Samantha Singh
Professor Williams-Ferguson
English 1301
October 28, 2014
A Modest Proposal A Modest Proposal, written by Jonathan Swift, is an admirable illustration of the sharp intelligence and raw mockery that was engaged in the satire of the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. From side to side, the current use of cynical judgments and biting overstatements, Swift managed to execute his wittiness in a style that was practically unique in collected works of writing. In “A Modest Proposal”, Swift successfully uses hypocrisy, sarcasm, and exaggeration to expose his infuriation of politicians, papists, and the poor citizens of Ireland. In “A Modest Proposal”, Jonathan Swift wrote a pamphlet in protest to the cruel treatment of the …show more content…
With that being said, the twists and turns of this story gives the reader some despair. The faith that was constructed between Swift and his readers, at the beginning of the writing would soon be broken because now the reader wouldn’t know what to think of Swift and his ideas. With the up and down tones in his writing, he makes the bizarre proposal standout intensely and helps represent the unseriousness of his dispute.
Jonathan Swift also uses irony to mock what is going on in Ireland. Irony is the manifestation of one’s sense by using reversing dialects. For example, Swift says to “Sacrifice the poor innocent babes to prevent voluntary abortions and the horrid practice of women murdering their bastard children (Swift)”. He is expressing to the reader that women are preforming abortions because they are not economically constant in funding for their children and once children become a certain age, they will go out and start pocketing just to stay …show more content…
When he is talking about infants, he labeled the infants meat as a sort of delicacy, and that certain parts of the child’s figure is mainly good to eat. Swift also commented that a child’s skin would make worthy gloves for the ladies and summer boots for gentlemen, which gave them a sense of slenderness. Also, Swift stated that more highlights on the fact that the babies that were to be eaten and used for clothing had more of a delicacy in it, so they were worth “ten shillings.” Swift also said it the price to raise a baby until it is “one year of age” was “two shillings”, and also states that a child who was twelve would cost their parents about twelve shillings to raise them. The high priced children of the delicacies gave off a better exchange for a profit. He also viewed infants as a burden on the adult’s capability to obtain a successful profession. "These mothers, instead of being able to work for their honest livelihood, are forced to employ all their time in strolling to beg sustenance (Swift)”. Swift states that newborns of poor families inevitably cause the mother to become a bum. "It is true a child just dropped from its dam may be supported by her milk for a solar year with little other nourishment; at most not above the value of two schillings, which the mother may certainly get, or the value in scraps, by her lawful occupation of begging; and it is exactly at one year old that I propose to
Professor Williams-Ferguson
English 1301
October 28, 2014
A Modest Proposal A Modest Proposal, written by Jonathan Swift, is an admirable illustration of the sharp intelligence and raw mockery that was engaged in the satire of the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. From side to side, the current use of cynical judgments and biting overstatements, Swift managed to execute his wittiness in a style that was practically unique in collected works of writing. In “A Modest Proposal”, Swift successfully uses hypocrisy, sarcasm, and exaggeration to expose his infuriation of politicians, papists, and the poor citizens of Ireland. In “A Modest Proposal”, Jonathan Swift wrote a pamphlet in protest to the cruel treatment of the …show more content…
With that being said, the twists and turns of this story gives the reader some despair. The faith that was constructed between Swift and his readers, at the beginning of the writing would soon be broken because now the reader wouldn’t know what to think of Swift and his ideas. With the up and down tones in his writing, he makes the bizarre proposal standout intensely and helps represent the unseriousness of his dispute.
Jonathan Swift also uses irony to mock what is going on in Ireland. Irony is the manifestation of one’s sense by using reversing dialects. For example, Swift says to “Sacrifice the poor innocent babes to prevent voluntary abortions and the horrid practice of women murdering their bastard children (Swift)”. He is expressing to the reader that women are preforming abortions because they are not economically constant in funding for their children and once children become a certain age, they will go out and start pocketing just to stay …show more content…
When he is talking about infants, he labeled the infants meat as a sort of delicacy, and that certain parts of the child’s figure is mainly good to eat. Swift also commented that a child’s skin would make worthy gloves for the ladies and summer boots for gentlemen, which gave them a sense of slenderness. Also, Swift stated that more highlights on the fact that the babies that were to be eaten and used for clothing had more of a delicacy in it, so they were worth “ten shillings.” Swift also said it the price to raise a baby until it is “one year of age” was “two shillings”, and also states that a child who was twelve would cost their parents about twelve shillings to raise them. The high priced children of the delicacies gave off a better exchange for a profit. He also viewed infants as a burden on the adult’s capability to obtain a successful profession. "These mothers, instead of being able to work for their honest livelihood, are forced to employ all their time in strolling to beg sustenance (Swift)”. Swift states that newborns of poor families inevitably cause the mother to become a bum. "It is true a child just dropped from its dam may be supported by her milk for a solar year with little other nourishment; at most not above the value of two schillings, which the mother may certainly get, or the value in scraps, by her lawful occupation of begging; and it is exactly at one year old that I propose to