Essay On A Modest Proposal

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Journal Example on “A Modest Proposal”, by Jonathan Swift Style: Swift’s use of Satire to Drive his Point

Swift’s use of satire is what truly makes his message so powerful. I can imagine that there were many do-gooders at the time breathlessly trying to convince the greedy British government that they need to act at solving the humanitarian crisis in Ireland, but that none likely got quite as much airtime as Swift’s outlandish essay. Through satire he must have shocked the upper class into realizing how guilty they are of indifference towards the starving Irish. First, his matter-of-fact tone and logically method of organization of his ideas are a solid component of the satire. As we read through, we are progressively made to feel uncomfortable at the cold, calculated “data” like examples he gives. It does indeed sounds logical when he refers to the
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The title itself is an understatement as his suggestions are far from “Modest” in degree of detailed argumentation on top of the immoral breaching of the subject of cannibalism. He also manages to slip in a few subtle digs at government that are amplified by their clever inferences. An example of this effective subtlety is when he states, “I fortunately fell upon this proposal, which, as it is wholly new, so it hath something solid and real, of no expence and little trouble, full in our own power, and whereby we can incur no danger in disobliging England” (8). Here, by suggesting the proposal is of “no expence and little trouble”, his downplay of the killing of children en masse really amplifies the cold-heartedness shown by England in this crisis and suggests he needs to avoid “disobliging” the power-wielding country actually shames them indirectly through that word choice. Most important, this understatement is effectively sarcastic and mocking and therefore fortifies his

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