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A Modest Proposal Rhetorical Analysis

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A Modest Proposal Rhetorical Analysis
Rhetorical Analysis

In the satirical, thought provoking pamphlet, “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift, the Anglo-Irish author addresses the issue of rampant, prolonged poverty in 1700's Ireland.

Swift paints us a picture of his everyday view, the sight of impoverished citizens begging in the streets, pleading for money to feed their hungry families. With no obvious solution to the problem, Swift jokingly proposes a cheap, easy method that rich and poor can partake in- simply feed the peasant children to the wealthy as a delicacy.

While Swift may not have found an actual resolution to the issue, his brilliant, yet dark humor lends another purpose. He demands the attention of everyone from politicians to wealthy aristocrats, intentionally
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