A Modest Proposal Analysis

Amelia Maloney

A Modest Proposal for the Devastating Problems in Ireland

            Jonathan Swift uses helpful logos, a dreary tone, and detailed imagery in A Modest Proposal in order to propose the idea that eating babies would solve the problem of famine throughout Ireland.

            This proposal is backed up by different facts that the author has provided from his research.  Swift uses facts such as “I calculate there may be about two hundred thousand couple whose wives are breeders.”  This clearly proves that the author looked deep into the facts about Ireland’s population.  The facts that Swift uses shows the problems in Ireland and when he proposes his idea, the quote “that a child just born will weigh 12 pounds, and in a solar year, if tolerably nursed, encreaseth to 28 pounds” backs up his proposal by explaining how babies will provide as a food source.  The author’s facts and logic are very detailed, “I have already computed the charge of nursing a beggar’s child ( in which list I reckon all cottagers, labourers, and four-fifths if the farmers) to be about two shillings per annum, rags included.”  Without using facts in this proposal, it would not have made any sense and would not have been read by many people.

            The entire mood of the proposal is dark and dreary, but that is what makes it work out in an odd way.  The tone suggests that all families in Ireland are poor and the infants, “at a certain age, who are born of parents in effect as little able to support them, as those who demand our charity in the streets.”  Some of the tone has a hint of dark humor in it, which makes the story somewhat light and funny.  The author chooses his words properly, which makes the story humorous; “I grant this food will be somewhat dear, and therefore very proper for landlords, who, as they have already devoured most of the parents, seem to have the best title to the children.”  The tone of the proposal is mostly dark, and the author shows that in some of the words he chooses; “that a young healthy child well nursed, is at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food.”  Tone helps convey the message of the proposal better and it helps make sense of the story for the reader.    

            Any well written story is able to provide certain examples that paint a picture for the reader.   The author uses very detailed imagery, such as “it is a melancholy object to those, who walk through this great town, or travel in the country, when they see the streets, the roads, and cabin-doors.”  The reader can picture any street or any road with the word choosing that the author uses.  This imagery is somewhat vague, but there is some help as to what the author is trying to describe.  There is more imagery about the children and the families in Ireland, which can convey emotion for the readers, such as “ These mothers instead of being able to work for their honest livelihood are forced to employ all their time in strolling to beg sustenance for their helpless infants…”   Imagery provides examples for the reader and shows that the author put time into writing this piece.

            All three devices help tell the story in a well thought out manner.  Swift uses a dreary tone, detailed imagery, and helpful logos to show what kind of problems is present in Ireland.  Without the help of these devices, the story would not convey any emotion and would not make any sense to the reader.  Swift presented a strange proposal, but with the help of the three devices, it made sense and even seemed reasonable because he backed it up with facts and examples.