This essay will be analysing a close reading of Jonathan Swifts ‘A Modest Proposal,’ focusing on the literary technique of satiric meaning and the effects this has on the overall message including references to the definition of satire from Murfin and Ray. The use of Satire is present in Jonathan Swifts ‘A Modest Proposal’ since it involves “using irony, wit, and sometimes sarcasm to expose humanity's vices and foibles (Murfin and Ray 251),” which we can identify predominantly in the dialogue of the text. The essay will be anaylsed through referring to one set reading provided by Barbara Bengels ‘Swifts modest proposal’ and how Swift uses the proposal to discuss the “Children of Poor People (in Ireland) Being a Burden to their Parents, or …show more content…
At the time when Swift’s proposal was made, Britain’s dictatorial reign in Ireland had left the nation in poverty and disarray. Criticising a nation was much easier to do in a joking tone or be harder to read rather than direct and upfront. Swift wanted to discuss these issues and found by writing in satire he could have the readers’ attention in way that a seriously written piece could not reach. Satire is present when Swift convinces the audience that he is an empathetic individual introducing the proposal with a sophisticated and compassionate manner beginning in the sentence, "I shall now therefore humbly propose my own thoughts, which I hope will not be liable to the least objection (1)," luring the reader into a sense of false trust as he begins the descriptions of the poor in Ireland. The reader is led to believe at first that this is a serious essay however it is not until deep into the proposal the reader can see how Swift uses satire to propose his thoughts found in the sentence, “a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled;” continuing on that, “no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricasie, or a ragoust (1).” By doing so the reader has no time to second guess the abnormality of the thought of a baby served as a fricasie or ragoust, which is quite
Opinions on tragic events are usually something sought as serious and dreary. Trying to find the best way to have a solution for the problem. However, in A Modest Proposal, Jonathan Swift provides a different approach on solving a certain tragedy. A solution by no means actually providing a benefit but by conveying a satirical diction towards the situation. Swift's satirical tone and ironic persona reveals his use of rhetorical strategies to prepare the reader for his proposal.
In the “Modest Proposal” essay Jonathan Swift uses a variety of satire and techniques to convey his message. Through the use of techniques of satire such as incongruity and hyperbole, Swift turns his message into something humorous and sarcastic to get his message across. In this essay, I will give a brief historical context for the satirical piece written by Swift, discuss the message the author was trying to convey, and how he used satire to get his message across. Modest proposal was written in 1729 by Jonathan Swift with the objective of shocking the English Society into the unjust policies towards the Irish, which gave a demonstration that the Irish were living a life of unfairness. At the time, Swift describes the town of Dublin as a place where many female beggars would be located in the streets asking passerby for money.
“A Modest Proposal,” takes advantage of the overlooked pamphlets, and constructs a ridiculous proposal. The author, Jonathan Swift, does this to illustrate how poor the social classes of Ireland was during its time of poverty in 1729. Swift proposes that babies from the underprivileged should be used to feeding and clothing thousands to improve Ireland’s economy and standard of living. He states this because many women were procreating, but were unable to provide for their children. Swift also states that his proposal would make the babies beneficial to the public.
It’s also important to note that many pamphlets advocating for action on behalf of the poor were already in circulation and had proved to be largely ineffective. Satire makes challenging societal norms and authority a lot easier and more effective because instead of preaching the issue of poverty and its solutions, it uses humor to ridicule the indifferent while promoting its cause. Swift uses sarcasm when speaking about the methods in which children could be cooked, “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, whether Stewed, Roasted, Baked, or Boyled, and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a Fricasie, or Ragoust” (Swift 3). This is an example of the sarcasm that Swift uses to alarm his audience. By using the words stewed, roasted, and boiled, Swift proves to his audience that this is a ridiculous concept.
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.
He rationalizes his proposal to make it seem less barbaric. He claims it will help the poor by making them a little money so they will have something valuable of their own. The irony of this story to me is that Swift was poor as a child and has no empathy for children in the situation he was once in. Although its hard to believe Swifts goal in writing was to improve human conduct, and for people to be more humane which is another irony in regard to his story “a modest proposal”. Alexander Pope’s “The Rape of the Lock” is a poem that uses exaggeration and humor to capture its reader.
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.
Swift in other words was proving that the Rich English had no care or worry for the poor Irish. Swift uses satire by proposing a very morbid thing, try to persuade his audience that it would be for the better good if they ate babies. Swift suggest that the children be fattened up. “I have reckoned upon a medium that child just born will weigh 12 pounds, and in a solar year, if tolerably nursed, increaseth to 28 pounds.” (Swift) By saying this it puts a vivid image into the readers mind.
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/or using their skins as a fashion accessory; however, ultimately this proposal is not his true goal. Jonathon Swift skillfully used different styles of writing, such as imagery and irony, to show why the Irish should sell their children to the rich to eat.
In this essay, Swift uses irony, slight humor, and sarcasm (Smith, 2011). The author does not wish for his proposals to be carried out. The absurdity of his proposals clearly shows his displeasure with Ireland’s state (Smith, 2011). In his piece, it urges readers to be aware of how dire the situation is, and that people must come up with a proper solution. His way of writing this essay should not be taken literally, but it should be carefully assessed and understood (Lovin,
In literature, the element of satire is employed to illustrate or exploit the corruption of a society by means of exaggeration, black humor, highbrow wit, or mockery. The writer's intent is to make permanent change for a problem or fight a cause in a society that otherwise looks away in ignorance. In "A Modest Proposal," Jonathan Swift spins a web of masterful satire to propose a grisly solution to the problem of poverty, which mocks the folly of the 18th century socially elite and puts the blame on the greed of the wealthy for the sickly state of the nation. The Restoration and the 18th century for the British was a time of great commercial and economic prosperity, and the Anglican Church remained closely tied with the governmental power
The problem is that there are many children who came from the families of beggars and the economic problems they face. The author shows the condition of these beggars and their children. The solution that he proposes is to fatten up the children and sell them to Ireland’s rich people which is very strange. He thinks that by doing this the children won’t be a burden on their parents or country. As audience I think it was confusing to read but the tone of the essay is bitter and mocking of the poor.
In this selection, A Modest Proposal written by Jonathan Swift, he uses a great deal of satire throughout his essay to prove his point and get people to thinking. Satire is a great tool especially in real-world issues, it is a very clever way to inform people while also challenging them to reflect and maybe even reconsider popular or even not so popular ideas. Jonathan Swift exemplifies his usage of satire in his essay to address social and government issues, lower class abuses, this was a way to prevent the children of the poor from being a burden to their parents and/or country and making them beneficial to the people of the country. An example of Swift's usage of satire is when he makes an extravagant claim to reveal and explain to the
Swift’s satire consisted of many “modest theories.” For example, you may have heard people talk about overpopulation. You may have your own theories about it, but what about eating children? In this instance, Jonathan Swift used his form of humor, also known as satire, to get his point across, in which wrote a pamphlet called “A Modest Proposal,” a mockery for the ideas of how to deal with overpopulation. “Satire is a technique employed by writers to
The large-scale issue of poverty is dated all the way back to the 18th Century and it continues today. To raise awareness about this issue, two very brilliant writers, Jonathan Swift and Fred Grimm used different forms of satire to get their points across. Jonathan Swift is an 18th Century writer, who used Juvenalian satire in his work “A Modest Proposal” to inform the English about the raising number of those in poverty in Ireland. Juvenalian satire is often a bitter, or angry form of satire that criticizes a corruption. Fred Grimm started writing for the Miami Herald in the 20th Century, he used Horatian satire in his column “State budget solution: