What is ironic about the last paragraph of a modest proposal?
The last paragraph of A Modest Proposal is the cherry on top of the satire. Swift’s final satiric jab is that the narrator really does believe that his plan will benefit the nation. He can’t even sell his own kids, since they’re too old to get much money (35).
What is Swift’s purpose in writing this essay?
The purpose of Swift’s satirical essay is to call attention to the problems that were being experienced by the people of Ireland. He wanted the English (who ruled Ireland) to realize what they were doing and to put in place reforms that would solve the problems they had helped to cause.
How does this irony contribute to Swift’s satire?
One way that Swift creates this irony, alerting readers that the text is satirical and not meant to be taken at face value, is by making the narrator ridiculous. The narrator believes that his proposal is so thoughtful and well-researched that the country will want to erect a statue in his honor.
Why is Gulliver’s Travels a satire?
Gulliver’s Travels is a satirical novel of the eighteenth century English society, a society with superficial ideas of grandeur and nobility. Through clever representations, Jonathan Swift successfully humbles this society’s pride and human vanity.
What is the irony of the title A Modest Proposal?
Modest is an adjective meaning reasonable or humble. It is used ironically in the title of “A Modest Proposal” because the proposal is actually outrageous. The phrase a modest proposal is often used to suggest something in jest in order to point out a problem by pushing it to its logical extreme.
What are the advantages of Swift’s proposal?
The six principal advantages of Jonathan Swift’s plan in A Modest Proposal are that children will become a source of income for their parents, it will lower the murder and abortion rates, it will shift population demographics – boosting the Protestant population and lowering the percentage of Catholics, it will …
What is the moral purpose of Swift’s satire?
It is an outrageous and biting satire aimed at exposing England’s prejudiced view of Ireland and its people and to illuminate the inability of the Irish themselves to stop their own degradation as, little by little, they are devoured as much by their own incompetence as by their English landlords.
What is the purpose of a satire?
Although satire is usually meant to be humorous, its greater purpose is often constructive social criticism, using wit to draw attention to both particular and wider issues in society.