A Modest Proposal Rhetorical Analysis

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During the time of Jonathan Swift, late seventeenth century pamphlets were handed out throughout Ireland to encourage the ideas of political and various intellectual people. Although many pamphlets contain important information and ideas or talked about great problems happening in the world or their nations, many people discarded them and did not pay attention to them. As a way to take advantage of the overlooked pamphlets handed out, Jonathan Swift author of “A Modest Proposal” sets out to write an over exaggerating proposal to one big problem that was plaguing Ireland. The reason for him writing this proposal is to show the people of his country how bad it is in its economic wealth and social class. Swift’s proposal is to have the “children of professed beggars” (486), sold to the wealthy people of Ireland so that they would “contribute to the feeding, and partly to the …show more content…
One of the considerations he has thought of is selling the children into slavery. He oppose to this because he argues that no one will buy a child for slave work under twelve years old for they are too young and weak to work. He also adds that “even when they come to this age, they will not yield above three pounds, or three and half a crown at most” (Swift 487). He also bares in mind the possibility of eating older children but then realizes that that would not be a great idea either. He illiterates that older children “not exceeding fourteen years of age, nor under twelve” will not make a good meal, and that the boys flesh will be to lean and too though to eat (Swift 489). Swift also opposes eating girls around that age because they are near the age to become breeders, and that he rather have them as breeder so they can bear more children and help with Swift’s