a modest proposal analysis

7/30/2019 A Modest Proposal Analysis

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Ali 1

Yawar Ali

Mrs. Wilson

English IV B

10 May 2013

A Proposal: Satire At Its Best

Many at ties! the worl"#s ost o$%io&s pro$les are the ones least 'are" (or. Po%erty

has plag&e" so'iety sin'e its earliest stages to o"ern "ay ) %ery rarely is s&'h a pro$le

ta'*le"! an" e%en ore rarely on a on&ental s'ale. InA Modest Proposal, +onathan Swi(t

in'orporates stinging +&%enalian satire! &nrelenting &sage o( rhetori' as well as a "is"ain(&l tone

towar"s British 'olonialis to e,press the piti(&l state o( the Irish people stri'*en in po%erty

&n"er the r&le o( the English 'rown in or"er to 'on%ey his proposal to (i,ing Irelan"#s e'onoi'

$&r"ens. Swi(t#s o$%io&s (ar-(et'he" sol&tion attepts to stir &p his people in "ealing with the

rapant pro$le plag&ing the 'o&ntry.

Swi(t wastes no tie to point o&t the $latant pro$les hol"ing $a'* Irelan": he &i'*ly

sets &p the sit&ation to the rea"er! &sing 'are(&l "i'tion to "raw the in. With wor"s s&'h as

/"eplora$le state o( the *ing"o Swi(t 1 an" /helpless in(ants Swi(t 4 he pro'ee"s to

appeal to the eotions o( his a&"ien'e. Yet! he &i'*ly "issipates the air o( sin'erity with his

sol&tion to the pro$le: &ite siply - eat the $a$ies. 5hey shall /'ontri$&te to the (ee"ing! an"

partly to the 'lothing! o( any tho&san"s Swi(t 36-37 he says. It#s in"ee" %ery 'lear that

+onathan Swi(t is either a 'ra8y 'oo* or an ipressi%e satirist9 $y "rawing on the alar an"

s&rprise o( his a&"ien'e to his propose" sol&tion he a*es the that &'h ore aware o( the

pro$le (a'ing their 'o&ntry. &ite (ran*ly the proposal p&t (orth $y Swi(t is har"ly the pana'ea

(or Irelan"#s ills9 it sees to 'a&se ore ethi'al 'opli'ations on top o( the &ltit&"e o(


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Ali 2

e'onoi' "ileas a((li'ting the nation. ;e goes on to state that /this (oo" will $e soewhat

"ear! an" there(ore %ery proper (or lan"lor"s Swi(t 101-102. n(ant#s (lesh Swi(t 10 an" the priary /season thro&gho&t the year Swi(t 10 it will

$e (resh! he#s attepting to a*e h&an eat a har" so&ght 'oo"ity. ?astly! he 'opletely

"isregar"s other possi$le proposals to '&re the pro$les o( the Irish. ;e re(&ses to re'ogni8e the

/ta,ing o&r a$sol&tes at (i%e shillings a po&n": @( &sing neither 'loaths! nor ho&sehol" (&rnit&re!

e,'ept what is o( o&r own growth an" an&(a't&re Swi(t 267-26. It#s easy to see his satire is

at (&ll power in these passages sin'e his entire presentation o( his proposal is $ase" o(( his

/e'onoist perspe'ti%e! yet he ree'ts the (&n"aental prin'iples o( s&pply an" "ean" that

other e'onoists will o%erwhelingly appro%e o(. Instea"! his 'lose-in"e" arg&ent see*s no

re$&ttals sin'e he &i'*ly presents an" "ispro%es their %ali"ity. +&%enalian satire is at play as he

&tili8es harsh an" &ite 'r&el rear*s in regar"s to the sla&ghter o( inno'ent 'hil"ren in or"er to

pro%i"e (or the asses while at the sae tie 'riti'i8ing the %ery sae people (or their la'* o(

awareness o( so'iety#s pro$les.

5hro&gho&t the essay! Swi(t appeals to the pathos o( the people rea"ing his paphlet.

Cight in the $eginning! Swi(t paints the pi't&re o( streets /'row"e" with $eggars o( the (eale

se,! (ollowe" $y three! (o&r! or si, 'hil"ren! all in rags an" iport&ning e%ery passenger (or

als Swi(t 3-6. Dlearly passages s&'h as these are trying to appeal to the eotions o( the

rea"er! to "raw the into the pro$le at han" ) to get the ore in%ol%e" with the pro$le#s

inner wor*ing in or"er to hope(&lly get the to a''ept his sol&tion. Yet! he rep&lses his a&"ien'e

with the gr&esoe "etails o( /sa'ri(i'ing the poor inno'ent $a$ies Swi(t 0. ?ater! he &ses


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Ali 3

ethos in or"er to esta$lish his 're"i$ility! sin'e he starts to so&n" li*e a l&nati' as he 'ontin&es

with the spe'i(i' points o( his arg&ent. Swi(t re(eren'es er'hants in or"er to $ring sense to his

arg&ent s&'h as when he says /I a ass&re" $y o&r er'hants! that a $oy or girl . . . is no

sala$le 'oo"ity Swi(t 74-7. ;oping to garner the respe't o( the rea"er $y &sing

pro(essionals o( their (iel"! Swi(t esta$lishes his own 're"entials. Soon a(ter! he states! /I ha%e

$een ass&re" $y a %ery *nowing Aeri'an . . . that a yo&ng healthy 'hil" . . . is at a year ol" a

ost "eli'io&s! no&rishing! an" wholesoe (oo" Swi(t -. By ta*ing tie to ention

soeone o%erseas! the rea"er ight thin* that Swi(t has ta*en his aple tie to asse$le his

arg&ent an" 'onsoli"ate his so&r'e where in reality these 're"entials are erely (igents o(

Swi(t#s storytelling. ;e in'orporates neo'lassi'al reason as another te'hni&e in or"er to

pers&a"e his a&"ien'e while &sing satire an" wit (ro the tie perio" to entertain an" 'on%ey the

arg&ent ore e((e'ti%ely. 5hro&gh the 'o$ination o( $oth these traits! his paphlet re(le'ts

the (&n"aentals o( A&g&stan literat&re: satire an" personal e,ploration o( in"i%i"&als an"

so'iety whi'h was %ery e((e'ti%e art style o( the early 14th 'ent&ry.

Finally! the tone Swi(t &ses e,epli(ies his "istaste towar"s English r&le o%er Irelan".

Altho&gh $orn as an Anglo-Irishan he longe" (or a 'areer in Englan" rather than 'arry o&t his

priestly "&ties in the Dh&r'h o( Irelan" (or the rest o( his li(e. 5ho&gh later in his li(e! Swi(t

p&$lishe" anonyo&s paphlets an" $e'ae an /Irish patriot! "e(en"ing Irelan" against the

/oppressi%e poli'ies o( the English r&lers. ;is "isli*e o( Englan" is "epi'te" 'learly in the (irst

paragraph when he tal*s a$o&t how helpless in(ants grow &p to either /t&rn thie%es (or want o(

wor*! or lea%e their "ear nati%e 'o&ntry to (ight (or the Preten"er in Spain Swi(t 4-10. 5he

/Preten"er &n"o&$te"ly re(ers to Englan"#s onar'h! +aes St&art! an" his wars o%erseas whi'h

the Irish people were o$lige" to parta*e in. F&rther on! he pro'ee"s to 'riti'i8e the Datholi's o(


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Ali

the /Preten"er as the /ost "angero&s eneies Swi(t 11-12. ;is hate (or Englan" ha"

any (a'ets: e'onoi'! politi'al! an" religio&s all o( whi'h he $elie%es the English sho&l"

re(rain (ro in%ol%ing thesel%es in Irelan"#s a((airs.

With the &sage o( stinging satire! 'opio&s ao&nts o( rhetori' an" "is"ain(&l tone

+onathan Swi(t is s&''ess(&l in ill&strating Irelan"#s pro$les o( po%erty an" so'ial "espair inA

Modest Proposal.By in'orporating &ni%ersal h&an prin'iples an" str&'t&re" arg&ent! he is

a$le to 'on%ey his point an" pi&e the interest o( the rea"er to $ring a$o&t 'hange.

Wor* Dite"

DG

a modest proposal analysis

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