Jonathan Swift s A Modest Proposal - 1456 Words

Jonathan Swift was an Irish poet and satirist of the eighteenth century. Although the son of Englishmen, Swift was born and raised in Ireland. While living in Ireland, he witnessed the death of thousands of Irish due to starvation which was caused due to crop failure. Swift, who wasn’t even personally affected by the issue, acknowledged that the death of the Irish population which he argues was caused because of the neglect of English landowners. Instead of allowing for the issue to continue to be avoided, he addressed the issue. In 1729, Swift released a very popular narrative known as A Modest Proposal. This proposal is anything but modest but the title goes with the essay. This essay uses satire to get the message of HELP OUT THE IRISH†¦show more content†¦The abundance of children is doing nothing but worsening the starving conditions of the nation. However, babies could become a useful member of society if they were to be sold to the meat market. As mentioned w ithin the text, â€Å"a young healthy Child well Nursed is at a year Old, a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome Food†. Young children of society would no longer be a burden but a solution to end starvation within the communities. This proposal continues on by advocating that selling children to the meat market will beneficial to all involved. By selling their children into the meat market, parents will be able to have extra cash in their pocket. This will ultimately lead to families being better able to support their families. There as well would be a surplus of food for the dying Irish population. There will be much more meat product available for this starving population. This solution would end brutal abortions and the murder of â€Å"bastard children† by their parents. This would allow for less lives of children being abruptly ended without good reasoning. At least with this proposal, babies will be able to help out the people of Ireland. Obviously not to b e taken literal, Swift’s narrative actually criticizes those who are allowing for the Irish to die of starvation. This narrative acknowledges that situation is ridiculous and the lack of an attempt to even address the issue is even worse. By proving such an obscure proposal, he is demonstrating thatShow MoreRelatedJonathan Swift s A Modest Proposal996 Words   |  4 PagesJonathan Swift, 18th century writer and political activist, published â€Å"A Modest Proposal† in 1729 in the midst of turmoil in his home country of Ireland. Under British rule Irish citizens were left destitute and neglected, giving Swift the inspiration for â€Å"A Modest Proposal†. Jonathan Swift’s use of Aristotle s modes of persuasion and straight-faced satire broke Ireland s silence, calling out affluent members of British society and religious hierarchy alike, creating one of the most influentialRead MoreJonathan Swift s A Modest Proposal971 Words   |  4 PagesJonathan Swift is a well known writer who wrote Gulliver s Travels and many more lesser known works. A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift can be used to argue many things. The work itself is a pamphlet to that explains how one could go about the famine in Ireland. He suggests by his title that this will not be a over the top or extreme suggestion instead being modest and understandable. The most notable part of his work however is the obscenity of it as he describes in detail what the benefitsRead MoreJonathan Swift s A Modest Proposal1008 Words   |  5 PagesAccording to Sparknotes, In the 1700’s, Ireland went through an economic depression as well as other problems in the country such as starvation, overpopulation and intolerable taxation by England. The families in Ireland could not afford to maintain their children therefore the children became a burden. Politicians did nothing to improve Ireland’s situation. These ongoing Problems in Ireland led Jonathan Swift to write,† A Modest Proposal.† In his essay, Swift uses satire to give rational but extremeRead MoreJonathan Swift s Modest Proposal1562 Words   |  7 PagesEmpire. Thesis: Jonathan Swift s Modest Proposal is the most effective in conveying its proposal against Imperialism as a universal theme. Directional Statement: Jonathan Swift s Modest Proposal successfully uses evidence to support its proposal and an effective style of writing. It also presents a clearly defined problem and solution compared to George Orwell s â€Å"Shooting an Elephant† and Thomas Jefferson s â€Å"Declaration of Independence†. Point 1: Swift s Modest Proposal effectively usesRead MoreAnalysis Of Jonathan Swift s A Modest Proposal956 Words   |  4 Pagesissue for the Irish and became a topic of satire ridicule for writers. Specifically, Jonathan Swift demonstrates mockery of this time in one of his written works, â€Å"A Modest Proposal.† The speaker proposes to shift the issues of over population and poverty to a business like mentality by paying woman to bare children and then after a year, gaining a profit by selling and eat their children. The speaker’s proposal to consume the children of Ireland demonstrates a satirical solution to the Irish’s economicRead MoreJonathan Swift s Modest Proposal850 Words   |  4 PagesJonathon Swift â€Å"Modest Proposal† is shocking satire that is supposed to bring to light the ill state of the Irish nation during the time period. Swift was making a point that the state that Ireland was in a major economic crisis and was overpopulated and was in a dire need of a solution, so he propose one. But even though this was written many years ago we can still draw inspiration form it today. The essay begins as a Proposal for a solution to the extreme poverty and over population of IrelandRead MoreJonathan Swift s A Modest Proposal1809 Words   |  8 PagesJonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal is a satirical essay that sardonically uses an outrageous solution to the massive poverty in Ireland. He proposes this lengthy idea of eating children as the solution to the society’s problems. His serious yet hyperbolic and satirical style allows Swift an approach to get people engaged in the difficulties the Irish had to do to survive their everyday life. This essay explores Swift’s ability to use literary devices and how these techniques advance his idea aboutRead MoreJonathan Swift s A Modest Proposal1859 Words   |  8 Pagessuperiority (Holmes). The satirical literary device was at its peak during the Neoclassical Period in which the enlightenment writer, Jonathan Swift, was exceptional at this writing style (Jokinen). He excelled at rebuking Britainâ₠¬â„¢s flaws and pointed out the hypocrisy at the time by extensive ridicule of the conventual school of thought. Jonathan Swift’s, A Modest Proposal is an inspiration to many aspiring satirical authors, as he is admired as a rhetorical virtuoso that shed light on the profuse moralRead MoreAnalysis of Jonathan Swift ´s A Modest Proposal Essay532 Words   |  3 Pagesdone, the issue hasn’t been fazed a bit. From Jonathan Swift’s Modest Proposal, he clarifies the poverty issued throughout Ireland in the early 1700’s and how one suggestion could change it all. Elaborated from the Literary Reference Center, â€Å"A Modest Proposal, like Gulliver’s Travels, transcends the political, social, and economic crisis that gave birth to it, woeful as they were. Packed with irony and satirical revelations of the human condition†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Swift wasn’t just writing a masterpiece, but an intendedRead MoreCollectivism Vs. Individualism : The Unknown Ci tizen And Jonathan Swift s A Modest Proposal1783 Words   |  8 Pagespolitically, with emphasis on the role a person takes in society, or philosophically- what makes a person think collectively or individually. Even though one might say that both theories are important, both W.H. Auden s The Unknown Citizen and Jonathan Swift s A Modest Proposal reflect criticisms of collectivism and promotes individualism. There are two main types of collectivism: â€Å"horizontal collectivism† and â€Å"vertical collectivism†. Collectivism has been characterized as horizontal collectivism