Rhetorical Analysis of a Modest Proposal

¶ … 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, tells the conditions of poor, rural Irish families facing starvation and desolation caused by brutal oppression from their neighboring and bullying country England in 1729. The length of the title of this essay introduces the satirical form that Swift uses in this essay, and helps demonstrate the effectiveness of literary tools, and consequently captures the audience's attention and entertains the reader leaving a lasting impression. The purpose of this essay, is to examine Swift's writing by highlighting his use of satirical tools that are used to demonstrate the piece's effectiveness and increase the overall artistic value and appeal of this literary work.

Satire has the intended effect of grabbing the reader's attention by employing irony, hyperbole, humor and other nonstandard techniques to colorfully describe the authors interpretation of his environment in an attempt to contribute to the overall quality of the story. A Modest Proposal, the shortened title this work, is an excellent example of satire as it is full of these techniques displayed in a biting critique of the treatment of humanity from the oppressive and controlling English towards the more humble and substantially poorer Irish folk of the time. In order to reach his desired audience, Swift uses this technique to stand out amongst his peers in order to present a point-of-view that is often reserved for softer criticism within safer circles of discourse.

This essay was distributed in a pamphlet form during the time of its publication, and perhaps used as a means to introduce this topic in a medium that could be easily spread amongst the population anonymously and without the use of traditional methods. The ironic content of the message of this essay, requires a certain understanding of the situation in order to feel its greatest artistic impressions. Swift uses the role as the narrator of this tale as an antagonistic figure, urging for a violent and ridiculous solution to poverty and famine within the island of Ireland. This desired scheme Swift has in mind is that the children of poor Irish families are actually eaten for sustenance and food, and use as a commodity in trade to uplift the Irish families and create a harmonic balance within the arguing situation between England and Ireland. The use of irony, starting off from the ridiculous title, and used effectively throughout this essay, is common in many forms of satire. Suggesting one thing but meaning another, an effective characteristic of the use of this literary tool, is consistent throughout the entire tone of this written work demonstrated by the suggested use of cannibalism of the poor helpless children. The ridiculousness of this suggestion is of course where the effectiveness of this technique shows through. As Swift claims, anyone who could solve the problem of overcrowding "would deserve so well the public as to have his statue set up for a preserver of the nation, " he immediately takes supports the poor Irish by taking sides with the English in such an exaggerated manner, setting up the conditions for an effective literary piece designed to have a strong effect due to the use of the satirical tool.

Satire is often filled with great hyperbole and exaggeration, and this essay contains many of these examples. Swift suggests, as the bad guy, to help with the despondent and depressed mothers of these poor children in question by preparing them for trade and eventually being eaten will eventually bring back purpose within the lives of these mothers, as successful employment is created through this cannibalistic operation. It is hard not to laugh at the obvious absurdity of this suggestion, making Swift's position and this essay even stronger as his antagonistic forces are made to look foolish by using such statements and ideas.