A Modest Proposal Rhetorical Analysis

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Dr. Jonathan Swift’s use of irony, sarcasm, and understatements in A Modest Proposal causes the piece to succeed because he’s able to get his serious point across in an insincere way. Throughout this entire satirical piece, there are many types of different devices used. The first device used is irony, beginning with the title. A Modest Proposal is ironic because the story is not modest at all. Swift pushes the envelope in this 18th-century essay by tackling a major problem in Ireland at the time- poverty. This title catches the reader's attention because at first, it seems as though he’s trying to genuinely organize a plan to adjust the issue, but as you continue reading you begin to realize he’s being entirely satirical by suggesting we