A critical analysis of ‘A Modest Proposal’
‘A Modest Proposal’ is a Juvenalian satirical essay which was written by Jonathon Swift in 1729; a period of great inequality in Ireland which was then ruled by England. During this period, the poorer sections of the Irish population were subject to severe economic hardship, in which thousands literally starved to death every year whilst others were forced to beg in order to survive. Swift, along with many others, was dissatisfied with what he perceived as a refusal on the Irish aristocracy and English establishment’s behalf to help the Irish peasants. His essay, which he published anonymously, was born out of such frustrations. Swift uses the speaker to personify the Irish aristocrats and English decision makers and reflect what he felt was their attitude towards the peasants.
He is mocking their ineptness and inability to resolve the issues with poverty and inequality in Ireland by presenting them with a hyperbolic, ridiculous solution. By Swift giving his speaker such an absurd proposal, he hopes that it could ultimately result in one of his readers, perhaps an important political figure, accepting the severity of the Irish peasants’ plight and actually stepping up to do something about it. Swift is acknowledging that the poor are being treated like animals by the wealthy landowners and aristocrats so he satirically presents them as literally being like animals; suitable to kill, eat and sell by the pound. Contextually, it is worthwhile to remember that in Ireland around this time, people’s attitudes were beginning to change as they started valuing money and the material possessions that come with it more than people, who had become somewhat of a commodity for wealthy land and factory owners. Swift presented people as a literal commodity in his essay.
The Term Paper on A Modest Proposal Swift Irish Ireland
Have You Eaten Yet? : Swift's Final Solution As a lately favored eighteenth century essay, Jonathan Swift's 'Proposal' has been canonized as a satirical model of wit. As will be discussed shortly, Swift's essay is often seen as an allegory for England's oppression of Ireland. Swift, himself and Irishman (Tucker 142), would seem to have pointed his razor wit against the foreign nation responsible ...
Perhaps comparisons can be made with the way in which Swift uses the speakers’ proposal and a psychological theory called the ‘door-in-the-face technique’ which is perfectly summed up on Wikipedia thus “The door-in-the-face technique is a compliance method commonly studied in social psychology. The persuader attempts to convince the respondent to comply by making a large request that the respondent will most likely turn down; much like a metaphorical slamming of a door in the persuader’s face. The respondent is then more likely to agree to a second, more reasonable request, compared to the same reasonable request made in isolation”. The way the reader (respondent) will reject the absurd proposal made by the speaker, yet be left open to Swift’s (persuader) actual proposal, which is more reasonable and conservative, of just doing something to solve the poverty crisis in Ireland is similar to the ideas from the ‘DITF’ technique; by making a foolish request, you strengthen the possibility of your actual request being accepted.
Furthermore, like in the explanation of the ‘DITF’ technique, Swift’s conservative, realistic proposal is strengthened whilst presented in tandem with the extraordinary one. The method by which the narrator makes their proposal begins with them asserting that seeing a street in Ireland lined with beggars and peasants is ‘a melancholy object’. By making this assertion, the reader, the speaker hopes, is open to the idea that, ultimately, having beggars on the street is a bad thing. Now, after their audience has acknowledged that there is a problem, the speaker can proceed to present a resolution to it. Structurally, this is important as it allows Swift to engage his audience quickly and plant the seed of thought which he hopes will flourish as the text goes on, ultimately making it more likely that one of his readers can fully understand the severity of the situation and attempt to resolve it. It’s a bold start for Swift; he begins with harsh imagery of destitute, impoverished people whose lives are in need of intervention. The inclusion of descriptions of children, whilst being necessary for the development of the proposal, is wise on Swift’s behalf as it is a more dramatic, harsher and more emotive picture to paint.
The Term Paper on English Literature Chaucer And Swift
English Literature: Chaucer and Swift Chaucer and Swift are some of the most prominent English writers, their works are studied world wide and a lot of researchers have devoted their time to study the literary devices used by both authors in their writings. Within the scope of this paper, we will compare the irony of Chaucer's General Prologue to the irony used by Swift in A Modest Proposal. ...
Perhaps Swift deliberately chose for the proposal to revolve solely around the consumption of small children because we find their suffering more upsetting and troubling than we do with teenagers and adults. This helps Swift to shock and disturb his audience easier, resulting in the essay having a more profound effect on us. Apart from the obvious ironic and satirical features present in his essay, Swift has used other rhetorical devices to help develop and maintain his ideas. Rhetoric today is largely based on the original Greek ideas for persuasion; logos, ethos and pathos. The narrator’s argument is neither logical (logos) nor ethical (ethos) yet, vitally for Swift and the development of his ideas within the speakers’ proposal, it does appeal to his audience in an emotive nature (pathos).
The inclusion of statistical information in the essay adds to it a hint of realism.
Swift has done this not to serve the narrator’s argument but his own. By doing this he is highlighting the plight of the Irish peasantry, something which he is keen to do, whilst also continuing development of the speaker’s narrative and ideas. The way in which the narrator references the Commonwealth and ‘the kingdom’ serves Swift’s purpose too because it plays on the audience’s sense of identity and national pride. Swift used sensational linguistic and literary features in his essay which is reflective of the text’s overall themes and ideas; firstly, the inclusion of the word ‘modest’ in the title. The idea that the narrators’ proposal is a modest one is simply ludicrous but this reflects the absurdity of the speaker’s suggestion. The anecdote that the narrator has included about being assured by ‘an American 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 boiled’ is absolutely preposterous.
The Essay on George Orwell’s Politics and the English Language vs. Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal:
George Orwell’s “Politics and the English Language” and Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” are essays from two different times; the former written in 1946, and the latter in the 18th century. Both essays aim to spark people’s attention and address important national issues of their countries. “Politics and the English Language” basically presents Orwell’s opinion about ...
The strangeness of the anecdote again reflects that of the entire essay. At the end of the extract is direct comment about landowners who it seems Swift holds particularly responsible for the impoverished Irish population. It says ‘I grant this food will be somewhat dear, and therefore very proper for landlords, who, as they have already devoured most of the parents, seem to have the best title to the children’. This is an attack on landowners’ excessive wealth by stating, sarcastically, that expensive food is like the ideal food for them.
It is also an example of figurative language too; as the landowners have metaphorically devoured the peasantry with excessive bills for farming the land, either through monetary or crop payments that they are best fit to literally devour their children. This bold, harsh assessment of the landowners not only helps develop Swift’s ideas on the peasants’ treatments and the morals of the landowners but so too does it underline the severity of the ill feeling he holds towards them and the sympathy he has for the poor. In terms of the extract, this is very important structurally because, having started on a particularly extreme, dire description it also finishes on a severely critical observation.
Swift maintains an ironic, cynical tone throughout the extract through the way he mocks the aristocrats and presents them as selfish and partly to blame for the peasants’ situation. Moreover, the way in which Swift also displays the narrator’s proposal in tandem with his damning analysis of the landowners’ deeds only serves to amplify said ironic tone. Despite the essay being specific of a particular location and period, it remains a timeless text that underlines the selfishness and inequality of a Capitalist society in which material possessions and worldly goods are almost always valued higher than people and human life. In today’s world, the same sort of poverty exists; there are still severe food shortages in African countries despite there being millionaires and billionaires all over the globe, literally with money to waste. As long as there is selfishness, greed and poverty in the world; ‘A Modest Proposal’ will still be relevant.
The Term Paper on Is Fast Food to Blame For Childhood Obesity
Has the enjoyable tastes of a double bacon cheeseburger with extra everything, large fry, and a diet coke really had an effect on the obesity epidemic? The choice of picking this meal, which is fast and efficient enough to hit the spot and cure hunger, is caused by having fast food restaurants around every corner. People are so fast paced in today’s society that the number of home cooked meals has ...
