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A Modest Proposal Effectiveness

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In the early eighteenth century, something drastic in Ireland needed to be done to end government’s tolerance for poverty. Ireland was experiencing many social and political ills during the time. Harsh taxes and other laws that were passed from distant England led Ireland in becoming the land of the starving. Around 1729, a premier satirist had grasped the attention of the people of Ireland. Jonathan Swift published his most famous satire, A Modest Proposal, where he proposed his idea that the children of Ireland should be bred and butchered. A satire is a piece of writing that generally is making fun about something, however, is still hiding information about a serious issue. The proposal from Swift was a representation of the Irish people …show more content…

However, if Swift simply wrote for instance, that the state of the poor in Ireland was disgraceful and that something must be done to change it, there would have been little attention drawn to the problem. Instead, Swift created an effective, as well as shocking piece that got people thinking about the poor conditions in Ireland and what should be done to change it. Swift even mentions in the essay, “I can think of no one objection that will possibly be raised against this proposal,” (217-218). Swift indirectly introduces other objections to fix Ireland, such as tax citizens that left Ireland and to buy local products as well as rely on the individual strengths that Ireland had as a country. Still, he proposed that there were better ways to fix the problem even though he is not interested in considering them. The piece is effective since readers become engaged in thinking about actual problems and real solutions. If a writer publicizes an unimaginable idea, then it is more likely to catch the reader’s attention compared to a serious piece of work. Jonathan Swift’s satire, A Modest Proposal, proves the point that a satire is an effective means of making a point to a country. It seemed to him that his only option to arise the problem was to shock the nation. Swift’s proposal in particular, was effective since it led the people of Ireland, as well as the government,

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