Modest Proposal Essay

A Modest Proposal is a satirical essay written by Jonathan Swift during the late seventeenth
century. The essay was first published in a pamphlet anonymously, today is one of the most
satirical poems known. Swift, was son of English parents, was born in Dublin Ireland in 1667.
After Swift graduated from college, he moved to England to gain political affairs becoming a
secretary of Sir William Temple where he later became a priest of the Anglican Church ofIreland. In
1699, Swift decided to go back to England and that's when he began his literacy career. His first
poem published is "Ode to the Athenian Society" he later wrote other poems which were
controversial during the classical times (Bloom). A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of
Poor People in Ireland from Being a Burden to their Parents or Country, and for Making them
Beneficial to the Public, is the full title of Swift's pamphlet. The essay starts as a superficially
dispassionate diagnosis of the extreme poverty during the eighteenth century in Ireland. Swift later
introduces his main idea of his proposal;
Exactly at one year old that I propose to provide for them [children] in such a manner as instead of
being a charge upon their parents or the parish, or wanting food and raiment for the rest of their
lives, they shall on the contrary contribute to the feeding, and partly to the clothing, of many
thousands (Swift, 2,634).
Jonathan Swift emotionlessly describes the England's ruling towards Ireland by
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Criticism Of A Modest Proposal
Back in 1726; Irish writer Jonathan Swift wrote the very controversial and transcendental essay: A
Modest Proposal. This essay is very controversial and transcendental due to its strong proposal and
statements which will be explained later on. The reason for the composition of this essay is simple:
to find a solution for the huge problem Ireland had back then. To put it simple, the problem Ireland
had throughout the 18th century was a massive famine of the most common and cheap food
source there was in Ireland: the potato. However; this is not the reason Swift wrote this essay, the
main reason will be explained later on. The solution proposed by Swift is the controversial part of
the essay as its acclaims and suggestions were very cruel and...show more content...
The problem presented in Ireland is that of a massive potato famine that stoke the country; a
famine is none other than food scarcity caused by a number of reasons. In this case, this famine
was caused by a bacteria called "Phytophthora infestans", that infected a massive amount of
potatoes in Europe during the 18th century. This bacterium causes a disease known as "late
blight" or "potato blight", thus making infected potatoes uneatable. The problem with potatoes in
particular was that a lot of people, especially poor people, depended on potatoes as their main
food source due to the fact that potatoes were very common, very cheap and were easy to
cultivate. When this famine stroke Ireland, a lot of the lower class population started to starve
since their main food source was basically gone and they didn't have enough money to buy other
foods. The lower class population of Ireland already had it rough since Ireland had some taxes
implanted on the population due to some political conflicts with England; since they were poor,
these taxes made them even poorer. However, this is actually part of the problem; the problem,
according to Swift, is actually the aftermath of poor people caused by this famine and scarcity of
resources. In order to survive, poor people had no other solution but to steal from other's
nourishment or to leave the country, especially young children. According to Swift in "A Modest

A Modest Proposal Analysis Essay
A Modest Proposal
Literary Analysis
By J––– –––––––––––
J––– –––––––––––
Mr. H–––––
Period 6
2 May 2011
Jonathan Swift's Use of Satire and Exaggeration Satire is a form of literature in which an author
tries to demonstrate his or her point of view by ridiculing. The author uses heavy irony and sarcasm
in order to criticize a social issue. A perfect example of a work ofsatire is Jonathan Swift's A Modest
Proposal. In this satirical essay, Jonathan Swift attacks on the issue of the Irish poverty in the 1700s.
The essay sarcastically suggests that Ireland's social and economic problems would be quickly
solved by putting the children of impoverished Irish families on the food market. Through heavy
exaggeration, Jonathan...show more content...
One example is when he states "that a child just born will weigh twelve pounds, and in a solar year,
if tolerably nursed, will increase to twenty–eight pounds" (804). By giving infants a set of
instructions and guidelines, in analogy to livestock, Swift tries to make it seem as if he has no
emotional attachment to the Irish children. When Swift is describing the use of children as
commodities, it is ironic because his intentions are to actually explain that the English view the
whole Irish population as commodities. The English landlords are the ones responsible for
Ireland's poverty. The essay shows, through sarcasm, that the English have purposely took
everything from the Irish because they view them as commodities. One example of sarcasm used
to portray that idea is that the utilization of infants will be "proper for landlords, who, as they have
already devoured most of the parents, seem to have the best title to the children" (804). It is very
apparent that Swift blames the English for Ireland's problems. He also blames the Irish Catholics
that allowed English policy to break down Ireland. The essay illustrates that the greed–filled English
have taken away everything from the Irish. This includes their material things such as their money,
their

A Modest Proposal
This satirical hyperbole fully entitled "A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of Poor
People From Being a Burden to Their Parents or Country, and for Making Them Beneficial to the
Public" mocks heartless attitudes towards the poor, as well as British policy toward the Irish in
general. A friend of the narrator's, "a very worthy person," has already heard the proposal and
suggested that children of fourteen, too, be a potential food. The writer has dismissed this idea,
though, because the flesh of fourteen–year–old boys is too lean, and fourteen–year–old girls might
soon become breeders of infants themselves. He defends his friend, nevertheless, by saying that the
friend learned of this practice in Asia among certain savage people.

Essay On A Modest Proposal
A Modest Proposal is an audacious piece of writing aimed for more than just the country of Ireland.
Jonathan Swift develops an objective plan of suggestions that would ironically do the complete
opposite of what he wanted to achieve. His primary goal, along with many others, was to improve
the country's economy. This in turn led to an exaggerated piece in which the author recommends his
country to eat the less valuable of the bunch; hoping to decrease hunger, overpopulation, and increase
market income. Swift's plan begins with a solution to end poverty. The proposal explains that the
families with the least amount of money but have the most mouths to feed, should fatten their
youngest children and sell them to land owners or meat markets. In this scenario, Swift treats the
youngest children (starting at age one) as pieces of meat. This theory is expressed through a set of
statistics, in which Swift's argument becomes stronger. Thus, his solution would help decrease
unemployment in the country and allow those big families to inherit better income.
Furthermore, the author inclines the reader to wrap their head around a topic that is morally corrupt
through a series of ironic ideas....show more content...
Fattening children and feeding them to the rich signifies the social injustice found within Ireland, the
rich are prioritized while the poor seem to be accused for their position and their lack of compassion.
Swift's ultimate argument compares cannibalism to human corruption. Eating each other would be
ruining the nation, which was a hypothetical solution used to solve the issues of inhumanity. This
proposal explains that the nation is actually consuming itself. The social and political problems of
Ireland are the primary concern within this piece of writing, although it seems as if the author was
originally only interested for economic prosperity as the normal, everyday citizen truly only worries
about

A Modest Proposal Analysis
"A Modest Proposal" A Modest Proposal was written by Jonathan Swift in 1729 to shed the light
to the weak and poor Ireland. He used satire and over exaggeration to boast and show the world
what is the reality of their country. It is a proposal to mend and save the fallen country. In "A
Modest Proposal", Swift described the condition of Ireland's poor economy and lifestyle by giving it
a macabre and grim aspect.

Essay On My Modest Proposal
My objectives were to get ideas and tips for my PhD proposal. In addition, it was the first time
that I was presenting my proposal research in a poster. I would like to see how I would go and to
hear questions about it from others than my advisor. I think that division by year was great
because the talks were very focused in our needs. I could not be more fortunate by having that
experience very close to finish my proposal. The conference presented many opportunities to
expand my network. Personally, I shared many experiences over the lunch tables. It was so great
to met girls with great expertise in their areas. Many does not seem to be aware before, how brave
they are. That is why the conference is so important. We saw...show more content...
I just realized that in a "run" for to proves ourselves in research, sometimes we ended up not
knowing people close to us. In addition, we had fun. The party was awesome and it was very nice
to hang out with my own cohort at night, outside the hotel, for a walk on the sidewalk, or going to
Coronado Beach after ending the conference on Saturday. As a 3rd year student, I was in the verge
to finish my proposal. In this sense, the conference exceed my expectations. I review all my text
and approach and it helped me a lot. I made ma dissertation more clear and concise. Due to the
insights, I re–though all my strategy to conduct the research. It was awesome to talk with Prof
Dilma da Silva, because she gave me ideas to my academic career. She also gave me suggestions
and examples that can help me to deal with a family issue. That matter is related to my soon and,
of course, he is my best project. Therefore that issue is totally dear to my heart and I think that only
a woman with life experience and outstanding career could give me so broad understating of that
issue and ideas how to deal

Six Key Points Of A Modest Proposal
Even before Swift made his six key points, with the extensive background of Irelands state that he
gave, the essay has already begun to showcase and defend the topic. The six key points, however,
only further solidified the proposal as it acts as the supporting benefits if the proposal is to be
implemented. Through thorough and rigorous analyzation, it can be said that "A Modest Proposal",
overall, is of the highest quality and that little to no mistakes or errors can be seen or discovered in
or about the piece. The strongest point, though, of the essay is the middle part where the six key
points are presented. The only weakness of this essay is probably that, centuries later, when it is
read by the non–Irish or those with minimal Irish knowledge,

Modest Proposal
One of the prime debated keynote these days is the evaluation method at academic institutions, with
numerous prominent personalities stating that formal written examination is outdated and should be
revised. Although, in my perspective, I do entirely undertake this notion and I will give a brief
explanation for that in this discourse. There are manifold reasons for endorsing my vindication. The
salient one is that the formal written examination is a primitive method which was introduced a
century ago. This method was too right at that time. However, as the technology and humans
evolved the method became an outdated one. In this primitive method, one is supposed to write
whatever they have by–hearted from their academic texts. The conceptual

A Modest Proposal Thesis
In this composition," A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift who was an Anglican priest and a
writer , has talked about the worst condition under which people are living in Ireland. He uses this
writing as a means of communication to convey his message across the whole world for people
to be aware of what is happening to the citizens of Ireland. How the landowners are maltreating
the poor families whose spouse are dead, and their government too is not doing anything to assist
them. Although he has made ironical statement, and also uses a lot of sarcasm does not make this
writing to lose its value, it is still carrying its subject and message across. This kind of evil deeds
does not happen in only Ireland, it is all over the world now....show more content...
In this quotation, I believe he was referring to the children as ingredients for making good foods
that should be sold out to people without the care from their parents or the government. He is using
this writing to make a mockery of the landowners and the government of Ireland, it is because of
their inability to take care of the poor women and their children that made the mothers to take
their children to the market and sold as food. We all know it is not possible to use your own
children to make food. It is very frustrating to see this child be put on the market for sale. I,
therefore conclude that Swift had used this piece of writing to persuade his readers to be aware of
the type of leaders that are governing our nation this modern day. Even though he has talked mostly
about the England's government, does not mean the message is limited to them alone. The writing
is carrying a very strong message which is very important for everyone to learn from, especially
our leaders. As a reader, I am satisfied with his use of irony, sarcasm, and metaphor to make this
writing a

A Modest Proposal
Thomas, While you bring up good ideas, there are a few flaws I see in your action plan. In my
opinion, while I would thank the booster for bringing this situation to my attention, I would not
inform him or her specifically of the findings of the investigation. This situation should be one that
can be handled within the athletic department. This booster could learn the outcome of the
investigation when there are more answers just like everyone else. Along with this, why else
besides it taking stress off your shoulders would cause you to inform other administrators of the
situation? I do not believe this to be a wise move, involving more people can cause the rumors to
increase. Clearly, this type of investigation would need to be managed carefully,

A Modest Proposal Essay
Great emphasis is placed on obtaining a a degree from a higher university. When you go to apply
for jobs nowadays, you need an associates or a bachelors just to get your foot in the door unlike
how the job world once was years ago. As a student currently enrolled at a traditional 4 year
university, I knew that this was where I needed to be in High school in order have the fighting
opportunity in my dream career. A lot of students are told that in order to receive a fat check in
their career, you need a college degree, so then they push students in high school to take the SAT
and ACT, and to focus maintaining a high GPA so that the door to a seat at a topuniversity can be
filled by them. With that being said, I've come to the realization that not everyone is set–up to have
the opportunity to achieve these goals....show more content...
This led me to a few inquiry questions: When looking at higher education, can it be viewed that
students of wealthier backgrounds are still favored over those from poverty stricken areas because
of the importance place on GPA and things such as the SAT when it comes to the admission selection
process? What are the stigmas that high school students from lower income neighbors often face in
regards to higher education? Fact factors cause students from lower income backgrounds to not
graduate for university?I plan to study and the impact that poverty has on the college process for a
student so that I can find out why less minority students apply, enroll, and graduate from universities
and colleges so that I might better understand if whether or not poverty has an impact on a student
enrolling and succeeding through higher

A Modest Proposal Thesis
If a horrible action becomes normal in a society where everyone contributes, is the action still
horrible? This type of question gets one into the mindset of the story "A modest proposal". The
story is an author stating his solution to the poverty problem which is causing kids to grow up on
the streets with their poor parents. A major part of this solution is including the process of eating
infants to clear up the streets. Throughout the story the author speaks of concepts that would
usually be frowned upon in society or down right prohibited because of human rights as stated
before. But, it is always important to delve deeper into a society to find its true purpose, then it
could be possible to see why certain actions are taken, perhaps in response to a need....show more
content...
An example of this in "A modest proposal" is when the author is speaking of how to take care of
children living on the streets with parents who can't afford to take care of them. "...and shall take
in the whole number of infants at a certain age who are born of parents in effect as little able to
support them as those who demand our charity in the streets." (Swift 1) This quote proves that the
author is trying to do something for the greater good, but with a very dark twist that he believes
is right. "I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a
young healthy child well nursed is at a year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food,
whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled ..." (Swift 1) At the end of his statement about helping
the poor children, he informs the reader of how the children would be dealt with, and if everyone
follows along with the plan, the morally wrong part of the act would be washed away. Though this
is not the only problem with his

A Modest Proposal
Times were hard for the inhabitants in Ireland during the early eighteenth century: overpopulation,
economic deficit, and countless people were living on the street, begging for either money or jobs.
There were people trying to find effective solutions to all of these problems, but to no avail. In 1790,
a man named Jonathan Swift submitted a proposal to the upper class of Ireland with answers to the
questions they had been asking for years. He entitled it, "A Modest Proposal for Preventing the
Children of the Poor People in Ireland from Being a Burden to Their Parents or Country, and for
Making them Beneficial to the Publick." In his essay, Swift criticizes the wealthy and the nation as a
whole of their ineptitude to act on the situations

Tone Of A Modest Proposal
I was very amused by the logic that is presented by Jonathan Swift in "A Modest Proposal." When
I first read through the essay, I didn't exactly realize that it is actually a satire until Swift brought
up the idea of eating children, but I did notice the ironic tone all throughout it. Since I briefly
prepped for the SAT essay, I understand the power of quantitative evidence and economic and moral
reasoning within an argument. Swift effectively persuades his readers to follow a ridiculous idea:
eating the poor children of Ireland in order to combat the social problems of overpopulation, poverty,
and unemployment. The amount of statistical support (p.6) he offers to introduce this solution is so
substantial and confusing that it makes me, a naive

A Modest Proposal Essay
In Jonathan Swift's satire, "A Modest Proposal", Swift writes about the starving people of Ireland
in the early 1700's. He makes a wild and absurd proposal to help remedy the problems of
overpopulation and poverty. Swift wants to make a political statement by using the "children" as
satire to grasp the attention of the audience – the English people, the Irish politicians and the rich –
and make them aware of the political, moral, and social problems. In "A Modest Proposal", Swift's
arguments are presented effectively by using pathos (emotional appeal), ethos (ethics and values),
and logos (logic reasoning and facts).
Swift begins his argument by stating his view on the situation and displaying his annoyance. He
states, "It is a...show more content...
Swift obviously wants the readers to realize that he has studied the problem for a very long time.
He even confides from a commendable person about the proposal, thus stating, "A very worthy
person, a true lover of his country, and whose virtues I highly esteem, was lately pleased in
discoursing on this matter to offer a refinement upon my scheme" (Swift 3). By referencing
experiences of friends and acquaintances, Swift asserts that his proposal is indeed feasible and can
be applied to remedy Ireland's economy and social ills. He writes, "But with due deference to so
excellent a friend... my American acquaintance assured me, from frequent experience..." (Swift 3).
Another one, "But in order to justify my friend, he confessed that this expedient was put into his
head by the famous Psalmanazar... who came from thence to London above twenty years ago... that
in his country when any young person happened to be put to death, the executioner sold the carcass
to persons of quality as a prime dainty" (Swift 3). Likewise, from a grave author, an eminent French
physician, who says that infant's flesh are more plentiful in March because there are more children
born in Roman Catholic countries due to the fish diet that they eat during Lenten season (Swift 2).
Swift undoubtedly uses ethos to show the readers that he actually gathered facts from people

A Modest Proposal Summary
1.The implied thesis of Swift's "A Modest Proposal" is that 18th century Ireland would be in a better
situation if the Irish society and monarchy actually treated problems such as overpopulation and
poverty, While the overt thesis is that Irish people should consider eating their children and selling
them to rich Englishmen to solve the issue of poverty and overpopulation in the country. They differ
form one another as one focuses on eating children, while the other focuses on giving commentary
through the essay itself.
2.The primary aim for the narrator is to suggest a reflection on how the Irish are treating the
problems happening within their country through satirical writing. The narrator states that, "Infant's
flesh will be in...show more content...
4.The "very knowing American" is added to further drive the point that this work is satirical. At the
time this was written America was going through very difficult time while under British control, and
talk of a revolution had started to begin. America in some aspects was in a similar position Ireland
was at the time – so by saying "I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance
that a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old the most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome
food." (Swift) This boosts the satirical nature, as you should never take advice about getting out of a
situation from someone still going through the same exact situation.
5.The appropriate response to this essay would be the reader reflecting on the point of the essay, but
instead of reflection, it more than likely received massive disapproval. The ides themselves are not
only morally and ethically wrong, but nonsensical. The concept of eating another human would
destroy what separates us from wild animals. So, it would make sense that the Irish may have been
mad. Due to the

A Modest Proposal
1Advantage
There are numerous advantages in proposing a law that allows terminal ill patients to have the right
to end their lives if they choose voluntary.
1.1Allows families to move
If patients decide to have a death with dignity, they would give their families an opportunity to be
happy and move on with their future. For example, Brittany Maynard, a 29 years old woman with a
terminal brain cancer, shares that she considered dying in a hospice care, but she would suffer for
months, and her family would have to watch that. In order to prevent a nightmare scenario for her
and her family, she decided that death with dignity act was the best solution. Throughout a video in
CNN News, she explains that she loves her mother and husband so much

A Modest Proposal
I have recieved only pricing from Lorretta. My purpose is to have rough estimate for the total
amount time and money I will need to prepare ahead before I come to London. I will need to
postpone any jobs and rent for that purpose... it is a big deal for me, hopefully it is understood.
Again, I am aiming for optimal result and whatever stay length you feel is neccessary in my case,
I just wanted to know (e.g. weeks). I will dedicate the entire time for your program. I really, really
want to deal this issue for good. I would like, if possible, that you will review shortly my symptoms
and basic application and tell me about the plan (estimated complete time and money, other
requirements to prepare). We can also speak about it shorlty over

Pros And Cons Of A Modest Proposal
As you probably heard on the news, the U.S congress is considering a plan to require all future
U.S. high school graduates to spend one year in service to their country before college. It sounded
like a great idea to me at first, being able to support my country in the military or a civilian service
program, however after thinking about it more and discussing this topic with my relatives, I found
also certain disadvantages of this plan. Therefore, I would like to share with you my thoughts so
you as high school students can form your opinion about this congressional proposal.
The first issue that I have with this plan is the freedom of choice. In my opinion, no one should be
required to serve in the military or civil services, it should be

Modest Proposal Essay

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Modest Proposal Essay