Dr. Jonathan Swifts 'Modest Proposal'

At the time A Modest Proposal was written, Ireland was in a state of extreme poverty. The country was significantly overpopulated: people were struggling to make ends meet and provide for the growing population. The author of the text, Dr. Jonathan Swift, was repulsed by the Irish government’s reluctance to institute any major changes to help resolve the levels of poverty and overpopulation present at the time. In response, he wrote this text to criticize the upper class for this level of inaction, as well as their failed attempts at resolving the issue. Through Swift’s use of satirical devices -- such as irony, hyperbole, and understatement -- he was able to convey his message to the public which was criticism about the inadequate actions being taken by the government to solve Ireland’s troubles. He believed they weren’t doing enough to help the situation at the time and wanted them to see their defeat in hopes that they would decide to finally act.

At the outbreak of war the Australians were signing up by the hundreds to serve ‘the mother country’ without conscription, but soon they began to realize that war wasn’t some romanticised adventure and the number of troops signing up began to slow down because they were learning more about war so they weren’t so keen to sign up anymore because of that the number of troops for the wars was so little that by 1916 they had a shortage of men. The Labour Party Prime Minister William (Billy) Hughes decided to have a referendum for the idea of conscription even though his party was opposed to it. Conscription had a big effect on Australia and it caused the nation to be divided over the issue because some people believed that the young men of Australia

Satire is a form of literature in which an author tries to demonstrate his or her point of view by ridiculing. The author uses heavy irony and sarcasm in order to criticize a social issue. A perfect example of a work of satire is Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal. In this satirical essay, Jonathan Swift attacks on the issue of the Irish poverty in the 1700s. The essay sarcastically suggests that Ireland’s social and economic problems would be quickly solved by putting the children of impoverished Irish families on the food market. Through heavy exaggeration, Jonathan

In ‘A Modest Proposal’ the author, Jonathan Swift utilizes techniques such as satire, sarcasm, and irony to create a bigger picture to the reader. Within the poem, Swift not only presents a humorous approach to social and economic issues but does so in a well-constructed and carefully composed manner. A closer reading of the text reveals a deeper critical analysis of the social perceptions of the poor at the time. Through Swifts’ use of irony, he creates a proposal that is so extremely absurd that some may believe the piece to be genuine. By taking an issue and providing a corrupt and merciless solution, the writer uses a unique approach to catch the attention of the people of Ireland and presents them a proposal they cannot ignore. Through the use of irony, Swift creates a poem that not only criticizes social perceptions of the poor but also remarks upon the issue without directly addressing the reader.

Jonathan Swift was a very crafty writer for his time. Living in 16th and 17th century Ireland must not have been easy considering the history. During this time there was a famine and England was watching and waiting for the downfall of this country. Swift was a satirical writer who was very good at his craft. In “A Modest Proposal,” Swift introduces a lunatic idea that his country should “eat the children.” He is, of course, joking, but he makes a huge statement in saying this. It shows that the government would rather ignore or blame the problem on someone else rather than fixing the problem itself. This reading relates to an audience in that Swift is trying to let the people of his time see what a horrible government the people of Ireland live in. This argument mattered to the people of Ireland and it should matter today because it shows how a government can say it takes care of its people when it truly does not. “A Modest Proposal,” is a very valuable piece because it proves that it just takes one voice to open the eyes of others, and I believe that Swift did an excellent job using the rhetorical triangle because his satirical masterpiece made people think about how they were being treated by the government.

The Irish have done nothing to halt the terrorizing nature of their domineering counterparts. Swift uses this proposal to “the wretched Irish situation” (Lockwood). By “rigorously underplaying the aspect of fantasy in his proposal,” Swift suggests the Irish have arrived at a condition in which such a plan may be seriously considered (Lockwood). Booth describes that every detail of Swift’s proposal “supports the inference that the woes of Ireland make, indeed, a ‘melancholy Object.’” In essence, the “anger against the English is used merely to heighten” Swift’s own dismay over the way Ireland has conducted itself (Booth). Swift craftily causes readers to question more than just how to fix the problems in fraught Ireland.

Jonathan Swift 1667- 1745 a satirist in the early of the seventeenth century also known as the age of Alignment. Alignment was the period of knowledge and reasons were philosophers, writers, science, and technology improved. Swift Wrote “A Modest Proposal” when the English took a vast territory of the Ireland lands and protestant wealthy English families remained in the Irish lands ruling and abusing the Irish catholic. Injustice was done by preventing the Irish from getting education and from holding higher positions. Being oppressed by the British the Irish remained with hunger and starvation. Swift in “A Modest Proposal”, described ironically the unfairness of the British government and the unkind paternities that was practiced toward the poor Irish children as being as burden to their parents or country. For example, in his satirists writing he suggests that the English should eat starving

Swift was said to “declare at one stage in his life: ‘I am not of this vile country (Ireland), I am an Englishman’” (Hertford website). In his satire “A Modest Proposal,” he illustrates his dislike not only for the Irish, but for the English, organized religions, rich, greedy landlords, and people of power. It is obvious that Swift dislikes these people, but the reader must explore from where his loathing for the groups of people stems. I believe Swift not only wanted to attack these various types of people to defend the defenseless poor beggars, but he also had personal motives for his writings that stemmed from unconscious feelings, located in what Sigmund Freud would call the id, that Swift

But there are many different opinions about Faulkner and his writing. In The world that created William Faulkner – William Faulkner and Southern History by Joel Williamson, Don H. Doyle talks and comments on Joel Williamson’s thoughts about Faulkner’s work. It is said in the document that Williamson investigated Faulkner and his family and found some very interesting things. For example, that Faulkner’s grandfather stole five thousand dollars of the taxes he collected for the government and ‘supposedly’ ran away with a black woman that served another family. Even if Williamson is a historian that likes to look into the facts rather than the ‘town’s gossip’ he states that the stealing part was true. He also talked about Faulkner’s allegations

The Irish have done nothing to halt the terrorizing nature of their domineering counterparts. Swift uses this proposal to describe the wretched situation in Ireland. By “rigorously underplaying the aspect of fantasy in his proposal,” Swift suggests the Irish have arrived at a condition in which such a plan may actually be seriously considered (Lockwood). Ireland is in such a dismal state that “the advantages by the proposal,” which Swift presents, are of the highest importance” (Swift). Merrily pitching his own ludicrous idea, Swift is mockingly attempting to elucidate the seriousness of the state of Ireland. Every detail of the proposal reveals the terrible conditions of Ireland through the eyes of a normal citizen. Through Swift’s vividly appalling arguments, the audience is “never allowed to forget that Swift hates the evil conditions more passionately than the speaker who describes them” (Booth). In essence, the ostensible anger against the English in the proposal is used merely to heighten Swift’s own dismay over the way Ireland has conducted itself (Booth). Swift craftily causes readers to question whether he is being serious or just poking fun at the sad situation.

In order to prevent the children become a burden from their parents and make them more beneficial to the Ireland society, Jonathan Swift proposes several solutions and details them in his “A Modest Suggestion” which was written in 1792. Irony is the main literary technique used by Swift throughout the whole story. To relieve Irish from suffering miserable life, Swift supposes like “The remaining hundred thousand may, at a tear old, be offered in sale to the persons of quality and fortune through the kingdom” (Swift 2). The suggestions that Swift proposes in the story are incredible and ridiculous. However, he uses “modest” in the title which strongly mocks the hypocrisy and cruelty of the authorities at that time.

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.

Jonathan Swift wrote A Modest Proposal in response to the Whigs political party attempting to further devalue the existing third-world economy of Ireland through absentee landlordism. The Whig Party was originally founded in 1678, at the start of Britain’s modern political history. The key principles of the Whigs were to defend the people against tyranny and to advance human progress. Swift sought to expose the English complacency and hypocrisy as well as Irish 's unwillingness to fight back against injustice. The way A Modest Proposal is written, it is obvious it was made of people of higher class. Swift show those who are privileged a glimpse of what life is like for poverty struck Ireland.

In 1729, critical Jonathan Swift addresses the situation that poor and homeless people of Ireland face such as being “forced to employ all their time in strolling to beg sustenance for their helpless infants”. He does so in a proposal published via pamphlet by personifying as a projector to criticize the English for their oppressive methods used to make the Irish people suffer unjustly. Their methods include intense taxing and overly expensive rent that is far from payable. The English landlords have complete control over Ireland and its land and they use that power to oppress its people and then benefit off their suffering. Nothing is being done to improve the Irish people’s lifestyle now that it has been uprooted and utterly destroyed. Jonathan Swift aims to change that, using a perfect blend of satirical strategies such as exaggeration, understatement, sarcasm, and rhetorical strategies like appeals to emotion, logic and finally credibility so that people will begin to understand just how immorally England treats Ireland without so much as a consequence.