A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift

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A Modest Proposalby Jonathan Swift
Feature Menu
Introducing the Selection Literary Focus Verbal
Irony Reading Skills Recognizing Persuasive
Techniques
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A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift
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A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift
And unless it wants to break faith with its
social function, art must show the world as
changeable. And help to change it.
Ernst Fischer (18991972)
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A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift
Opening Others Eyes
What if you had good ideas for solving a terrible
social problem, but no one would listen to you?
How would you get peoples attention?
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A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift faced such a situation in the late
1720s, when starvation was widespread in Ireland.

• Irish harvests had been poor for years.

• Farmers couldnt pay the rents demanded by their
  English landlords.

• Beggars and starving children filled the streets.

• Englands policies kept the Irish poor.

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A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift
Appalled by the misery in Ireland, Jonathan Swift
set out to make the English more responsive to
their neighbors suffering.
He wrote a pamphleta shocking satire that
offered an outrageous solution to the problem
of famine.
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A Modest Proposal Literary Focus Verbal Irony
Verbal irony occurs when a writer or speaker says
one thing but really means something quite
differentusually the exact opposite.
You overslept, forgot to feed the dog, and are
coming down with a bad cold. Someone asks
youhow youre doing, and you respond, Just
great. I wish every day could be just like this
one. You have just used verbal irony.
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A Modest Proposal Literary Focus Verbal Irony
Writers cannot depend on tone of voice to convey
sarcasm, so they often use irony to make their
point.
Is this writer being sarcastic? How can you tell?
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A Modest Proposal Literary Focus Verbal Irony
The irony in Swifts essay begins with the title
A Modest Proposal.

• Here the word modest means not bold limited in
  size, amount, or scope.

• Youll find that Swifts proposal is anything but
  modest. To the contrary, it is outrageous and
  extreme to the point of absurdity.

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A Modest Proposal Reading Skills Recognizing
Persuasive Techniques
A Modest Proposal is a classic example of
persuasive writing used for the purpose of
satire.
Watch for these persuasive techniques
Logical appeals use evidence such as facts or
statistics to support a position.
Emotional appeals use words that arouse strong
feelings.
Ethical appeals establish the writers sincerity
and qualifications.
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A Modest Proposal Background
Swift makes his proposal all the more outrageous
and forceful by

• assuming the voice of a practical economic planner

• pretending to be objective, sensible, and kind

• using a straightforward, sober style while
  presenting appalling content

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A Modest Proposal Background
Ultimately, Swift is protesting against Englands
lack of compassion for the poor in Ireland.
According to Swift, a numerical or statistical
view of poverty is unethical it reduces people
to breeders and babies to meat.
Swift uses statistics in his proposal as a
satirical device.
He risks appearing as a monster himself in order
to expose the monstrous behavior of others.
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