Jonathan Swift Passage Analysis

A Modest Proposal was written in 1729 by a man of the name Johnathan Swift. This is a piece of early satire. He writes this to insult the early government system and mocks the heartless attitude that they have against the poor. He does this by writing a proposal that absolutely is outlandish and unthinkable, starting by addressing the current issue. “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” (Swift 1).

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.

Thesis: Swift uses rhetorical device to convey his message that the British are abusing their power against Ireland to gain land and economic boosts,and that Ireland should not only raise prices, but also self-manufacture to not depend on the British.

A Modern Proposal – A Satirical, Persuasive, MockeryPeople will always have an opinion. It is easy to judge and express our distaste to specificsituations but very few would actually offer solutions to the problem. Jonathan Swift not only offered several solutions but he did it in such a way that others couldn’t help but listen, or in this case, couldn’t stop reading. Born in Ireland in 1667, Jonathan Swift was an Anglican priest. He was best known for his use of irony, exaggeration, and humor, often addressing the English and their never-ending exploitation of the Irish. During a time of terrible poverty, Swift wrote A Modest Proposal in the form of a pamphlet in 1729. Meant as a way to show people that they had not come up with relevant or effective solutions to solve the most prominent social issues of overpopulation, poverty, and abortion. Through a horrifying sarcastic idea of cannibalism, Swift is able to get his point across by presenting inhumane and unethical “solutions” to the Irish. Set in the poverty stricken Irish countryside, A Modern Proposal is filled with sarcasm, vivid imagery, and irony from the very beginning. Swift immediately addresses the problem of poverty by talking about the begging mothers with multiple children on the street. He vividlyportrays for the reader, the melancholy that runs through the streets by seeing all the women and children dressed in ragged clothing. He also mentions them begging people as they pass by. He sees a problem with the

Jonathan Swift used rhetorical strategies to create a satire that achieves his purpose. Jonathan Swift wrote this essay to address the issue of poverty in Ireland at that time. Swift demonstrates that he has put in research time, creates hyperbole, and sarcasm to create a satire that achieves his purpose.

What were the social conditions in Ireland that occasioned the writing of Jonathan Swift’s essay? Does the essay indicate what Swift considers to be the causes of these conditions? Does Swift target anybody in particular with his satire? How can you tell?

Swift shows his despair from the rejection he has experienced from every caregiver or leader in his own life, just as the poor have been rejected by society, forcing them to resort to begging. He feels that something drastic will have to happen in order for things to change, otherwise the misery of being devoured by society will be upon the poor “breed for ever,” as well as himself (Swift). Perhaps this drastic change that would have to occur is already too late for Swift. Perhaps his unresolved childhood complexes are too far past that they can never be resolved, but he is still trying to resolve them through his proposal that is trying to resolve society’s large problem of poverty.

First and foremost, Swift starts off with an appeal to logic. Swift starts by criticising the kingdom for example “I think it is agreed by all parties, that this

The Revolutionary War is one, if not the most memorable time of American history. It is what started the beginning of the land of the free. The colonization and tyranny of England was not just felt in the thirteen colonies that became America but also in places such as Ireland. Authors such as Jonathan Swift not only acted as literary geniuses but as a way for modern day historians to see the effects of colonization and the hardships of a country where the wealthy and politicians live almost in another world than most of the country that lives in poverty. The works of Jonathan Swift express his political views and social observations during the sixteen and seventeen hundreds at the height of conflict between England and Ireland.

Sadly, Swift never could find the life and creativity late in his life that propelled him to such extraordinary feats. After the 1730s, Swift declined in body and spirit (Damrosch, 424), due in part to the deaths of Stella and other friends (Biography.com Editors). He wrote not for pleasure or business, but out of boredom. To make matters worse, because he despised most of his later writings, he burned them. Therefore, few copies exist of his final works (Damrosch, 424). One reason why Swift was so angry was because he lost the power to change the minds of others (Damrosch, 454-456).

In his biting political satire called ?A Modest Proposal,? Jonathan Swift seeks to create empathy for the poor through his ironic portrayal of the children of Irish beggars as commodities that can be regulated and even eaten. He is able to poke fun at the dehumanization of the multitudes of poor people in Ireland by ironically commenting on what he sees as an extension of the current situation. Swift?s essay seeks to comment on the terrible condition of starvation that a huge portion of Ireland has been forced into, and the inane rationalizations that the rich are quick to submit in order to justify the economic inequality. He is able to highlight the absurdity of these attempted

Poverty has been a problem not only in Texas or the United States, but all over the world. Many types of individuals have addressed this topic for years, raised money, volunteered, but still, as much as there’s said and done, the issue hasn’t been fazed a bit. From Jonathan Swift’s Modest Proposal, he clarifies the poverty issued throughout Ireland in the early 1700’s and how one suggestion could change it all. Elaborated from the Literary Reference Center, “A Modest Proposal, like Gulliver’s Travels, transcends the political, social, and economic crisis that gave birth to it, woeful as they were. Packed with irony and satirical revelations of the human condition…” Swift wasn’t just writing a masterpiece, but an intended, informational

Swift begins his argument with the rule of three in ‘a true friend, a good marriage, a perfect form of government.’ These ‘seldom subsist’ assets contrast to his hopeful words as he states that the only way for his society to overcome social flaws inherent in society is if they ‘avoid a multitude of errors’ which he continues to reveal throughout his argument. With high modality, Swift states that this is in ‘everyman’s power,’ enforcing that every individual has the ability to improve conversations. Swift’s

The sun of the Eighteenth century shines brilliantly on the era of British wealth and power, filling every part of great British life with pride and confidence. British literature, no longer stoic and medieval is revitalized and reclassified. As in the early Renaissance days Restoration authors think highly of Classical literature. Unlike their predecessors however, they are freer with classical style and prose. In one such restoration work, patterned after early Greek and Roman Cynics, author Jonathan Swift Calls the British Isles to action with an unprecedented solution to the problem of poverty; and exemplifies neoclassical literature in satirical style, sordid subject, and solid structure.