A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift Essay - 746 Words

Not So Modest Proposal In 1729, with â€Å"A Modest Proposal;, Jonathan Swift raised the argument that, â€Å"For preventing the children of poor people in Ireland from being a burden to their parents or country, and for making them beneficial to the public; (44), we should rid ourselves of them by our own consumption. We should bake them, fry them, or serve them in a fricassee or ragout. Swift proposes his â€Å"humble; thoughts, for which he expects no objection, on the idea that it would be beneficial to the parents, the country, and even the children if they were to be eaten. He also states that anyone who objects should â€Å"ask the parents of these mortals whether they would not at this day think it a great happiness to have been sold for food at†¦show more content†¦This argument is emotionally sound as well. Swift only wants the best for the children and his country. He has no ulterior motives to profit from his idea because he has no young children and his wife is past child bearing age.When first read, this work could be seen as an appalling display of selfishness and greed but when further analyzed it should be seen as just the opposite. Although Swift’s literal argument is that we should eat the poor children to rid ourselves of their burden, his real argument is that we should, in fact, care for and treat the children with the respect and decency they deserve. It is because of this underlying argument that i wholeheartedly agree with â€Å"A Modest Proposal;.Swift believes that the condition of the children in Ireland is so intolerable that they would be better off dead. This argument can also be seen in the youth of America today. Many children these days lack the moral guidance that is needed to become upstanding members of society. This generalization of today’s youth is shown through the absence of attention from their parents, the condescending perception by society, and their consistent decline of hope, probably much like it was in Swif t’s time. This absence of attention can be seen through parents disregarding their responsibility to be role models as they sit their children in front of the television for hours at a time allowing them the media toShow MoreRelatedA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift Essay836 Words   |  4 PagesIn Jonathan Swift’s â€Å"A Modest Proposal†, we are exposed to the timeless issue of homelessness and the state’s role in their social welfare. Swift was a fervent Irish patriot who was disgusted by the flourishing trend of beggars and hungry children that flooded the streets of his beloved country. This topic is relatable as this is a social issue that plagues many countries in the present age. Swift presents a satirical argument in which he proposes Ireland adopt the horrific practices of eating theirRead MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift1647 Words   |  7 PagesSatire in â€Å"A Modest Proposal† and Different Articles Jonathan Swift, author of â€Å"A Modest Proposal,† tries to present different ideas in order to change the situation of Ireland. Through his proposal, he is able to get people’s attention, and the way he uses satire throughout the article made his argument more successful. He wrote this essay to show how ignored and bad the state of Ireland and its social classes are. In â€Å"A Modest Proposal†, Swift effectively uses rhetorical exaggeration to expressRead MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift982 Words   |  4 Pages Jonathan Swift, author of â€Å"A Modest Proposal,† tries to present different ideas in order to change the situation of Ireland. Through his proposal, he is able to get his point across. He wrote this essay to show how undeveloped and bad the state of Ireland is and the social classes. In â€Å"A Modest Proposal†, Swift effectively uses insincerity, sarcasm, and rhetorical exaggeration to reveal his annoyance of politicians, papists, and overall citizens of poverty-stricken Ireland in the late seventeenthRead MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift813 Words   |  4 PagesJonathan Swift, author of the satirical piece â€Å"A Modest Proposal,† organized an outrageous proposal to the people of Ireland. In this pamphlet, Swift offered his personal views on how to overcome Ireland’s issue of overpopulation and poverty. By raising nationwide attention, Swift plan to shock the readers by emphasizing the idea of cannibalism as a way to deal with Irelandâ€℠¢s problems. Swift’s technique of audience, tone, and pathos help determine the advantages and disadvantages of â€Å"A Model Proposal†Read MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift1333 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"A modest proposal† by Jonathan Swift is an essay, which was written to elaborate the poverty of people in Ireland. Where poor viewed as having an absence of worth in the public eye, playing no essential part in more noteworthy else s benefit of the people. Swift uses situational irony in this essay which also represented a work of satire. By definition situational irony happens when the final outcome is opposing to what was expected. Basically his proposal was for poor children roaming around theRead MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift860 Words   |  4 PagesI was informed to read â€Å"A Modest Proposal† by Jonathan Swift as an assignment for creating annotated bibliographies, I began to develop an interest on how Swift came about the matte r of his request into rebuilding Ireland s economy and way of life. I believed that Swift added cannibalizing children to the subject matter to give his proposal a more profound and eye-opening effect, but my readings further piqued my interests on the topic. As a result, I researched Jonathan Swift’s motives and styleRead MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift1057 Words   |  5 Pages A Modest Proposal â€Å"A Modest Proposal†, written in 1979 by Jonathan Swift, is a fascinating sardonic, overwhelming hyperbole. He explores the miserable fate of poverty-striven Irish whose struggle in vain in an effort to feed their huge emaciated families. In the essay, Swift advocates that the penurious Irish should sell their babies to the rich ladies and gentlemen and obtain monetary power required to ease their economic predicaments. The straight-faced parody that features predominantly in theRead MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift1340 Words   |  6 PagesA Modest Proposal was written in the year 1729 by the famous satirist Jonathan Swift. In his work he outlines the pros of eating unwanted children of Ireland for economical benefits in a time of great poverty. While the reader can obviously discard the idea of eating children, in his proposal, in a roundabout way, Swift speaks to hard pressing issues of the time. The state of Ireland is well described by Swift in this piece. He speaks of woman who â€Å"instead of being able to work for their honestRead MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift1795 Words   |  8 PagesHave you ever thought about eating an infant to ease your economic hardship? You’re not the only one! Jonathan Swift wrote an entire pamphlet about it (satirically, of course). Satire has the ability to point out societal inadequacy and ridicule political policies in a way that is humorous in its absurdity while masking its true intent. In A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift, the author’s use of exaggeration and irony to draw attention to the meaningless lives of the Irish people to English ruleRead MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift1032 Words   |  5 PagesJonathan Swift’s satirical pamphlet, A Modest Proposal, as a way to ironically find a way For the CommonWealth of Ireland to benefit from the starving children. He proposes the idea that an un wanted child should be fattened up then feed to landlords or have their meat sold in the market. In turn curing the nation’s problem of overpopulation and contribute to the economic well-being of the nation. Swift’s satire exploits the fundamental human function of eating. The need to eat is a driving human