. Through heavy exaggeration, Jonathan
A Modest Proposal is a satirical essay written by Jonathan Swift to raise awareness to the government about the poor and what they should do about it. Swift proposes that we should eat the children as a way to make the government to keep reading the work and understand the problem. He also named the work A Modest Proposal while his persona in the work was arrogant and prideful to show the irony in his satiric proposal. In A Modest Proposal, Swift uses the first uses the first few paragraphs to introduce the problem.
Swift uses irony instead of straight forward remarks to express his anger toward the British and how their oppression on his people is destroying the economy. Swifts anger has become so great he states that much of the population would have been better off dead, which may be exaggerated but not ironic. Instead of coming straight out and writing a rational proposal he uses satire to mock the British but at the same time get a valuable point across. All satire is ultimately driven by anger at some level. Its purpose is to not only entertain but to drive change. A Modest Proposal is a reminder of these roots.
Although I realize your concern, you have missed the point of this well thought out essay completely. Despite what you may think about A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift, this essay is a satire master piece filled with irony. Swift’s essay was not intended to convince people to eat babies, but to call attention to the abuses Catholic’s face from their well-to-do Protestants. He only uses eating babies in his essay to explain to the reader the impossible burdens the Protestants are imposing on the Irish Catholics and by making their life hard, they are making a life of a new born impossible.
“A Modest Proposal” uses ironic and cruel humor to target Ireland’s corruption and poverty. Jonathan Swift bizarre way of announcing his discontent in regards to the British and how Ireland is going down the hill, makes his audience uncomfortable but aware that there is an issue. Subsequently, Swift presents the idea of selling babies as food in order to stabilize the country’s condition. Morbid as it sounds, Swift continues to deliberately explain why this idea would be the perfect solution by stating that these children and their parents begging are “a very great additional grievance” (Swift, 2) and furthermore continues to state that the country should fine a way to make these children ‘useful’. Throughout the text, Swift makes a serious argument on why
In A Modest Proposal, Jonathan Swift challenges the Neo-classical period by creating a sense of instability in their way of thinking. He attacks the society by carelessly endorsing cannibalism in hopes to help Ireland through their economic crisis. He demonstrates this by humbly proposing and assuring "that a young healthy child, well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food."
A Modest Proposal was written in an attempt to open the people of Ireland’s eyes about the overpopulation, poverty, and young thieves on the street. Jonathan Swift, in his writing, A Modest Proposal, uses a unique way to get people’s attention on the problems at hand. Swift’s purpose is to give the people of Ireland something they cannot possibly ignore. He adopts a disappointed tone in order to make his audience feel like they did something wrong for letting this occur for such in his audience of the people of Dublin, Ireland.
The similar idea that is mentioned in “A modest Proposal and in onion article is. Swift proposes that the babies of all the poor and desolate will “contribute to the feeding, and partly to the clothing, of many thousands” to improve Ireland’s economy and standard of living. He says this because many women kept having
The use of satire in literary works has always been a part of our culture, as well as other cultures of the world. Satire isn’t focused on how the author satirizes, but rather, what is being satirized. The goal is for the audience to think more about a topic, and as previously stated, can be done in many forms.
In the essay “A Modest Proposal” written by Jonathan Swift, the author proposes a solution for hunger, poverty, and overcrowding in Ireland by eating children. Swift uses satire and sarcasm throughout his entire essay in order to grab his audience’s attention. The essay discusses how the British government treats the people of Ireland and compares it to the consumption and trade of human babies. In paragraphs 20 to 26 Swift lists advantages of his proposal, also with rhetorical appeals and rhetorical devices strategies such as metonymy, oxymoron, metaphor, and irony to develop his position in the argument and reveal the real meaning behind his proposal.
When one thinks of the phrase “A Modest Proposal,” does one come to think of fattening babies so they can sell as meat. In Jonathan Swift’s essay “A Modest Proposal,” Swift uses satirical writing to communicate with the reader to expose the critical situation of the poor people of Ireland. Whom besides going through a tough period of famine have to endure the overwhelming taxation rates of the English empire. The author’s proposal intends to convince the public of the incompetence of Ireland’s politicians, the lack empathy of the wealthy, the English oppression, and the inability of the Irish to mobilize themselves against this situation. Johnathan proposed an outrageous solution that the Irish folks eat their children at the age of one or sell them in the market as meet. Finally, he manifests to be open to other suggestions to help overcome the country’s crisis. The proposal was made strategically using several different parts: the text, author, audience, purpose, and setting to persuade the tax to go lower.
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
"A Modest Proposal" is a social commentary written by Jonathan Swift, he uses techniques such as irony, satire, and sarcasm to mock the Irish government of his time. After reading Swift's essay half way through, one might not believe how graphic and shocking it's been written. He wrote a letter suggesting they sell the children of the poor to the wealthy families, as this will provide food, clothing, and will decrease the population. Throughout the letter he uses remarkable details as to how they should go about eating the children, treating them as livestock. The letter ends with a completely different tone when the author explains the absurdity of his proposal and instead suggests something a bit more realistic and humane like the wealthy should give up some of their luxuries. He uses a lot of thorough, literalized metaphors, and ironic and sarcasm techniques to a devastating effect. A Modest Proposal has been judged as an excellent work of rhetorical brilliancy, and it acquires readers critical attention up until now Swift exposes all the bizarre remarks and ideas he has been discussing about are all a humorous way to make fun of the way the government is run and how they are not serving their country. Afterwards he expresses a proper proposal of taking away some of the wealthier people's luxuries in order to help their economy. this essay explains the three techniques used in Swift's proposal, such as; Irony, Satire and Sarcasm.