Is Jonathan Swift a hero?
Political events once again made Swift a national hero in 1724-1725. His six famous letters, signed M. B. Drapier, written between April and December 1724, were a protest against English debasement of Irish coinage and the inflation that would ensue.
What were Swift’s actual suggestions for the Irish people?
He offers a catalogue of the various remedies others have suggested: taxing absentee landowners, buying only domestically-manufactured goods, rejecting “foreign luxury,” reforming the morality of Irish women, instilling “Parsimony, Prudence, and Temperance” in the people, as well as a healthy patriotism, abandoning …
Why did Jonathan Swift write A Modest Proposal?
He wrote “A Modest Proposal” as an attempt to convince the Irish Parliament to improve the conditions of the poor. Swift used the idea of eating children as a metaphor for what he saw as the exploitation of the poor, such as the high rents charged by landlords.
What were the social conditions in Ireland that prompted the writing of Jonathan Swift’s essay A Modest Proposal?
In the 1720s, Swift became politically involved in Irish causes, specifically England’s exploitation of Ireland and religious suppression. “A Modest Proposal” was written in response to worsening economic conditions in Ireland and Swift’s perception of the passivity of the Irish people.
What are the 6 advantages in A Modest Proposal?
What are the six principal advantages? According to the speaker, his plan would (1) reduce the number of Catholics, (2) give the poor a tangible asset, (3) aid the economy and introduce a new food, (4) decrease the time “breeders” have to raise children, (5) improve taverns’ business, and (6) encourage marriage.
What types of evidence does the speaker use to support his argument in A Modest Proposal?
What types of evidence does the speaker use to support his argument? Swift uses “experts”, statistics, “logical thinking”, and cost/benefit analysis to bolster his argument.
What objection to the proposal does the speaker?
Why does the speaker reject the idea of selling and eating twelve to fourteen year olds? He rejects this because the males would have tough meat and would not have much meat, and the females could be breeders. About midway in the pamphlet, the speaker lists the advantages of his proposal.
What objection does the speaker anticipate people will have how does he answer to it?
How does he answer the objection? The objection that the speaker anticipates is that this would lessen Ireland’s population. He answers this objection by saying that this is the idea. Reread footnote 48 on page 135, which explains that Swift’s essay is ironic except for this italicized passage.
What solution to the problem does the speaker propose modest proposal?
Expert Answers The speaker in “A Modest Proposal” is desirous to solve the problems associated with the poor Irish: families become so big — even when the parents are poor — that the children cannot be supported, and they end up begging in the streets instead of becoming productive members of society.
What is ironic about the conclusion of a modest proposal?
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.