Jonathan Swift Essay - 947 Words

Jonathan Swift 1. Swift wrote A Modest Proposal under a pseudonym, so who is the speaker here? The speaker is a Protestant and a member of the Irish upper class. 2. Discuss the tone of the piece. Pull examples from the text to support your discussion. Swift showed disgust for the people who would rather beg than take care of themselves. He says, â€Å"These mothers instead of being able to work for their honest livelihood, are forced to employ all their time in strolling to beg sustenance for their helpless infants who, as they grow up, either turn thieves for want of work, or leave their dear native country, to fight for the Pretender in Spain, or sell themselves to the Barbados.† 3. As you know, effective argumentation†¦show more content†¦6. Why is A Modest Proposal an effective satire? What techniques does Swift use effectively? Support your answers with examples from the text. It is an effective satire because it gets the point across very clearly. His descriptions are extremely grotesque and he talks about a very feared subject, cannibalism. This helps draw attention to the seriousness of the problem. Swift also provides statistics, which helps further draw attention to the problem. Some techniques he uses are parody and exaggeration. He uses exaggeration to get his point across and he uses parody to mock the situation. An example of his effective use of satire is, â€Å"I have already computed the charge of nursing a beggars child (in which list I reckon all cottagers, labourers, and four-fifths of the farmers) to be about two shillings per annum, rags included; and I believe no gentleman would repine to give ten shillings for the carcass of a good fat child, which, as I have said, will make four dishes of excellent nutritive meat, when he hath only some particular friend, or his own family to dine with him. Thus the squire will learn to be a good landl ord, and grow popular among his tenants, the mother will have eight shillings neat profit, and be fit for work till she produces another child.† 7. Swift enumerates six reasons his proposal will work. Discuss how these paragraphs impact his purpose. Swift provides support for each reason he presents in his essay.Show MoreRelatedJonathan Swift1088 Words   |  5 Pages4. Jonathan Swift (1667—1745) the foremost prose satirist in the English language His Writing The Battle of Books (1704) A Tale of Tub (1704) the Drapier’s Letters (1724) Gulliver’s Travels (1726) A Modest Proposal (1729) Gulliver’s Travels a collection of tales tied together by Gulliver a novel a satire a travel book a children book an allegory Satire A common form of the 18th Century, basically the ridiculing of any objects through laughter which will soften the blow TheRead MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift860 Words   |  4 Pagesinformed to read â€Å"A Modest Proposal† by Jonathan Swift as an assignment for creating annotated bibliographies, I began to develop an interest on how Swift came about the matter of his request into rebuilding Ireland s economy and way of life. I believed that Swift added cannibalizing children to the subject matter to give his proposal a more profound and eye-opening effect, but my readings further piqued my interests on the topic. 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He wrote this essay to show how ignored and bad the state of Ireland and its social classes are. In â€Å"A Modest Proposal†, Swift effectively uses rhetorical exaggeration to expressRead MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift1032 Words   |  5 PagesJonathan Swift’s satirical pamphlet, A Modest Proposal, as a way to ironically find a way For the CommonWealth of Ireland to benefit from the starving children. He proposes the idea that an unwanted child should be fattened up then feed to landlords or have their meat sold in the market. In turn curing the nation’s problem of overpopulation and contribute to the economic well-being of the nation. Swift’s satire exploits th e fundamental human function of eating. The need to eat is a driving humanRead MoreLiterary Analysis : Jonathan Swift1425 Words   |  6 PagesComp. II Oct. 27, 2015 Literary analysis The author I decided to write about is Jonathan Swift for he had a keen sense for effective sarcasm. As Jonathan Swift said â€Å"The proper words in the proper places are the true definition of style.† Though he was known in different ways, he was mostly popularized through his gift in writing, particularly his satire, or his use of humor and irony, essays. Through out swift life, there has been plenty of events where I believe shape the way he was, hence hisRead MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift784 Words   |  4 Pagessimple statistics that should receive a monetary value. This emotionally detached view of humans led to Swift employing Petty as a model for the proposer in his satirical essay â€Å"A Modest Proposal.† After years of submitting proposals to ameliorate Ireland’s issues, Swift finally attacked the ruling caste and Petty for their treatment of and apathy toward the suffering of the Irish. In Jonathan Swift’s essay â€Å"A Modest Pro posal,† Swift’s employment of the proposer’s employment of dehumanizing, emotionally