Descartes\' Discourse Method (Part IV). Descartes Begins

¶ … Descartes' Discourse Method (Part IV). Descartes begins problem prove existence ends argument proving existence God. Read Discourse Method located http://www.earlymoderntexts.

Swift's "A Modest Proposal"

Jonathan Swift's satirical essay "A Modest Proposal" is meant to stand as criticism regarding how upper class individuals in Ireland had a tendency to harshly discriminate people belonging to lower classes. The fact that the writer provides a very complex description about how the upper classes need to behave is likely to influence most readers in believing that he was actually interested in putting across truthful opinions and that he was really determined to assist wealthy individuals. Moreover, Swift provides a number of calculations with the purpose of having people acknowledge the financial benefits associated with his plans. It is not until the last passages of the essay that readers are probable to understand that it is actually meant to be satirical and that the writer's true intention is to condemn wealthy people.

The ending to "A Modest Proposal" is really meant to emphasize that Swift wanted to encourage bright minds to get actively involved in finding solutions to the poverty problem before things got out of hand. The writer exaggerates throughout the essay with the purpose of appealing to the reader's humanity, as Swift was well acquainted with the fact that it was essential for him to trigger intense feelings in readers in order for them to understand that they needed to do something about the issue. What is intriguing about us as readers is that "At the end of A Modest Proposal, it makes a grizzly sort of sense that babies would be better off eaten, and we shudder at this discovery" (Smith, 1990, 219).

Swift practically acknowledged that by taking on a somewhat artistic attitude toward poor people and the fact that they were discriminated, one would be more likely to influence other individuals to share his thinking. The writer combines factors like sarcasm and irony in an attempt to manipulate readers in realizing that it is their duty to do something and that they need to do it as fast as possible (Booth, 1975, 275).

Swift is especially successful in achieving his goal at the end of his essay, as most readers are likely to agree to his opinion and want to lobby against the government's tendency to encourage discrimination. The writer basically wants people to understand that poor people are not to blame for their condition and that both their situation and the over-population problem need to be addressed by employing innovative strategies.