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In “A Modest Proposal”, Swift begins to voice his opinion of Ireland’s poverty and suffering individuals. After reading the first few words, a reader would think Swift has some sympathy for these poor people; however, Swift’s satire ends up having a twist. Swift states, “I have been assured by a very knowing American of my 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.” The reader learns of Swift’s brutal proposal and is blown away at some of the ideas. This statement makes it clear that Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” is a persona in which Swift poses as the narrator.…
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In the beginning of “A Modest Proposal” Swift starts off using logical appeal, the use of facts…
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Jonathan Swift’s ‘A Modest Proposal’ talks about how children of poor people are a burden to their parents and how the parents should fatten up their children and then feed them to Ireland’s rich land-owners. But in the last sentence of ‘A Modest Proposal’, “I have no children, by which I can propose a single penny; the youngest being nine and my wife past child-bearing” is one example of the verbal irony in the whole pamphlet.…
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4. Why does Swift focus on the benefits of his plan before giving us the details of it? (organization)…
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In the essay “A Modest Proposal”, the author Jonathan Swift proposes that 1 year-old infants born to impoverished Irish parents should be sold and cooked for the gourmet and luxury pleasures of the privileged people of England . Swift claims that because there are an enormous population of starved children, eating them would not only help control their population, but also contribute to the overall economic wellness of the country. This essay will be dedicated to analyzing “A Modest Proposal” by observing the claim, warrant, and support present in the proposal, as well as evaluate the overall composition of the essay.…
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One of Jonathon Swift’s most famous works, “A Modest Proposal” needs to be read after the reader gets a little familiar with Swift himself and why he wrote it. Once you realize the situation and the author’s unique writing ability and thought process the proposal seems a little less farfetched and less sickening. I am in no way in agreement with the proposal just more understanding of where it came from and why he did it. The meaning of the proposal takes a major hit when the situation at hand takes a twist from Swift’s personal situation.…
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This piece is about Swifts suggestion that the impoverished Irish might ease their economic troubles by selling children as food for rich gentlemen and ladies. By doing this he mocks the authority of the British officials.…
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After voicing his frustrations to his government to no avail, he saunters down an alternate route. While digesting his most influential and recognized piece, all readers nod along with the author’s point: a change needs to occur in order for the Irish poor to end their suffering. That is until Swift mentions his plan, which involves raising babies, harvesting them at the ripe age of one, and selling their carcasses as a delicacy to the rich. Until the man reveals the details of his proposal, a majority of the readers nod along, eager to see Swift help the poor that plague the nation. Though no laughing matter like Lichtenberg suggests of satire, the poor do not realize the “hit” against them until they are too deep in their support for Swift. Instead of “[rousing] laughter”, the satirist rouses support from those “who are hit”, as he leads the poor and downtrodden along, appearing like he possesses a true solution to their problems. “A Modest Proposal” exists to criticize the Irish government for its lack of action in helping the poor improve their status, but first, Swift mockingly hits the poor by suggesting the sale of poor…
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In his renowned pamphlet, “A Modest Proposal,” Jonathan Swift brings attention to the poor conditions in Ireland. Being a native of Ireland, Swift remained loyal to his country. Upon noticing the terrible conditions in Ireland, he took it upon himself to address the issues at hand. Among these issues, involves the sickly and insufficient children in his homeland. Incorporating statistics to support his claim, Swift attempts to persuade his readers to support his outrageous plan to solve a dire situation. As a result his “logical” and preposterous plan created mixed reactions in both the past and the present.…
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Swift, Jonathan. "A Modest Proposal, Renascence Editions." University of Oregon. 21 Nov 2009. Web. 20 Sept. 2010.…
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Jonathan Swift’s 1729 “A Modest Proposal,” definitely grasps the reader’s attention with an outrageous proposal using satire. His use of rhetorical strategies formats his article into a well-organized argument. The purpose of his argument is to raise awareness about the starving people of Ireland. Swift, being one of the most prestigious writers of his times forms a solid argument using each of the following rhetorical strategies, ethos, pathos, and logos. By using a satire, Swift hopes to grasp the attention of the English elites. Swift tries to persuade his audience by proposing a serve and disreputable solution, hoping it will bring enough awareness to the…
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“ A modest proposal” by Jonathan Swift is a rhetoric piece that satirizes the dismal political, social and economic conditions in 18th century Ireland. As a solution, the preposterous proposal suggests that the Irish eat their own babies; as it is logically viable, and economically profitable: a condition adhering to the rational mentality of the age of reason. Swift develops his argument on two levels: A seemingly intellectual persona, caricaturized on a stereotypical upper class Englishman who promotes cannibalism through the use of subtle euphemisms. And the other, as himself, cleverly veiled in the caustic undertones of the pamphlet who is appalled at the plight of the Irish. Swift uses this dual personality to reveal the falseness of the persona’s credibility, and eventually the proposal suggested by him.…
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In order to understand the real intent of the essay, it is important to recognize the two distinct voices in “A Modest Proposal”, the speaker and the writer. The speaker is a cruel and calculative persona whom Swift developed in the essay. The proposal is suggested by the speaker. On the other hand, the writer, Swift himself, satirizes the hardship and mistreatment of the poor in Ireland through the speaker’s plan. It is difficult to distinguish between the two voices. But after a long discussion with the English scholars, we have concluded that the speaker’s voice can be identified by the proposal; while Swift’s own voice can be seemed through his descriptions of Ireland.…
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During the final years of the seventeenth century, political pamphlets were distributed throughout Ireland to promote the ideas of various intellectuals. However, the general public did not pay attention to them and through them away. Jonathan Swift, author of “A Modest Proposal,” took advantage of the ignored pamphlets, and developed a truly ridiculous proposal. His main objective was to illustrate how deplorable the state of Ireland was, and to show how the distinction between different social classes was abysmal. Swift’s main idea was for the babies of all the poor and desolate to “contribute to the feeding, and partly to the clothing, of many thousands” (Swift 868) in order to improve Ireland’s economy and living standard. His idea originated from the large number of women who kept having children even though they were not able to provide for them. Swift also states that his proposal would make the babies “beneficial to the public” (866). He also states that he is proposing this because of Ireland’s truly low living standards. Thus, he blames the politicians for the poor conditions of the country (specially because the apathy and laziness they present while making decisions to improve the conditions) In “A Modest Proposal”, Swift brilliantly uses irony, sarcasm, and rhetorical exaggeration to reveal his frustration and disapproval at the current behavior of politicians, papists, and citizens of the impoverished Ireland during the late seventeenth century. Nevertheless, there are three important factors that show the reader that Swift’s arguments are not to be taken seriously: The tone of the writing, the insincerity of the author, and the utter absurdity of the proposal.…
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Did you think women lawyers, because of the power they wield, did not face sexual harassment? Think again. It took a powerful delegation of some of the most prominent women lawyers like Additional Solicitor General Indira Jaising, Kamini Jaiswal, Indu Malhotra, Meenakshi Arora, V. Mohna and others to finally convince the Supreme Court that the law born out of guidelines it issued as far back as 1997 should also apply to courts. Shockingly, despite the long-standing Visakha guidelines on sexual harassment issued by the apex court, women lawyers have only just managed to convince it that sexual harassment is also a reality that they face, and as their workplace is the court, the provisions of the law should apply there.…
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