tablesetting complete with forks, knives, and spoons, and a baby on the plate in the center above the words "A Modest Proposal"

A Modest Proposal

by Jonathan Swift

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A Modest Proposal Questions on Satire

A Modest Proposal

Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal" employs logical fallacies and satirical quotes to criticize British policy towards the Irish. It uses absurdity and irony, such as proposing the poor sell their...

2 educator answers

A Modest Proposal

In "A Modest Proposal," Jonathan Swift uses a satirical tone to criticize the British exploitation of the Irish. The proposer, characterized as an intellectual and reformer, ironically suggests...

5 educator answers

A Modest Proposal

The narrator of "A Modest Proposal" is an unnamed, satirical persona who presents themselves as a rational and concerned economist. This perspective allows Jonathan Swift to critique British policy...

2 educator answers

A Modest Proposal

In "A Modest Proposal," Swift suggests several other solutions besides eating children, including taxing absentee landlords, encouraging domestic goods production, and promoting frugality and...

1 educator answer

A Modest Proposal

Jonathan Swift's satirical essay "A Modest Proposal" critiques British exploitation of the Irish by suggesting the absurd solution of selling impoverished Irish infants as food for the wealthy. This...

29 educator answers

A Modest Proposal

In "A Modest Proposal," Jonathan Swift uses satire to critique societal attitudes towards the Irish poor by having his narrator rely on dubious authorities to bolster his outrageous proposal. The...

4 educator answers

A Modest Proposal

In "A Modest Proposal," the "expert" is an unnamed "very knowing American" whom Jonathan Swift cites to lend credibility to his satirical argument. This appeal to authority is deliberately ironic, as...

1 educator answer

A Modest Proposal

The speaker's tone in his proposal is earnest and matter-of-fact, using logic and factual information to support a shocking and satirical suggestion. He appears completely serious and lacks any...

2 educator answers

A Modest Proposal

Agreement is necessary to establish satire in "A Modest Proposal" because it initially aligns the reader with the author's seemingly reasonable observations about Ireland's poverty. By agreeing on...

1 educator answer

A Modest Proposal

The speaker's proposal in paragraph 17 does not include objections related to the loss of able-bodied workers or the prohibitive cost of fattening teenagers. Instead, it acknowledges that many...

1 educator answer

A Modest Proposal

Jonathan Swift’s idea of using children as a food source in his satirical essay may have been influenced by John Locke’s writings on ancient societies that allegedly consumed children. In the essay,...

1 educator answer