ipl-logo

Ethos In The Modest Proposal

470 Words2 Pages

The "Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift is a very persuasive essay to get attention to the famine in Ireland at the time.

*The structure of the essay is well done. Organization gets you hooked before it proposes the topic of eating the children of Ireland. The word choice and easy to follow train of thought, allows the essay to keep the reader involved. The use of Math made it seems more scientific and therefore, truthful.

*The introduction and conclusion are both jaw-dropping in their statements. Concluding with the statement that the proposal is no use to him because he lacks the age appropriate children to eat. Not only did he write about this subject but also thought about how it would apply to his life.

*It brought Ireland to the forefront of the public news in Britain, when something had to be done about the famine. This shocking way brought the attention to everyone, not just the throne and landlords. The general public was now involved. …show more content…

The reason this essay is so shocking and appalling is because of the ethics of human beings. It is an unwritten law to not eat people. The practice is looked upon as barbaric and definitely not accepted in any social circle. Swift went a step further and proposed to eat children. Children are innocent and really the ethics of wanting to kill them is not acceptable. Not only did he propose to eat the children, he went into detail about HOW to eat them and other uses like clothes. You would be crossing all kinds of ethic codes by eating children in a time of famine. But on the other side of the argument, people were starving. They had no food and couldn't feed their children. The idea of eating people would have had to cross the Irish's mind, which makes this essay even more

Show More
Related

  • Injustice In The Book Night By Elie Wiesel

    422 Words  | 2 Pages

    One quote from the book is “I spent my days in total idleness. With only one desire: to eat. I no longer thought of my father, or my mother. From time to time, I would dream. But only about soups, and extra ration of soup."

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Gary Steiner's Animal, Vegetable Mineral

    755 Words  | 4 Pages

    This short story explains and questions how people find eating animals morally acceptable. Steiner 's short story explains that whenever people think these animals are being treated respectfully they are being ignorant to the fact of how these animals are truly treated; Steiner brings up the fact of how an animals typical horrid life is and how it transitions from its horrid life to being killed by a butcher in a matter of seconds. Moreover, Steiner also adheres to the topic of how unacceptable, it is to kill these animals just for human consumption. Steiner 's purpose in writing this short story is to display to us the fact that eating any animal is not only wrong, but it is just downright unacceptable as it is mass murder of these innocent animals. Finally, Steiner tries to define at his best, what a strict vegan truly

    Read More

  • Ethos In Persuasion

    125 Words  | 1 Pages

    This poster uses Ethos- to appeal to the American people. It is created based on the ethic that you do not want your country to loose the war, therefore you will not share any sensitive information. This make the person fell a duty, and responsibility to keep american citizens safe, and you as a citizen should appeal to the country 's need for a trust worthy citizen. Since an argument by definition is when some makes a statement on what they believe is right, I would have to think that this poster uses an argument to make its point across. Meaning that the government believes that the best way to win this war is to keep the American people from providing useful information to the enemy.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Ethos By D. Vance

    559 Words  | 3 Pages

    The author uses additional sources very sparingly in the beginning of the book, but gradually increases when he expresses the real-life events that are occurring and relate to the plot of the story. The sources are credible, with many being from professors and articles reported directly from large journalist corporations. The writer’s use of sources brings a relatable effect to present day issues, as well as exposing the audience to conflict that one may not know about around them. The author uses additional notes within the text and conclusion. Overall, the use of additional sources enhances the impact of the book to highlight the purpose of writing his ideology.

    Read More

  • Jonathan Swift Ethos Pathos Logos Analysis

    879 Words  | 4 Pages

    Swift makes extensive use of Ethos, Logos, and Pathos within the first eight paragraphs to create a strong initial argument that captures the audience’s attention and provide assurance that the information presented is viable. Swift starts with an appeal to Pathos by describing the state of Ireland: “the Streets, the Roads, and Cabin-Doors, crowded with Beggars of the female Sex, followed by three, four, or six Children, all in Rags, and importuning every Passenger for an Alms” (Swift, 1). The description of Ireland leaves a gloomy effect on the audience, as they are met with a somber tone set forth by a description on how thousands of people are affected by the poverty in Ireland. Swift continues this appeal to Pathos by describing the state of families within this poverty: “this prodigious number of Children, in the Arms, or on the Backs, or at the heels of their Mothers, and frequently of their Fathers, is in the present deplorable state of the Kingdom, a very great additional grievance” (Swift, 2). This description of the melancholy state of Ireland creates an emotional appeal because, the thought of having mass amounts of children being forced to cling to their Mothers and Fathers in a desperate struggle for survival, is a morose image.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Essay: A Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift

    576 Words  | 3 Pages

    Rhetorical Analysis Essay: A Modest Proposal Dr. Jonathan Swift places himself as a villain who is willing to do evil deeds to answer hard questions. What pushes Swift to write the essay “A Modest Proposal” is Ireland's economic and social problems. In this satirical essay Swift highlights the problems in Ireland and gives a sarcastic solution to make people feel guilt. Swift’s use of dehumanizing language is used to make the reader oppose Swift’s modest proposal.

    Read More

  • Imagery In Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal

    947 Words  | 4 Pages

    Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” is a very interesting take on how the Irish government should cure the famine that the country was then facing. However, the entire proposal was completely bizarre, and the whole point of the essay was to bring attention to the idea that they needed a solution to the all the problems they were experiencing but the proposal was definitely not it. He even had a strongly developed plan as to how his proposal would work which makes the reader feel as if he is serious about selling children, eating them, and using their skins as a fashion accessory; however, ultimately this proposal was not his true goal. Jonathan Swift skillfully used different styles of writing, such as imagery and irony, to show why the

    Read More

  • An Analysis Of David Wallace's 'Consider The Lobster'

    1736 Words  | 7 Pages

    The consumption of animal meat is highly accepted in today’s society, however, the methods, in which the animals are killed are sometimes questioned for their cruelty. David Wallace, in considering the Lobster, takes the readers to the Maine Lobster Festival, where the consumption of lobsters is exploited, and the festival's attendees celebrate these acts. However, the essay goes furthermore than narrating the lobster’s festival, because through sensory details, and different techniques, he makes the readers question society’s morality. By stressing the cruelty it takes boiling lobsters alive, Wallace is capable of creating a sense of awareness in society decisions that demonstrate their corrupted morality, and how it affects directly others (like lobsters)

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Devices In A Modest Proposal

    1413 Words  | 6 Pages

    1729, a Papist infected Ireland was being devoured by the taxes that the British placed on them. The taxes were turning into what once was a glorious place into ruins. Jonathan Swift, an Englishman and Irish sympathizer, realized that someone had to do something to wake up the British. This lead to the creation of A Modest Proposal, a pamphlet heavy with irony and juvenalian satire, which was how Jonathan Swift planned on compelling the British to do something about the poor situation in Ireland. His use of rhetorical devices gets his point across in an effective and powerful way.

    Read More

  • A Modest Proposal Satire Analysis

    834 Words  | 4 Pages

    “I think the next best thing to solving a problem is finding some humor in it. ”-Frank A. Clark (Psychology Today). A man named Jonathan Swift saw many problems in his government and society. He realized it needed to be fixed. Swift’s strong beliefs pushed him to write satire to try and help Ireland.

    Read More

  • Symbolic Cannibalism In Literature

    1484 Words  | 6 Pages

    The Madman’s brother says “We all know it’s been going on- since the creation of the earth itself. That revolutionary, Xu Xilin, a few years back – didn’t they eat his heart and liver?...and last year, I heard that consumptive ate a steamed roll dipped in the blood of an executed criminal,” (Lu 29) to which the Madman responds, “But do you have to join the conspiracy?” (Lu 29) The Madman displays revolutionary spirit, calling into question the logic of justifying cannibalism simply because it has been ongoing for thousands of years. From context, the executed criminal, Xia, is a revolutionary who is executed for his radical ideals is mentioned in another one of Lu Xun’s works, “Medicine.”

    Read More

  • Analysis Of A Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift

    483 Words  | 2 Pages

    "A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift is a satire that proposes an ironic solution to Ireland 's suffering problem with poverty and overcrowding. Swift proposes the solution of selling children to wealthy families or taverns to be cooked and served. This unrealistic solution shows how absurd of an idea was needed to get the attention of the government. The main purpose of writing his satire was to bring attention to the horrendous conditions that poverty ridden families were suffering from in Ireland during the 1700s.

    Read More

  • The So What Analysis

    211 Words  | 1 Pages

    In this essay, I admire how the writer starts her introduction sentence with an observation on her subject. The writer’s thesis is wordy but strong, and outlines the rest of the essay. Instead of using an entire quote, the writer paraphrased or used two or three important words from the quote to support her idea. The writer also analyzed the author’s ideas instead of stating exactly what the author wrote. The writer did however, use one to two long quotes that she could have shortened or paraphrased.

    Read More

  • Yann Martel's Life Of Pi

    1076 Words  | 5 Pages

    ‘’Lord, to think that I'm a strict vegetarian. To think that when I was a child I always shuddered when I snapped open a banana because it sounded to me like the breaking of an animal's neck. I descended to a level of savagery I never imagined possible’’ ( Yann Martel, chapter

    Read More

  • The Irish Famine

    2021 Words  | 9 Pages

    But it also became a competition where the government pitted laborers against each other. The competition was intense because everyone needed work. The editorial then describes what would happen in other countries and how they didn’t pertain to Ireland because they’re different. Ireland became submissive and waited for the famine. People begin giving

    Read More

More about Ethos In The Modest Proposal

Open Document