Jonathan Swift s A Modest Proposal - 1859 Words

During the 17th and early 18th centuries there was a roar of wittiness and logic that came to the forefront of literature in the form of multiple well known Horatian, Juvenalian and Menippean satires (wiseGEEK). The essayist often brought a profound examination and keen persuasive rhetoric that exposed insincere idiocies and outlined the moral and economic decay (wiseGEEK). Satirical works often highlight ideals of reason, order, and social awareness, and thus these works contain a persistent undertone of civility (Holmes). The author superficially uses a faà §ade of conventional traditions, edicts, egotism, and moral codes to incite a new sense of moral and political superiority (Holmes). The satirical literary device was at its peak during the Neoclassical Period in which the enlightenment writer, Jonathan Swift, was exceptional at this writing style (Jokinen). He excelled at rebuking Britain’s flaws and pointed out the hypocrisy at the time by extensive ridicule of the co nventual school of thought. Jonathan Swift’s, A Modest Proposal is an inspiration to many aspiring satirical authors, as he is admired as a rhetorical virtuoso that shed light on the profuse moral and political decay. He also exposed the corruption in society by using a sly, yet polished voice. An example of a modern work inspired by A Modest Proposal, is Dan Geddes, A Modest Proposal to Convert Shopping Malls into Prisons. Though this is seen obviously in the Dan Geddes’s title of his essay, he also usesShow MoreRelatedJonathan Swift s A Modest Proposal996 Words   |  4 PagesJonathan Swift, 18th century writer and political activist, published â€Å"A Modest Proposal† in 1729 in the midst of turmoil in his home country of Ireland. Under British rule Irish citizens were left destitute and neglected, giving Swift the inspiration for â€Å"A Modest Proposal†. Jonathan Swift’s use of Aristotle s modes of persuasion and straight-faced satire broke I reland s silence, calling out affluent members of British society and religious hierarchy alike, creating one of the most influentialRead MoreJonathan Swift s A Modest Proposal971 Words   |  4 PagesJonathan Swift is a well known writer who wrote Gulliver s Travels and many more lesser known works. A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift can be used to argue many things. The work itself is a pamphlet to that explains how one could go about the famine in Ireland. He suggests by his title that this will not be a over the top or extreme suggestion instead being modest and understandable. The most notable part of his work however is the obscenity of it as he describes in detail what the benefitsRead MoreJonathan Swift s A Modest Proposal1008 Words   |  5 PagesAccording to Sparknotes, In the 1700’s, Ireland went through an economic depression as well as other problems in the country such as starvation, overpopulation and intolerable taxation by England. The families in Ireland could not afford to maintain their children therefore the children became a burden. Politicians did nothing to improve Ireland’s situation. These ongoing Problems in Ireland led Jonathan Swift to write,† A Modest Proposal.† In his essay, Swift uses satire to give rational but extremeRead MoreJonathan Swift s Modest Proposal1562 Words   |  7 PagesEmpire. Thesis: Jonathan Swift s Modest Proposal is the most effective in conveying its proposal against Imperialism as a universal theme. Directional Statement: Jonathan Swift s Modest Proposal successfully uses evidence to support its proposal and an effective style of writing. It also presents a clearly defined problem and solution compared to George Orwell s â€Å"Shooting an Elephant† and Thomas Jefferson s â€Å"Declaration of Independence†. Point 1: Swift s Modest Proposal effectively usesRead MoreAnalysis Of Jonathan Swift s A Modest Proposal956 Words   |  4 Pagesissue for the Irish and became a topic of satire ridicule for writers. Specifically, Jonathan Swift demonstrates mockery of this time in one of his written works, â€Å"A Modest Proposal.† The speaker proposes to shift the issues of over population and poverty to a business like mentality by paying woman to bare children and then after a year, gaining a profit by selling and eat their children. The speaker’s proposal to consume the children of Ireland demonstrates a satirical solution to the Irish’s economicRead MoreJonathan Swift s Modest Proposal850 Words   |  4 PagesJonathon Swift â€Å"Modest Proposal† is shocking satire that is supposed to bring to light the ill state of the Irish nation during the time period. Swift was making a point that the state that Ireland was in a major economic crisis and was overpopulated and was in a dire need of a solution, so he propose one. But even though this was written many years ago we can still draw inspiration form it today. The essay begins as a Proposal for a solution to the extreme poverty and over population of IrelandRead MoreJonathan Swift s A Modest Proposal1809 Words   |  8 PagesJonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal is a satirical essay that sardonically uses an outrageous solution to the massive poverty in Ireland. He proposes this lengthy idea of eating children as the solution to the society’s problems. His serious yet hyperbolic and satirical style allows Swift an approach to get people engaged in the difficulties the Irish had to do to survive their everyday life. This essay explores Swift’s ability to use literary devices and how these techniques advance his idea aboutRead MoreJonathan Swift s A Modest Proposal1456 Words   |  6 PagesJonathan Swift was an Irish poet and satirist of the eighteenth century. Although the son of Englishmen, Swift was born and raised in Ireland. While living in Ireland, he witnessed the death of thousands of Irish due to starvation whic h was caused due to crop failure. Swift, who wasn’t even personally affected by the issue, acknowledged that the death of the Irish population which he argues was caused because of the neglect of English landowners. Instead of allowing for the issue to continue to beRead MoreAnalysis of Jonathan Swift ´s A Modest Proposal Essay532 Words   |  3 Pagesdone, the issue hasn’t been fazed a bit. From Jonathan Swift’s Modest Proposal, he clarifies the poverty issued throughout Ireland in the early 1700’s and how one suggestion could change it all. Elaborated from the Literary Reference Center, â€Å"A Modest Proposal, like Gulliver’s Travels, transcends the political, social, and economic crisis that gave birth to it, woeful as they were. Packed with irony and satirical revelations of the human condition†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Swift wasn’t just writing a masterpiece, but an intendedRead MoreCollectivism Vs. Individualism : The Unknown Citizen And Jona than Swift s A Modest Proposal1783 Words   |  8 Pagespolitically, with emphasis on the role a person takes in society, or philosophically- what makes a person think collectively or individually. Even though one might say that both theories are important, both W.H. Auden s The Unknown Citizen and Jonathan Swift s A Modest Proposal reflect criticisms of collectivism and promotes individualism. There are two main types of collectivism: â€Å"horizontal collectivism† and â€Å"vertical collectivism†. Collectivism has been characterized as horizontal collectivism