Jonathan swift a modest proposal analysis. Essay on Analysis of A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift 2019-01-12
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A Modest Proposal Summary
Therefore, it seems like a good idea that the people of Ireland simply eat the infants when they reach the age of one year. He asks that if anyone have a better suggestion for solving the poverty problem that they come forward and let it be known. His tone is so disturbingly uninvolved and methodical that he is able to calculate exactly how many meals a baby will serve and even pictures cannibalism as a socially acceptable occurence when? In this inflammatory, satirical essay, Swift proposes that the starving poor of Ireland sell their excess children to the rich as food. He is able to poke fun at the dehumanization of the multitudes of poor people in Ireland by ironically commenting on what he sees as an extension of the current situation. With 100,000 Irish children out of the population being set aside for dinner, his solution, he reasons, will also help to resolve the issues of overpopulation and unemployment in Ireland, giving the Irish economy a much needed boost, while making it easier for England to deal with its unruly Irish subjects. The 1726 paper acknowledges women's interests and — while not being a complete satirical text — has also been discussed as an inspiration for Jonathan Swift's title.
Analysis and Short Summary of “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift
He notes down that a young healthy child is a delicious food to be roasted, stewed and boiled to be served and eaten. The speaker needs to somehow make his idea acceptable by a powerful group of people and so he tries to show himself as a knowledgeable member of the upper class. Therefore, if the speaker and the wealthy class people are so comparable then the reader can deduce that the upper class people are being illogical and overdramatic too. How will they be provided for? Swift assumes a hyperbolically heartless tone that mocks those with negative opinions of the Irish poor, namely the Irish rich, politicians, and British officials. He believes many of them will die off soon, and no longer be of concern. Swift concludes by saying first that he would welcome any other suggestions anyone may have on this question, then assuring the reader that he has no personal economic stake in this idea because he has no children and therefore could not profit by selling them to be eaten.
A Summary and Analysis of 'A Modest Proposal' By Jonathan Swift
Swift goes on to shock the readers by describing in detail what kind of disgusting things people would do to the flesh of the infants. But, while 'A Modest Proposal' bemoans the bleak situation of an Ireland almost totally subject to England's exploitation, it also expresses Swift's contempt for the Irish people's seeming inability to stand up for themselves. He begins by honestly explaining the problem that Irish families are facing. In his proposal, Swift vents his growing aggravation at the incompetence of Ireland's politicians, the hypocrisy of the wealthy, the tyranny of the English and the squalor and degradation in which he saw so many Irish people living. In paragraph two, he is requesting for amicable and a permanent solution to help these children from deplorable state they are living. His essay intends to convince people to not take the easy way out, and to actually feel saddened by the suffering of the Irish. Second, it will give the poor some property.
Rhetorical Analysis of Jonathan Swift's 'A Modest Proposal'
Heavy exaggeration is used by Swift with the purpose of shocking the readers. Swift obviously doesn't sincerely want the people of Ireland to sell their children as food, but he's using the outrageous concept to deliver a message. The main purpose behind the proposal is to give relief to the poor parents and the country as well as benefits to the public by selling of innocent one-year infants to the rich people and to the people of Great Britain. He intends with the proposal to provide for the children of professed beggars and also to support rich people, landlords, and others who expect much from the poor people of Ireland. Wittowsky argues that not enough critics have taken the time to focus directly on the mercantilism and theories of labour in 18th century England. Second, it will give the poor something of value, which they may sell to pay their bills.
A Summary and Analysis of 'A Modest Proposal' By Jonathan Swift
He then shows his sympathies for the unprivileged women and children. He stands to gain nothing personally from his plan, as his own child is no longer an infant, and his wife is now too old to bear more children. This dehumanizes the children to be like animals. The child's parents would have better treatment from the rich and the landlords. Some people might point out that his plan will lead to a decrease in population, but the Proposer sees this as its chief advantage. These gnawing bunch of kids not just pose a problem to their parents who have to think about ways to keep their gobs munching, but are a major contributing factor for the kingdom's undoing. However, his intention is for everyone, or anyone in the right mind, to see that his personal opinion is actually the opposite of what he writes in the essay.
It also serves as an exceptional introduction to the concept and use of argumentative language, lending itself well to secondary and post-secondary essay courses. To those who would be so bold as to attempt a rebuttal to his plan , the Proposer makes only one request: that they ask the impoverished parents of Ireland if they would have rather been sold and eaten at the age of one than endure the endless series misfortunes that have marked their lives. The nation would have relief from foreign loan. He lists some approximate numbers of people in Ireland leading to the conclusion that approximately 120,000 children are born there each year. A Modest Proposal also targets the calculating way people perceived the poor in designing their projects. The essay suggests that the impoverished Irish might ease their economic troubles by for rich gentlemen and ladies.
A Summary and Analysis of 'A Modest Proposal' By Jonathan Swift
He pulls his statistics out of thin air, and yet he seems to trust in them utterly. This proposal hopefully will decrease the number of abortions performed by poor mothers. The second time, do a little bit of research beforehand about the Age of Reason, especially as it relates to rationalist approaches to state management. This helps to make himself seem significant and worthwhile to listen to by the upper class people. The Proposer claims to have devoted years of careful thought to this problem. His proposal has several advantages.
Swift's tract parodies the style and method of these, and the grim irony of his own solution reveals his personal despair at the failure of all this paper journalism to achieve any actual progress. Sixth, pregnant mothers would become revered and prized by their husbands. This quarrel first began, as I have heard it affirmed by an old dweller in the neighbourhood, about a small spot of ground, lying and being upon one of the two tops of the hill Parnassus; the highest and largest of which had, it seems, been time out of mind in quiet possession of certain tenants, called the Ancients; and the other was held by the Moderns. Swift probably does think that being a poor person in Ireland is worse than dying, but he disagrees with the Proposer on how to resolve that tragic problem. Finally, the Irish public will learn to value marriage, as husbands will come to treat their wives as prized livestock. The author offers statistical support for his assertions and gives specific data about the number of children to be sold, their weight and price, and the projected consumption patterns. By planning practices of mutilation towards the babies, he really wants his audience to completely object to these plans, in order to show how precious the poor children of Ireland really are.
Fourth, it will relieve the burden of the parents for having to care for these children after their first year. Although he says that the children are the ones responsible for the corruption, he expects the reader to understand that children are the ones that are least responsible for any types of social problems, because children lack any kind of power. His diction throughout the piece, including the word modest in the title, highlights this effect. Analysis In A Modest Proposal, Swift vents his mounting aggravation at the ineptitude of Ireland's politicians, the hypocrisy of the wealthy, the tyranny of the English, and the squalor and degradation in which he sees so many Irish people living. Now the Proposer begins to list in detail the many advantages of his plan. In Protestant England, many people might share the stereotypes but would never go so far as the speaker suggests about eating children. Critics differ about Swift's intentions in using this faux-mathematical philosophy.
What he really wants to do is illustrate how corrupted English and Irish society was. Summary of 'A Modest Proposal' 'A Modest Proposal,' written by Jonathan Swift in 1729, begins by deploring the sad fate of the poverty-stricken Irish who have to spend all their time trying to feed their large families. The essay progresses through a series of surprises that first shocks readers and then causes them to think critically, not only about policies, but also about motivations. He admits that it will result in a decrease in the number of inhabitants of Ireland, but he believes this practice will unite the people that remain due to the improved conditions and pride they take in the improvement of their nation. Although he says that the children are the ones responsible for the corruption, he expects the reader to understand that children are the ones that are least responsible for any types of social problems, because children lack any kind of power.
