A Modest Proposal Rhetorical Analysis

571 Words2 Pages

Jonathan Swift had a witty mind with an edge for raising questions on social and political standards in a way that catches the attention of any reader, and most likely caught the attention of quite a few readers in the 18th century. His satirical writing A Modest Proposal is arguably his most famous work in which he suggests that the people of Ireland kill off the young of the poor families and use them as a source of sustenance. Swift uses irony to point out problems within society, subconsciously reveals his actual views, and his message in this short work still has relevance to our society today, both in America and the world.

The writing style in this pamphlet is anything but modest, despite its title. Swift spares no effort in fully extending his sarcastic plan to use the children of impoverished Irish families as a source of food. He uses his intense form of irony to mock social norms and exaggerate an absurd way to solve the predicament that Ireland has found itself in. Swift develops his irony initially with a logical account of the poor children who are starving and gives specifics to his plan. The use of logical terms was intentionally placed in his work to force the …show more content…

By stating what "no one should say to him" towards the end of his writing he is actually saying what he really thinks about the issues at hand. He thinks the people of Ireland should learn to control their spending and better manage their households. He points out that the landlords who show no mercy on their clients are partly to blame, and that citizens should be more concerned with the business in Ireland than trying to be like other countries or wish for lavish things they cannot afford in reality. He wishes to see an emphasis on the shopkeepers in their country to improve domestic business and the

Open Document