Read the excerpt from "A Modest Proposal." Those who are more thrifty (as I must confess the times require) may flea the carcass
; the skin of which, artificially dressed, will make admirable gloves for ladies, and summer boots for fine gentlemen. The author is using satire in this excerpt to emphasize the
The author is using satire in this excerpt to emphasize the utter absurdity of his plan.
Explanation:
In 1729, Jonathan Swift published "A Modest Proposal" anonymously. The proposal has become a famous satire, since Swift wrote it with "seriousness" only to make it clear that what he stated was an utter absurd. His solution for the poor to stop being a burden is that their children are used as food for the rich. In the excerpt we are studying here, he talks of using their skin to make gloves and summer boots. Throughout the proposal, he uses logical arguments as if he were seriously trying to convince readers of his ideas. Obviously, that proposal is outrageous and cannot be taken seriously, nor did Swift intend it to. He's using it to criticize the economic sate of Ireland, a state in which the rich get richer by shamelessly exploring the poorer classes.
