Topic > Difficulties in Ireland in A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift

In “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift, written in 1729, he writes about the difficulties faced by the lower class and proposes a solution to help them. Living in Ireland, Swift witnessed many hardships suffered among the poor, such as theft and begging. However, not too far away, British royalty lived a lavish lifestyle and, in doing so, sucked the life out of the poor. Jonathan Swift saw this huge wealth imbalance and wanted to do something about it. Therefore, in his article "A Modest Proposal", Swift aims to publicly humiliate the rich by demonstrating how they always take from the poor. Meanwhile, the author also tries to anger the lower class to convince its inhabitants to oppose the rich landowners. Jonathan Swift adopts a sarcastic tone to mock the rich and show them how much damage they are doing to the Irish people. The main issue addressed in “A Modest Proposal” is that the many poor people living in Ireland have nothing to live on while the few rich people have everything. To address this problem, the author describes the situation in question. He mentions how the lifestyle of the poor is a constant struggle just to find food. Also, being originally from Ireland, Swift shows a bias in favor of the poor, but who wouldn't? Jonathan just wants to see everyone in his land succeed, but it's almost impossible to do that when the rich don't even give the poor a chance to have a successful life. Therefore, the author assumes that the rich always take money and opportunities from the poor, so that he can target the rich in his writings. Swift's arguments against the rich initially begin as outrageous solutions to help the poor in order to get... middle of the paper... he believes his idea is the best, and will not be convinced otherwise. Overall, the author briefly examines the possibility of a counterargument, but does not go into much depth about how the argument would be made before returning to support his own proposal. Ultimately, Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal" puts forward a proposal arguing that the rich need to stop being so greedy and help those who suffer every day. Swift shows a lot of strength in his argument by using rhetorical devices, such as ethos, logos, and pathos. He also uses satire and mockery to entertain his readers. However, some may find Swift's idea of ​​using human children as food too far-fetched, even for a satirical piece. Overall, Jonathan Swift made his voice and that of the suffering heard, and “A Modest Proposal” became an influential work in satirical literature..