... by the persona plays a critical role in awakening the Irish to the reality of their oppressive environment. By convincing the people of Ireland to reform, Jonathan Swift proved his satire, "A Modest Proposal" to be an effective change agent. The people of Ireland went through a stage of awakening due to Swifts' scintillating portrayal of their corrupted, exploited, and dehumanized lives. The satire ... gave the Irish a better grasp of reality. They were able to grasp the severity of their crisis and that they were compliant in their oppression. "A Modest Proposal," then, is an absurd par...

• Word Count: 878
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... 1729 Jonathan Swift, a well-known and respected Irish author of his time, published an article that he humorously entitled "A Modest Proposal". Within this article he made the shocking suggestion to the Poor Irish population in regards to their children. That "to ... satire within literature. Bret Benjamin of New York State University in Albany stated. "The readers might question why Swift spent about 97% of his Proposal trying to convince people that eating children was the best solution if he didn't actually mean it. Well, Swift's audience will have a better ... doesn't believe that p...

• Word Count: 931
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

In the work "A Modest Proposal", Jonathan Swift uses this plea to provoke change through the use of satire. However, what I found most interesting about this work was the constant ... of England during this era, and to have the narrator look down upon the Irish as though they were expendable, is expected of England. Furthermore, had this proposal been for real, the English may have even considered implementing it, which suggests their complete disregard for the people of Ireland, and make the work even more ... dispense of these people are to eat them as they would serve as a source of nouri...

• Word Count: 638
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate