jonathanswift-amp-blog

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UNDERSTATEMENT

"I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee, or a ragoust." 

“a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled”

I made use of a bland understatement to advance my "proposal"; the organized cannibalism of poor children.

ABSURDITY/INCONGRUITY

The statement "The museums and scientific societies and libraries are accidental. They gather around the sands to save carting" hyperbolically suggests that museums and places of culture in Boston exist by the harbor only to shorten the distance that imported goods need to be transported. The author is using a comical exaggeration to suggest that industry is the only thing that happens in Boston, and that its culture is not significant. The purpose of this exaggeration is to downplay other aspects of Boston's culture, further highlighting the author's argument that trade and industry are the main occurrences there.

“Those who are more thrifty may flay the carcass; the skin of which, artificially dressed, will make admirable gloves for ladies, and summer boots for fine gentlemen.”

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IRONY/REVERSAL

“It is a melancholly Object to those, who walk through this great Town, or travel in the Country, when they see the Streets, the Roads, and Cabbin-Doors, crowded with Beggars of the female Sex, followed by three, four, or six Children, all in Rags, and importuning every Passenger for an Alms. These Mothers instead of being able to work for their honest livelyhood, are forced to employ all their time in Stroling, to beg Sustenance for their helpless Infants, who, as they grow up either turn Thieves for want of work, or leave their dear native Country to fight for the Pretender in Spain, or sell themselves to the Barbadoes.” (1)

I use vocabulary like melancholy, all in rags, mothers, and helpless to make it sound like I genuinely care about those in this situation and are struggling but in reality this wouldn’t really be true because if I did care about all of these children he would not have written this proposal.

“I Profess in the sincerity of my Heart that I have not the least personal Interest in endeavouring to promote this necessary Work having no other Motive than the publick Good of my Country, by advancing our Trade, providing for Infants, relieving the Poor, and giving some Pleasure to the Rich.” (33)

This is ironic because when he says this, it sounds like he loves his country so much and wants nothing but the best for Ireland, but in reality, he is a bit angry and frustrated that his country was trampled on so easily by England.

example: Amar’e Stoudemire made homophobic comments. "I'm going to shower across the street, make sure my change of clothes are around the corner," Stoudemire said Tuesday when asked by Israeli website Walla Sport how he’d feel about playing with a gay teammate. "And I'm going to drive — take a different route to the gym." Ironic because two days before his remarks he was honored with the Martin Luther King Jr. award.

SARCASM

“I think it is agreed by all Parties, that this prodigious number of Children, in the Arms, or on the Backs, or at the heels of their Mothers, and frequently of their Fathers, is in the present deplorable state of the Kingdom, a very great additional grievance; and therefore whoever could find out a fair, cheap and easy method of making these Children sound and useful Members of the common-wealth would deserve so well of the publick, as to have his Statue set up for a preserver of the Nation.” (2)

They should build a statue especially for him because he’s the “preserver” of the nation. But Swift is using sarcasm in the context of not actually wanting a statue of himself, he is just saying that to make it sound like what he is doing is a “great deed”.

“As to our City of Dublin, Shambles may be appointed for this purpose, in the most convenient parts of it, and Butchers we may be assured will not be wanting, although I rather recommend buying the Children alive, and dressing them hot from the Knife, as we do roasting Pigs.”

Swift is comparing dressing children and having them as meals as we do pigs. He is saying what the rich will benefit from this but he never mentions what poor people gain. He is contradicting himself when he says that he only wants the best for his country.

example: Oscars 2017 Opening: Jimmy Kimmel opened with sarcastic and witty remarks. “This broadcast is being watched live by millions of Americans and around the world in more than 225 countries that now hate us.” In this remark, he isn’t being serious but uses a mocking type of sarcasm.

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HYPERBOLE

“And Secondly, there being a round Million of Creatures in humane Figure, throughout this Kingdom, whose whole Subsistence put into a common Stock, would leave them in Debt two Millions of Pounds Sterling.” (32)

This is an exaggeration of an amount of debt the kingdom will be in due to the population growth.

“But I am not in the least pain upon that matter, because it is very well known, that they are every Day dying, and rotting, by cold, and famine, and filth, and vermin, as fast as can be reasonably expected.” (19)

I exaggerate the struggle of the poor people’s life to get MY point across that eating them off isn’t as bad as it sounds.

example: Social medias exploded with the news that the “Great Barrier Reef died” when in fact it wasn’t (although it’s still not in excellent health). 

PARODY/MOCKING

“As to our City of Dublin, Shambles may be appointed for this purpose, in the most convenient parts of it, and Butchers we may be assured will not be wanting, although I rather recommend buying the Children alive, and dressing them hot from the Knife, as we do roasting Pigs.”(16)

I mock children by comparing them to pigs.

“I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy Child well Nursed is at a year Old, a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome Food, whether Stewed, Roasted, Baked, or Boyled, and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a Fricasie, or Ragoust.” (9)

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Rhetorical Appeals

ETHOS

Swift use ethos by quoting his friend from London by saying, "a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food"(9).

“As to my own part, having turned my thoughts for many years, upon this important subject, and maturely weighed the several schemes of our projectors, I have always found them grossly mistaken in their computation.” (4)

- I chose to identify these examples as ethos because it's appeals to Swift's credibility. The first quote uses the credibility of my friend from London. The second quote uses my own credibility. 

PATHOS

In the beginning of A Modest Proposal, Swift uses pathos when he writes, "their helpless infants who, as they grow up, either turn into thieves for want of work, or leave their dear native country, to fight for the Pretender of Spain, or sell themselves to the Barbadoes"(1).

“There is likewise another great advantage in my scheme, that it will prevent those voluntary abortions, and that horrid practice of women murdering their bastard children, alas! too frequent among us, sacrificing the poor innocent babes, I doubt, more to avoid the expense than the shame, which would move tears and pity in the most savage and inhuman breast.” (5)

- I chose to identify these examples as pathos because it appeals to the audience's emotions. 

LOGOS

“The number of Souls in this Kingdom being usually reckoned one Million and a half.” (6)

“There only remain an hundred and twenty thousand Children of poor Parents annually born.” (6)

- I chose to identify these examples as logos because they both state statistics about Ireland’s population. 

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What are the advantages for your satirical solution?

“it would greatly lessen the Number of Papists, with whom we are Yearly over-run, being the principal Breeders of the Nation”

“the poorer Tenants will have something valuable of their own, which by Law may be made lyable to Distress, and help to pay their Landlord's Rent”

“the Nation's Stock will be thereby encreased fifty thousand pounds per Annum”

“The constant Breeders will be rid of the Charge of maintaining them after the first Year.”

“this food would likewise bring great Custom to Taverns”

“This would be a great Inducement to Marriage, which all wise Nations have either encouraged by Rewards, or enforced by Laws and Penalties”

“the addition of some thousand Carcases in our exportation of Barreled Beef”

“The Propagation of Swines Flesh, and Improvement in the Art of making good Bacon”

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What reform were you calling for in England and Ireland?

The reform that I was calling for was about the British policies towards the my people (the Irish). In the beginning of A Modest Proposal, it is clearly stated that I “resented British policies toward the Irish.” When I wrote this, Ireland was being exploited by the British and the gap between the rich and the poor was widening.

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What is your proposal?

My proposal was to fatten the undernourished children and feed them to irelands rich land-owners. This is similar to how children in India are sold as slaves to make money (due to poverty).

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What was the serious issue that you were addressing? What specific rhetorical techniques did you use to inform his audience?

The serious issue that I was addressing was preventing the children of the poor people in Ireland from being a burden to their parents of country; and for making them beneficial to the public. I think it is agreed by all Parties, that this prodigious number of Children, in the Arms, or on the Backs, or at the heels of their Mothers, and frequently of their Fathers, is in the present deplorable state of the Kingdom, a very great additional grievance; and therefore whoever could find out a fair, cheap and easy method of making these Children sound and useful Members of the common-wealth would deserve so well of the publick, as to have his Statue set up for a preserver of the Nation. The specific rhetorical technique that Swift uses to inform his audience is ethos, pathos, and logos.