Jonathan Swift wrote "A Modest Proposal" in 1729 to satirically address the widespread famine and poverty in Ireland under English rule. In the pamphlet, he outrageously proposes selling and eating Irish children as a solution, using verbal irony and persuasive techniques to ridicule the English government's neglect of the Irish people and bring attention to the terrible social problems facing Ireland.

1. A Modest Proposal
by Jonathan Swift
Introducing the Selection
Literary Focus: Verbal Irony
Reading Skills: Recognizing
Persuasive Techniques
Feature Menu
Thursday, July 2, 15

2. A Modest Proposal
by Jonathan Swift
Thursday, July 2, 15

3. A Modest Proposal
by Jonathan Swift
And unless it wants to
break faith with its social
function, art must show
the world as changeable.
And help to change it.
—Ernst Fischer (1899–1972)
Thursday, July 2, 15

4. Opening Others’ Eyes
A Modest Proposal
by Jonathan Swift
What if you had good ideas for solving a terrible
social problem, but no one would listen to you?
Thursday, July 2, 15

5. Opening Others’ Eyes
A Modest Proposal
by Jonathan Swift
What if you had good ideas for solving a terrible
social problem, but no one would listen to you?
How would you get people’s attention?
Thursday, July 2, 15

6. Jonathan Swift faced such a situation in the late
1720s, when starvation was widespread in Ireland.
A Modest Proposal
by Jonathan Swift
Thursday, July 2, 15

7. • Irish harvests had been
poor for years.
Jonathan Swift faced such a situation in the late
1720s, when starvation was widespread in Ireland.
A Modest Proposal
by Jonathan Swift
Thursday, July 2, 15

8. • Irish harvests had been
poor for years.
Jonathan Swift faced such a situation in the late
1720s, when starvation was widespread in Ireland.
• Farmers couldn’t pay the
rents demanded by their
English landlords.
A Modest Proposal
by Jonathan Swift
Thursday, July 2, 15

9. • Irish harvests had been
poor for years.
Jonathan Swift faced such a situation in the late
1720s, when starvation was widespread in Ireland.
• Farmers couldn’t pay the
rents demanded by their
English landlords.
A Modest Proposal
by Jonathan Swift
• Beggars and starving
children filled the streets.
Thursday, July 2, 15

10. • Irish harvests had been
poor for years.
Jonathan Swift faced such a situation in the late
1720s, when starvation was widespread in Ireland.
• Farmers couldn’t pay the
rents demanded by their
English landlords.
A Modest Proposal
by Jonathan Swift
• Beggars and starving
children filled the streets.
• England’s policies kept the Irish poor.
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11. Appalled by the misery in Ireland, Jonathan Swift
set out to make the English more responsive to
their neighbors’ suffering.
A Modest Proposal
by Jonathan Swift
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12. Appalled by the misery in Ireland, Jonathan Swift
set out to make the English more responsive to
their neighbors’ suffering.
He wrote a pamphlet—a
shocking satire that offered
an outrageous “solution” to
the problem of famine.
A Modest Proposal
by Jonathan Swift
[End of Section]
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13. Verbal irony occurs when a writer or speaker
says one thing but really means something quite
different—usually the exact opposite.
A Modest Proposal
Literary Focus: Verbal Irony
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14. Verbal irony occurs when a writer or speaker
says one thing but really means something quite
different—usually the exact opposite.
A Modest Proposal
Literary Focus: Verbal Irony
You overslept, forgot to feed the dog, and are
coming down with a bad cold. Someone asks you
how you’re doing, and you respond, “Just great.
I wish every day could be just like this one.” You
have just used verbal irony.
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15. Writers cannot depend on tone of voice to convey
sarcasm, so they often use irony to make their
point.
A Modest Proposal
Literary Focus: Verbal Irony
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16. Writers cannot depend on tone of voice to convey
sarcasm, so they often use irony to make their
point.
A Modest Proposal
Literary Focus: Verbal Irony
It will be most beneficial to student athletes if they
are allowed to coast through school. After all, why
take up precious space in their brains with math or
social studies when they have a whole playbook to
memorize? Getting a college degree is overkill when
you already know how to protect a quarterback,
shoot free throws, or pitch a shutout.
Is this writer being sarcastic? How can you tell?
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17. The irony in Swift’s essay begins with the title:
“A Modest Proposal.”
A Modest Proposal
Literary Focus: Verbal Irony
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18. The irony in Swift’s essay begins with the title:
“A Modest Proposal.”
A Modest Proposal
Literary Focus: Verbal Irony
• Here the word modest means “not bold;
limited in size, amount, or scope.”
Thursday, July 2, 15

19. The irony in Swift’s essay begins with the title:
“A Modest Proposal.”
A Modest Proposal
Literary Focus: Verbal Irony
[End of Section]
• Here the word modest means “not bold;
limited in size, amount, or scope.”
• You’ll find that Swift’s proposal is anything but
modest. To the contrary, it is outrageous and
extreme to the point of absurdity.
Thursday, July 2, 15

20. “A Modest Proposal” is a classic example of
persuasive writing used for the purpose of satire.
Watch for these persuasive techniques:
A Modest Proposal
Reading Skills: Recognizing Persuasive Techniques
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21. “A Modest Proposal” is a classic example of
persuasive writing used for the purpose of satire.
Watch for these persuasive techniques:
A Modest Proposal
Reading Skills: Recognizing Persuasive Techniques
Logical appeals use evidence such as facts or
statistics to support a position.
Thursday, July 2, 15

22. “A Modest Proposal” is a classic example of
persuasive writing used for the purpose of satire.
Watch for these persuasive techniques:
A Modest Proposal
Reading Skills: Recognizing Persuasive Techniques
Logical appeals use evidence such as facts or
statistics to support a position.
Emotional appeals use words that arouse
strong feelings.
Thursday, July 2, 15

23. “A Modest Proposal” is a classic example of
persuasive writing used for the purpose of satire.
Watch for these persuasive techniques:
A Modest Proposal
Reading Skills: Recognizing Persuasive Techniques
Logical appeals use evidence such as facts or
statistics to support a position.
Emotional appeals use words that arouse
strong feelings.
Ethical appeals establish the writer’s sincerity
and qualifications.
Thursday, July 2, 15

24. As you read, note some of the persuasive
techniques and their ironic effects using a chart
like this one:
A Modest Proposal
Reading Skills: Recognizing Persuasive Techniques
Passage Type of
Appeal
Irony
“. . . of these I
calculate there may
be about two
hundred thousand
couples whose wives
are breeders. . . .”
logical
(uses
statistics)
The word “breeders”
is dehumanizing, yet
Swift is actually
making the point that
women are human
beings, not animals.
Thursday, July 2, 15

25. As you read, note some of the persuasive
techniques and their ironic effects using a chart
like this one:
A Modest Proposal
Reading Skills: Recognizing Persuasive Techniques
Passage Type of
Appeal
Irony
“. . . of these I
calculate there may
be about two
hundred thousand
couples whose wives
are breeders. . . .”
logical
(uses
statistics)
The word “breeders”
is dehumanizing, yet
Swift is actually
making the point that
women are human
beings, not animals.
[End of Section]
Thursday, July 2, 15