A Modest Proposal Rhetorical Analysis Essay

Rhetorical Analysis of A Modest Proposal In one of the most famous and most skilled pieces of satirical writing, "A Modest Proposal," Jonathon Swift aims to reveal a number of social problems that were going on in Ireland during the eighteenth century. These problems included overpopulation, starvation, and poverty. In order to accomplish his goal of bringing attention to these problems, Swift assumes the role of an economic planner who is very impersonal, objective, and insensitive. Three elements that convey the difference between the narrator 's proposal and Swift 's actual purpose include the satirical character of his tone, the ironical humor in his outrageous solutions to expose the prejudice against the poor Irish people by taking extreme measures, and the use of diction to dehumanize the

The proposer 's satiric tone is effective because it allows him to ask disturbing questions without directly asking them. It is also effective, in that, it forces the people to deeply examine the problem and take steps toward fixing the problem. In the article, "Have you eaten yet?" the author says, "Swift wrote to vex us, indeed, but this vexation has a meaning and a mood" (Phiddian 605). This statement completely sums up what Swift 's purpose is, which is to stir up the rich upper classmen who sit by and watch the Irish people live in poverty and ultimately bring change. In the essay, the proposer says "I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food…" (Swift 58). This excerpt from the passage effectively uses pathos and ethos to appeal to the reader 's emotions and morals. He takes jabs at the American people by saying that an American acquaintance told him that they love to eat their children too. During this time, the slave trade was in full effect in