Swifts A Modest Proposal

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Term Paper Title	Swifts A Modest Proposal
# of Words	1435
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	5.74

Swift's "A Modest Proposal"

In his lengthy literary career, Jonathan Swift wrote many stories that
used a broad range of voices that were used to make some compelling
personal statements. For example, Swifts, A Modest Proposal, is often
heralded as his best use of both sarcasm and irony. Yet taking into
account the persona of Swift, as well as the period in which it was
written, one can prove that through that same use of sarcasm and irony,
this proposal is actually written to entertain the upper-class. Therefore
the true irony in this story lies not in the analyzation of minute details
in the story, but rather in the context of the story as it is written.
        One of the voices that is present throughout the story is that of
irony. The story itself is ironic since no one can take Swifts proposal
seriously. This irony is clearly demonstrated at the end of the story;
Swift makes it clear that this proposal would not affect him since his
children were grown and his wife unable to have any more children. It
would be rather absurd to think that a rational man would want to both
propose this and partake in the eating of another human being. Therefore,
before an analyzation can continue, one has to make the assumption that
this is strictly a fictional work and Swift had no intention of pursuing
his proposal any further.
        One of the other voices that is present throughout the entire
story is that of sarcasm. In order to understand this further, a reader
has to comprehend that Swift, becoming infamous after Gullivers Travels,
was a member of the upper-class. Right from the first paragraph Swift
attempts to fool his readers by the sarcasm of the dreary scene that Swift
presents. For example, he mentions that it is a melancholy sight to see
beggars and their children on the street. The sarcastic paradox in this
statement is whether it is a melancholy object for him, having to see
homeless people every day, or for the beggars lifestyle? Upon first
reading this one may be led to believe that Swift is a compassionate
writer attempting to feel the pain of the beggars. But as the story
continues, a reader can look back and note that he is using a sarcastic
tone and the only sad sight that he sees is the fact that people of his
status have to deal with commoners. It is a good combination that makes
the reader think twice about any other statements, and the voice used,
after the first paragraph.
        This leads to the under...

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