Essay On A Modest Proposal Example For Students

Essay On A Modest Proposal Category:Book ReportsPaper Title:a modest proposalText:An Ironic Proposal Unlike most essays, Jonathan Swifts A ModestProposal is written for the reader to see through what the narrator isexpressing. The narrator does not want the reader to agree that the solution tooverpopulation and poverty in Ireland is to eat babies, he wants the reader tosee there needs to be a practical solution. By stating the advantages andobjections to his proposal, using ironic words and phrases, he directs thereader not to see the apparent, but the implicit. Swifts narrative voicemetaphorically compares the Irish to pigs and cows, which implies the Irish arebeing treated subhumanly. Although something seems one way to the narrator,Jonathan Swift wants the reader to see it in an opposite light. Firstly, thenarrative voice begins the essay by describing the deplorable conditions inwhich the Irish peasants are living. He demonstrates there is a serious problemwith a great need for a solution. He then suggests a solution and then lists awhole list of advantages. His propsal of eating the Irish babies is followed byadvantages such as by the sale of their children, the parents would berid of the charge of maintaining them after the first year(14). Anotheradvantage is, as Swift put it, the poorer tenants will have somethingvaluable of their own(14). These quotations imply that the poorer tenantshave nothing of value and that they would have to resort to selling their ownflesh and blood in order to earn an income; they also do not take intoconsideration that the parents might want to have a family and children who willlive with them past the age of one year. A decrease in the meat consumed byIreland would lead to an advantage of the addition of some thousandcarcasses in our exportation of barreled beef(14). A quotation such asthis asks the residents of Ireland to eat human flesh to improve exportation. We will write a custom essay on On A Modest Proposal specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now All the advantages he suggests are true: if his proposal was put into action,these would be benefits, but he is asking the poor to sell their children forconsumption. The large population and poor living conditions of Irish peasantsare matters which need to be taken care of. By means of downplaying hismodest proposal, the narrator leads the reader to believe hisproposal is rationale. He even goes as far as saying, I shall nowtherefore humbly propose my own thoughts, which I hope will not be liable to theleast objection(1) before he introduces the solution of eating infants. Ofcourse there will be objections to this outrageous recommendation as it is aridiculous notion. The suggestion of eating young children is most definitelynot humble. He also proclaims, he can think of no one objection thatwill be raised against this proposal, unless it should be urged that the numberof people will be thereby much lessened in the kingdom.(15). There areobjections and they include more than just co ncerns about the populationnumbers. The Irish are being asked to consider ideas of selling their childrenfor profit and cannibalism. If this idea is to go beyond just a proposal, thevalues of society should be questioned. If this is to be contemplated as alegitimate solution, the values of society should also be examined thoroughly, Imight add. Throughout the essay, ironic words and phrases are used to make thereader see that there is a discrepancy between the stated word or phrase and theimplied meaning. The title of Swifts essay, A Modest Proposalimplies that his suggestion will be one of insubstantial content, somethingsimple and unassuming. As a solution to the poor standard of living of theIrish, the narrator suggests eating children of about one year old. Thisrecommendation is ludicrous and not simple at all. The narrator is asking theIrish to revert to cannibalism, which not just eating other human beings, itincludes their own children. When the narrator begins to introduce t hispreposterous proposal, he comments, I shall now therefore humbly proposemy own thoughts, which I hope will not be liable to the least objection.(11) He proposes the idea of eating the young and then downplays this ridiculousnotion as being humble. Although the narrator is suggesting an appalling idea,he minimizes it as a humble thought by claiming it is something simple orunpretentious and then continues to report that there will be no objections tohis way of thinking. The narrator uses the term carcass more thanonce to describe the children being discussed. The Canadian Oxford PaperbackDictionary defines a carcass as the dead body of an animal, especially oneslaughtered for its meat(138). By using the word carcass, the narratorexhibits that the Irish peasants are thought of as subhuman. Despite suggestingan outlandish notion, he is trying to make others see that there is a problemand it needs to be solved. Metaphors are used continuously throughout this essayto parallel the Iris h peasants to animals. Before introducing the proposal, thenarrator compares Americans to savages when he states, a very knowingAmerican(11) told him that a child of one year makes wholesomefood(11). They are treated like animals by the English and theirlandlords. The narrator also discusses eating the Irish infants, like one woulda piece of animal flesh. The Irish peasants are constantly portrayed as animals. .uc923ae5b7f8326d6d3f0ff7cc28aa18b , .uc923ae5b7f8326d6d3f0ff7cc28aa18b .postImageUrl , .uc923ae5b7f8326d6d3f0ff7cc28aa18b .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uc923ae5b7f8326d6d3f0ff7cc28aa18b , .uc923ae5b7f8326d6d3f0ff7cc28aa18b:hover , .uc923ae5b7f8326d6d3f0ff7cc28aa18b:visited , .uc923ae5b7f8326d6d3f0ff7cc28aa18b:active { border:0!important; } .uc923ae5b7f8326d6d3f0ff7cc28aa18b .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uc923ae5b7f8326d6d3f0ff7cc28aa18b { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uc923ae5b7f8326d6d3f0ff7cc28aa18b:active , .uc923ae5b7f8326d6d3f0ff7cc28aa18b:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uc923ae5b7f8326d6d3f0ff7cc28aa18b .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uc923ae5b7f8326d6d3f0ff7cc28aa18b .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uc923ae5b7f8326d6d3f0ff7cc28aa18b .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uc923ae5b7f8326d6d3f0ff7cc28aa18b .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uc923ae5b7f8326d6d3f0ff7cc28aa18b:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uc923ae5b7f8326d6d3f0ff7cc28aa18b .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uc923ae5b7f8326d6d3f0ff7cc28aa18b .uc923ae5b7f8326d6d3f0ff7cc28aa18b-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uc923ae5b7f8326d6d3f0ff7cc28aa18b:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Civil Disobedience EssayFor example, Pigsare no way comparable in taste or magnificence to awell-grown, fat yearling child, (14) compares the babies directly to pigs. While introducing his proposal to the reader, he talks of how infantsflesh will be in season throughout the year(11). This confirms thenarrator writing about the Irish as if they are animals that will become a newexcellent nutritive meat(12) one could pick up at the market. Furthermore, the narrator metaphorically compares the poor treatment of theIrish to animals when writing, the landlords have already devoured mostof the parents(11) of these children. The landlord havedevoured the parents in the sense of excessive taxation andcollecting high rent. The parents are paralleled to animals and dehumanized bybeing referred to as breeders several times in the essay. Lastly,the children are depicted almost as a form of currency. The sale of the childrenfor food is to pay their parents debts. The infants emerge as a form ofcollateral from this proposal. By using metaphors, the treatment of the Irishpeasants as less than human by the English is depicted. Listing advantages andclaiming that there will be no objections, the narrator rationalizes hissolution and consequently makes the reader believe his suggestion will be one ofinsignificant content. He captures the attention of the reader by using irony,which is firstly evident in the title of the essay, A Modes tProposal. His tone of voice detaches him emotionally by supporting thisproposal with examples of how animals are bred, proposing that children be bredthe same way. In conclusion, the narrator is deeply angry about the way in whichthe English treat the Irish peasants and he thinks something should be done. Bystating the problems and proposing an extreme solution, he works with ironythroughout the essay to allow his reader to see things on the flip-side. Swiftsproposal is an antithesis to get the reader to see the contrary. BibliographyWork Cited Carcass. The Canadian Oxford Paperback Dictionary. 2000 ed. Swift, Jonathan. A Modest Proposal. Introduction toLiterature. Eds. Isobel Findlay et. al. 4th ed. Toronto: Harcourt Brace, 2001. 9-16. Word Count: 1230Book Reports