A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift - Article Example Jonathan Swift begins with the vivid imagery of the plight of poor children and is able to evoke sympathy.  An important aspect is that this is so sincerely done that the most skeptical person would want to read on. Then he moves with calculated precision and creates a logical assessment of the condition of the poor. He also professes to have â€Å"maturely weighed† his calculations and proposal giving confidence to the reader to reach further down the narrative. Swift then smoothly places a dramatic twist by immediately following his preamble with the first shocking suggestion of â€Å"eating† all the penniless children in this manner: â€Å"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 ragout.†. After this point, Swift begins to target the moneyed class of that period. He not only enrages the reader by the cold irony of his suggestions but also forces him to think by using startling imagery and saddening but stark realities of life. In a formal and methodical manner, he gives solutions to visible problems of poverty by calculating the worth of children’s flesh offered as food to â€Å"persons of quality and fortune† and other rich members of the society of that time. With striking prose filled with sarcasm, he challenges human emotions by recommending â€Å"buying the children alive and dressing them hot from the knife† as is done in roasting piglets. The subject of his criticism, the moneyed class, is woven in with a detached and mathematical precision by drawing parallel examples of their lavish spending and the worth of the poor considered as meat. In his cynicism, Swift does not spare any member of the society of that time that has contributed to or closed eyes from the causes and reasons of poverty. These include the pseudo-patriots, the clergy as well as royalty.