Question

Based on what you know about swift and the internal evidence in a modest proposal, how can you tell that the proposal in the essay is in fact the opposite of what the words themselves suggest

Answer 1

A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift is a sarcastic essay which deals with many ridiculous suggestions to find out a solution to poverty in Ireland. The title of the essay “A Modest Proposal” is the opposite of what the words themselves suggest. It is an ironic way of presenting not only an absurd outline to the economic and social Irish problem, but also an unusual and intricate idea. In his “proposal” he describe in a very complete and solid manner the process, statistics and advantages of his intended plan. In fact towards the end of the essay he claim that he has found “140 advantages by the proposal ….of highest importance”. Despite the fact that the problem described by Swift in Ireland in the 19th century is real and concrete, He decides to deal with this matter in a derisive manner in order to call the attention to the population and the government as well.

Answer 2

Jonathan Swift had already been very strong in his criticism of England and its injustices toward Ireland when he wrote "A Modest Proposal." His satirical writing style was already well-known in such work as "Gulliver's Travels." In this particular pamphlet, he chooses to use babies, a sector of humanity virtually no one would disparage for their helplessness, to blame for being a burden on society. The reader is thus alerted early on to the ironical nature of this work and the fact the message is the opposite of what the words themselves say. When he reaches the point of actually suggesting eating young children- young because the teenagers are too tough- readers know he cannot be taken literally