Read "A Modest Proposal" in your Patterns for College Writing textbook. Then choose one question from below to answer in the comments in depth. Finally, respond to someone else in a well-developed response. All of these questions require deep thought. Be sure that your paragraph response is well-developed enough. We are practicing analysis here.
1. How does Swift want the reader to view the speaker? What features best describe the “persona” he adopts? 2. Note Swift’s diction in the opening paragraphs. IDENTIFY examples of influential diction or charged/loaded words. EXPLAIN their purpose. 3. Swift’s speaker explains the anticipated results BEFORE revealing the actual proposal. Explain the rhetorical purpose of such a strategy. 4. For each of the classic appeals (ETHOS. LOGOS, PATHOS), indicate two examples from the first 4 paragraphs. Which one is the speaker’s primary appeal? WHY do you think this? 5. Taking careful note of the diction of paragraph 12, with words such as “dear” and “devoured,” explain the rhetorical strategy at work. 6. At the end of paragraphs 3 and 32 may be seen as breaks from Swift’s ironic voice. Explain how that may be the case, and IDENTIFY ONE other place where Swift’s voice breaks through that of his persona. 7. Read paragraphs 1-6 of Swift’s satire. Drawing from this section, write a paragraph in which you explain how Swift’s ironic persona uses rhetorical strategies to prepare the reader for his proposal.
107 Comments
12/2/2022 06:18:30 am
#1
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Vanetta July
12/2/2022 06:54:57 am
I see it as him comparing this absurd proposal as to pretty much what the British is doing to the Irish. They are not going as far as eating babies, but how they treat them is just as absurd.
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Samuel Koul Biar
12/2/2022 11:07:33 am
I agree with everthing you say about how Swift projects himself as this inhumane sociopath in order to reveal how britain is oppresing the Irish but I disagree with you in the sense that the sense that Irish are the audience and not the british. I think the effect of using satirization in his pamphlet was to provoke or pokehold toward irish people to evoke a sense of anger and that if Swift were to use satirization towards english people, it would not reach the same desired effects. I think swift is talking to irish people saying that they are the ones allowing this to happen instead of doing something rather than the british empathizing with him in order to stop British oppression.
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Vanetta July
12/4/2022 01:23:23 pm
I also agree that is was written more towards the Irish but at the same time calling out the absurd laws the British imposed upon them.
ziry
12/8/2022 07:16:20 pm
I do like how you answered the question but I as well agree that in reality they really are not eating babies it is more like a metaphor. But how the irish are treated is cruel like how eating babies would be.
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Samuel Koul Biar
12/2/2022 11:02:35 am
Swift desires the reader to view him as an inhuman person with an inhumane solution to an inhumane government in order to encourage Irish opposition towards the British government. After describing how there is a problem of widespread famine and poverty across Ireland, Swift provides his solution that people should turn towards eating babies as a source of food which will solve the many problems found in ireland. Swift starts out his solution with the phrase “a young healthy child is… a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food” and would be without a doubt a great “ragout” or dish/stew. Because Swift provides eating babies as a solution to the widespread famine and hunger ravaging Ireland, he creates the image of himself as inhumane because he is proposing the option of cannibalism and the dehumanization of children to fix Ireland’s problems. Thus, if the only way to solve Ireland’s problems is cannibalization, it reveals the inhumane policies and practices of Britain toward Ireland because the country is so poor and that there is such widespread famine that they have been knocked down by Britain so much that they only way the could ever possible recover is by eating their own children which furthermore allows the Irish to realize that the thing that is oppressing Ireland so much that is degrading themselves to cannibalism is the British government themselves. This ultimately provokes Irish to resent and oppose the British because they are the ones that are allowing themselves to be kicked to the ground and disrespected to the point of having to eat each other.
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Arnav Srivastava
12/2/2022 03:38:02 pm
I agree with most of your paragraph immensely, and I love your word use and grammar. However, can you elaborate on why you think the audience is the Irish? I believe it was the British in order to invoke sympathy and agreement.
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12/3/2022 10:28:19 am
1) You seem to believe the Irish were the intended audience. While you very well may be right, in the words of Conservative Carl "I'm a true, red-white-and-blue American patriot" who sticks to his opinion whether the facts agree with me or not (Nivedha would get it). I assumed it was the British being the audience as it was meant to satirize how persecuted the Irish are under the British and I thought it was a call to repentance to the British.
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Gregory Park
12/5/2022 01:41:30 pm
I totally agree with your statement that Swift purposely made an inhumane topic to relate to the inhumane government at that time. But one thing I don't agree with is how Swift wrote this essay to catch the attention of the Irish. In my opinion, I think that in order to stop the suffering of the Irish citizens, he was calling the British to stop the inhumane activities they were doing.
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Dhruv Dudhat
12/5/2022 09:21:50 pm
I saw the audience to be the British, as Britain is economically strangling Ireland, so the only one who can change the desperate Irish situation would be the ones who are imposing the restrictions themselves. I do agree that Swift adopts an inhuman persona to bring about change for Ireland, but can you elaborate on why you thought the audience was the Irish specifically?
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Rithik Ramkumar
12/5/2022 11:39:41 pm
Sammy. I really like how you viewed Swift giving his speaker a sort of inhuman aspect/personality. I also thought the same thing, and I find that your explanation of how cannabalism being the only possible solution effectively shames the British government is right on the mark. However, I notices that you thought that the ideal audience was the people of Ireland. Although they may have been a secondary audience, I think that the main audience, or intended audience was in fact the British government.
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Dyuman Das
12/6/2022 04:28:00 am
I agree with you completely, your word choice makes your post very unique. I also agree that the Irish is the intended audience and i said for the same reason why they are the intended audience, which is to oppose and revolt against the British.
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corrie
12/7/2022 05:57:27 am
I agree with your claim that swift established a inhumane government to deal with people living in the inhumane conditions but I personally thought the audience was both people living in Ireland and Britain and disagree on the point that the audience is just Irish
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Arnav Srivastava
12/2/2022 03:35:46 pm
In this essay, Jonathan Swift creates a persona of a desperate but inhuman individual who takes on a overly casual attitude about such a brutal proposition as eating babies. With this persona, Swift wants the reader to understand how terrible things have gotten in the speaker’s society. For instance, in the essay the speaker concludes that, after many calculations that resulted in an increase in food, harvesting and eating “delicious, nourishing, and wholesome” babies would be a great solution for the lack of nourishment in the Irish country. During this time, Ireland was basically completely conquered by Britain, and the English “strangled” Ireland economically by restricting Irish trade and agriculture. This restriction caused the citizens of Ireland to get very desperate, and Swift authored this essay after seeing this unfold around him. The obviously overboard desperation that was insinuated with utilizing babies as a food source is actually Swift’s way of highlighting the stranglehold Britain has on Ireland and the suffering it’s causing. What the British are doing to the Irish is crazy just like the notion of eating babies is, and with this essay piece Swift emphasizes just that. By displaying how casually the essay’s speaker suggests the solution of eating babies, Swift conveys just how casually the British are also hurting thousands of Irish citizens. Overall, not only does this satirical piece underscore the desperation in the situation of the Irish by stating multiple ways eating babies would sadly be of benefit to the citizens, it also highlights the type of atrocities that the British are imposing upon them, calling both the notion of eating babies and the British stranglehold inane. With this essay, Swift hopes to get through to his British readers at the time and evoke a sense of sympathy and agreement from them for the desperation of the Irish citizens and insanity of the British rule, respectively. He hopes that this can be an eye opening piece for them and things can change.
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Vanetta July
12/4/2022 01:28:43 pm
I like that you brought up both sides: how he speaking to the Irish but also the British.
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andreea
12/6/2022 04:26:30 am
Yknow since you refused to skimp details on what the British did to the Irish maybe you could also explain what the Irish did so "desperately."
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Vanessa Muniz
12/6/2022 06:51:43 pm
I like how you bring both the Irish and British problems and how they both have their goals to achieve.
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Ethan Noel
12/3/2022 04:26:45 pm
#1
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Addison Carnow
12/5/2022 04:04:35 pm
I love how you emphasize that the proposal is emphasizes as inhumane to show how bad the crisis is. Although you didnt include the Irish, as he talks about Dublin as the city to fix, your interpretation of his purpose and how he conveys it is spot on.
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Laksha
12/5/2022 10:12:31 pm
The vocab you use in your answer is great and I like how you consider that "British readers recognize the terrible circumstances that are not being addressed in Ireland." Other than not addressing that he's (also) talking to Irish people, your answer is very clear and succinct.
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Hanna Laabid
12/7/2022 09:08:27 am
I like that you pointed out that Swift "highlights how terrible policies are right now in Ireland due to the oppression of the British government..." but I think you could have touched on how he also addresses the Irish.
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Vanetta July
12/4/2022 02:18:04 pm
I think you missed the point that he was also talking to the Irish people.
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Dyuman Das
12/5/2022 08:35:50 am
1.Swift wants the reader to view him as cruel and inhuman,creating his persona, and does so by creating a solution that is as inhuman to the government problem in order to enhance the Irish interpretation of how harsh the British government is. Swift begins by introducing the problems of poverty and scarcity of food and other necessities and after doing so he provides a inhumane solution that the Irish should start eating babies as a source of food, saying it will “contribute to the feeding.” Adding on to his persona of cruel and inhumane, he proceeds to say that “a young healthy child is [...] most delicious, nourishing and wholesome food.” He does so because he wants to emphasize the inhumane controlling the British have on Ireland by giving an inhumane and cruel solution since the Irish are lacking the proper necessities. Thus by disclosing these solutions of eating their own children in order to survive the british policies, it sheds lights to the true problems of famine and poverty to British readers furthermore allowing the Irish to realize how oppressed the British government is on Ireland to where they have to resort to dehumanizing solutions. Ultimately pushing the Irish to revolt and oppose the British government who are forcing the Irish to resort to an inhumane solution to the policies put down by the British that bring poverty and famine to the Irish.
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Gregory Park
12/5/2022 01:36:24 pm
Jonathan Swift develops an essay that demonstrates the persona of an independent individual who is harsh but hopeless. The persona describes a horrifying proposition of eating babies and young infants. Swift developed the individual to take on an unpretentious attitude in order to let the reader interpret the individual’s situation and how dreadful it really is. For instance, the speaker gives a solution to the Irish country’s lack of nourishment which was to eat “delicious, nourishing, and wholesome” babies in order to increase the country’s nutrients, food supply, and fare. During this period, Ireland was “completely dominated by England” and was “strangled economically” by restricted Irish “trade and agriculture.” This whole event caused Swift to write this essay after the restriction caused desperate lives in Ireland. The utilization of eating babies as food is to display Britain’s dominance over Ireland and to show the similar suffering both face. Swift emphasizes how horrifying Britian is controlling Ireland by comparing it to eating babies. Furthermore, the speaker in the essay talks in a casual tone to convey the thought that the British are casually torturing multiple Irish citizens for unsupported details. Ultimately, this essay signifies the harsh perspective Ireland was going through by illustrating how “eating babies” would contrast with the country and the hardships that Britain was utilizing. Writing this essay, Swift announces a sense of urgency to British readers on stopping their behaviors toward Ireland and summon sympathy to help Irish citizens from the horrifying chains Britain had on them. Swift purposely wrote this to catch the attention of the readers with an intensifying topic.
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Ethan Noel
12/5/2022 02:34:02 pm
Overall I thought this was a well written response and I agree with basically everything you've said. One question I have for you is what were the hardships the British were utilizing that contrasted with the "eating babies" proposal?
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Jeremy Liu
12/5/2022 05:52:44 pm
I agree that Swift wants the Irish people to stand up for themselves and revolt against the British. I also liked how you included quotes from both the background of the essay along with the actual essay.
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Vanetta July
12/6/2022 02:42:59 pm
The utilization of eating babies as food is to display Britain’s dominance over Ireland and to show the similar suffering both face---how are they both struggling?
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Addison Carnow
12/5/2022 04:00:02 pm
In the 12th paragraph, Jonathan Swift uses elegant diction in order to convey the savagery and evil the rich “landlords” of Dublin live. Swift introduces the sarcastic proposition that poor children should “be offered in sale” to be “plump and fat for a good tabl”, thus emphasizing how poor the community of Dublin is. With this, Swift elaborates, saying that the babies will “be somewhat dear, and therefore very proper for the landlords”, because they “have already devoured most of the parents” and “have the best title to the children.” Swift includes to emphasize the unfair way the landlords treat citizens of dublin because they are most likely “devouring” them through high rent and no sincerity. Since these adults now need a way to make money with the debt they have, selling their babies to the landlords emphasizes their greedy and evil personalities to the Irish, as saying eating babies would be “dear” to them is a horrible thing to be known for. Thus, Swift further implies his joke by describing that the landlords have the best “title” to the children because they have basically ruined the parents lives with their actions, bringing to light the sarcasm yet realistic scenario as the landlords are the reason for families to be “dying and rotting every day.” By using this diction along with the sarcastic scenario, Swift ulamitely leads the Irish to be angry with their economic and living conditions, and want change (other than having to sell babies) to make Dublin a more fair and equal place.
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Nelly
12/5/2022 05:40:49 pm
I chose this question as well and it interests me how we both perceived paragraph 12 in different ways. I like what you said about the parents having to sell their babies because of how in debt they are, I didn't think about it that way... I think you should add a bit more analysis after stating your quotes because they are almost back to back but otherwise this is well written!
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Vanetta July
12/8/2022 11:16:53 am
You needed to specifically explain how the diction was elegant pointing to specific words.
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andre
12/5/2022 04:10:03 pm
1. How does Swift want the reader to view the speaker? What features best describe the “persona” he adopts?
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Nelly Lopez-Ruiz
12/5/2022 05:32:55 pm
5. Taking careful note of the diction of paragraph 12, with words such as “dear” and “devoured,” explain the rhetorical strategy at work.
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Jeremy Liu
12/5/2022 05:46:33 pm
Throughout this essay, Jonathan Swift illustrates himself as a monster and a deplorable human that eats kids to compare what Britain is doing to the Irish. Swift starts off his essay by describing the high rate of hunger and poverty all across Ireland, but has an idea he thinks will work. After Swift is done highlighting the problem, he provides the solution of people eating babies as a source of food which would help decrease the famine plaguing Ireland. Swift defends his solution by describing a young child as “a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food” and could be whipped up into a stew or dish. Since Swift explains how cannibalizing babies is a solution to the severe famine in Ireland, he defines the image of himself as a monster because he is condoning eating babies potentially ruining the people of Ireland’s views to fix Ireland’s problems. Thus, this shows that if the only solution is to famine is cannibalism, it emphasizes the horrendous actions Britain has done towards Ireland because the country is so poor from Britain's rule that there only way to survive not starving to death is eating their children, which allows the Irish citizens to open their eyes and see the that the source of their despair and terrible way of living is the British government. This ultimately drives the Irish to hate and revolt against the British because they are the reason for everything being dreadful and miserable to the point of cannibalizing the young.
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Emma Collard
12/5/2022 07:35:09 pm
I definitely agree that Swift portrays himself as a monster, but I felt like he was trying to make it as reasonable as possible before surprising his audience with the evilness of his actual solution. I also like how you thought of the proposal of cannibalism as kind of symbolic of what Ireland has to resort to in the face of Britain's cruelty, that was a way I hadn't looked at it before.
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Emma Heard
12/5/2022 07:14:49 pm
1. Jonathan Swift presents this idea of eating children to help solve hunger. He also presents the idea of using skin for clothes to help the beggars and the poor in Ireland. Swift wants the reader to see him as diabolical and brutal, helping them to see how the British put them in this situation, therefore creating his persona. Swift then goes on to provide problems arising from poverty: "beggars [...] followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags." Then goes on to provide solutions on how to solve poverty, which is the idea of using babies/children for multiple things, like clothes and food: "may flay the carcass; the skin of which artificially dressed will make admirable gloves for ladies, and summer boots for fine gentleman." By creating this brutal and horrifying persona, the people of Ireland begin to understand the gruesome situation of poverty and how serious it has become. This allows British readers to sympathize and realize how serious. This ultimately leads to the want and need for change in the British and Ireland people's minds.
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Bella Norton
12/7/2022 08:11:44 pm
I like the quotes you used to better explain your thinking on how Swift presents the idea of wearing a child's skin as clothes and how they can solve poverty. It helps further your explanation on how Swift is seen to have a diabolical and brutal persona.
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Emma Collard
12/5/2022 07:28:34 pm
3. Swift’s speaker explains the anticipated results BEFORE revealing the actual proposal. Explain the rhetorical purpose of such a strategy.
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Nivedha
12/5/2022 09:00:54 pm
Emma, wow! To be completely honest, I didn't even think about it in the perspective you did. I was in the mindset that Swift's main purpose was to have the British realize the absurdity of their actions, but you went a step further. I completely agree with you when you say he's trying to find a solution for the poor Irish... I was so focused on how his purpose relates to the British audience that I didn't even think about why he could have written this essay to appeal to the Irish audience and their benefit. Great job!
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Amy Zeledon
12/6/2022 03:00:26 am
I agree with your perspective on how he is trying to find a solution for poor Irish citizens. I like how you got the allusion to how the British had treated Ireland people including the way it caused Irish entanglement economically which lead to the this desperation in the face of poverty. the allusion to the British treatment was something I had to to think over while reading a second time and realizing through the reading with the expectations of revealing the solution.
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Nivedha Prathap Chandran
12/5/2022 08:57:47 pm
2) 2) Swift employs heavily influenced and charged diction such as “beg,” “ forced,” and “helpless,” to emphasize the incapability of the British to take care of the Irish so that the British can comprehend the fact that their decisions and actions that come off of them are not only absurd, but also unjustified, Swift starts off ever so nonchalantly and just throws out the fact that “these mothers…are forced to employ all their time in strolling to beg sustenance for their helpless infants…” Swift casually places this understatement of the year within his opening paragraph with persuading and skewing negatively connotated diction. In order for this astute situation to work in favor of Swift, he had to have made the correct assumption that the audience, specifically the British, understand the symbolism behind the children and the mothers. The British, already used to being called “monsters” and “heartless” after the American Revolution, easily comprehend the direct jab thrown at them by Swift. They quickly realize that the children represent the Irish and how they think that they are a burden to the British, who are the “deplorable” mothers. The negative connotation behind the skewing diction presented above is an insult to the British highlighting that they are incapable of taking care of such a burdensome “thing” in their life, so, why do it when you know you have no right doing it? The British will acknowledge that if circumstances are actually as out of control as Swift describes them to be, has not the situation gone too far to a point where it has gotten out of the British’s control? Which then leads the “inhuman” and “horrid” mothers to realize that if she can not even take care of her children, the vulnerable Irish, she really does not have any right having any control over them in the first place. This ‘AHA Moment’ will almost be a slap in the face for the British not only because of the direct insult within the heavily charged diction Swift utilizes in the opening paragraph that enumerates the British’s incapability as a “mother”, but also because they will have no other choice but to realize that their own actions got them to this position to where they understand that they are incapable of taking care of the Irish and are quite unjustified in doing so.
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Dhruv Dudhat
12/5/2022 09:17:52 pm
#1: In this essay, Jonathan Swift creates a persona of an inhumane individual who is very casual and open about committing infanticide and cannibalism. Using this persona, Swift wants the reader to comprehend the miserable state of society at the time. For example, in his essay Swift says, “delicious, nourishing, and wholesome babies” would be a great solution for the lack of food in Ireland. During this time, the English had an economic “chokehold” on the Irish, as they restricted Irish trade and agriculture, leading to a lack of food in Ireland. This lack of food led to a desperate Irish population, which is what led Swift to write “A Modest Proposal,” as he saw the economic situation of the Irish. Swift is referring to the Irish desperation when he utilizes babies as a food source, a crazy and desperate solution, which highlights the extent to which England has a stranglehold on Ireland; thus, creating a comparison between what the British are doing to the Irish in reality and the crazy notion of eating babies for economic relief, which emphasizes the craziness of British actions in Ireland. Additionally, Swift is casually talking about the solution of eating babies without much remorse, which also serves as a comparison to how the British are casually hurting the people of Ireland without remorse or sympathy. This satirical piece written by Swift serves to underscore the desperation of the Irish that is resulting from their situation, and he does so by stating the multiple ways infanticide and cannibalism would be economically relieving to Irish citizens, such as creating a better relationship between tenant and landlord, more food for Irish citizens, or more clothing. This also highlights the atrocities imposed upon the citizens of Ireland and calls the British stranglehold on Ireland insane and cruel. Overall, Swift wished to point out to British readers the atrocities their country is committing, and he does so to evoke a sense of sympathy and pity from them for the desperate Irish people; thus, Swift hopes for his essay to open the eyes of the British to the atrocities they are committing indirectly and directly so things can change for the Irish for the better.
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Elshaday Ftsum Tekeste
12/6/2022 06:28:37 pm
Although I agree with all of what you've said, I have a different idea of his message. While you said that "he does so to evoke a sense of sympathy and pity from them for the desperate Irish people", I thought that Swift was speaking at the Irish directly, more of a call to action to stop the injustice on them.
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1. Note Swift’s diction in the opening paragraphs. IDENTIFY examples of influential diction or charged/loaded words. EXPLAIN their purpose.
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Taylor Martin
12/6/2022 06:01:58 am
I really like how you set up your answer and I like the conclusion you came to, that he is saying it is so bad that they will eventually consider eating babies. You also effectively explained the intended feeling that these words are meant to convey.
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Will McKean
12/6/2022 07:16:42 pm
Hey Laksha!
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Vanetta July
12/8/2022 11:21:54 am
You missed that he was saying use their babies for the rich not for themselves.
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Rithik Ramkumar
12/5/2022 11:35:58 pm
Swift aims for the reader to view the speaker as apathetic, emotionless, and even inhuman in order to convey to the British government the dire situation that the lower class of Irish are in because of the lack of their care. Swift begins by proposing that “ a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old the most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food.” In doing so, Swift phrases his proposal to sound almost grotesque, and emotionless in a sense. This specific tone allows Swift to allow his audience, which he aims to be the British government, to conceptualize the true nature of the deplorable conditions of Ireland at the time. For context, the Irish at this time were going through a large famine because the English had restricted both trade and agriculture. As a result, Ireland was “crowded with beggars of the female sex, followed by, three, four, or six children, all in rags.” Swift, who noticed the surplus of beggars, utilized the symbolism of the cannibalism of babies as a food source in order to convey to the British government, who were ignoring the famine in Ireland, just how bad the economic problem became. This is effective because Swift assumes that most people living in the United Kingdom viewed cannibalism as a macabre, disgusting, inhumane act. Alongside this morbid comparison, Swift’s casual, understatement rich tone helps to further convey how bad the situation is in Ireland to the British government. Furthermore, Swift’s utilization of a casual tone, as opposed to more serious tone highlights the British government in a negative light, as the eating a child symbolism effectively highlights how unsympathetically the British felt when placing the economic restrictions on trade and agriculture on Ireland.
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Amy Zeledon
12/6/2022 03:00:55 am
In Jonathan Swift's writing, Swift creates a persona that is desperate due to surrounding circumstances wanting readers to view the speaker as someone who is logical, with the solution that has a twisted ideal of eating babies to solve Irish malnutrition. For instance, after stating the number of people on the streets and the horrible state most people are living in, Swift reminds us of a solution, ¨I propose to provide for them in such a manner…they shall, on the contrary, contribute to the feeding and partly to the clothing, of many thousands. ¨ Swift wants readers to understand the terrible condition surrounding Swift's society and showcase the desperation presented in the face of poverty and in the light of poverty it is revealed the solution is eating babies. Ireland, seen as fully dominated by England, had all laws governed by the English Parliament. Ireland became ¨strangled¨ economically and dew jobs were available the harsh life of Ireland was poor, the crops failed for several years and many people from Ireland faced starvation. Swift emphasizes how England's control over them has led them to suffer to the degree that eating babies would benefit them. Swifts readers belong to not only Irish people who are in the face of poverty but also England readers when Swift states,¨ the present deplorable state of the kingdom..¨ Swift states the low state of the kingdom which is Great Britain at the time to make readers from England more sympathetic to the struggles and desperation of the Irish people as a way for help to happen.
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Ahtziri Prestegui Loeza
12/6/2022 09:57:58 am
I agree with what you were saying about how Swift wants the reader to view the speaker as logical because I also had noticed that about how he was trying to back up his arguement with statistics about the population and about the speakers solution. I also like how you talked about the interrelationship between the Irish and English throughout your paragraph which is something I didn't seem to notice until you mentioned it in throughly in your paragraph.
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Sajni Patel
12/7/2022 05:23:09 am
I love how you mentioned that Swift was not only addressing the Irish people, but also the British people, and how he is seeking a sense of sympathy from the British readers and strives to make them recognize the desperation of the Irish citizens.
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Vanetta July
12/8/2022 11:23:07 am
He wasn't saying the Irish should eat their children. How does mentioning the "deplorable state of the kingdom" make the British sympathetic? Explain!
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Daniel Rodriguez
12/6/2022 04:19:14 am
Swift desires the reader to see his speaker as a caring, sensible guy who genuinely wishes to solve the Irish people's concerns. In the opening eight paragraphs, we encounter a kind guy who has a great understanding of the issue he will soon address. By doing so, the speaker establishes himself as a man who would never genuinely make the outlandish request that follows, making his comments all the more impactful. The speaker uses flowery, formal language to outline horrible, yet logical reasons why society should dine on child flesh. His demeanor is that of a ruthless maniac, yet this alters just once during the journey. Before happily describing how newborn meat will be in season all year, the speaker had a nearly touching scene in paragraph 5 where he whined about the horrifying process of abortion and how killing poor innocent infants was unthinkable. He then returns to his point on the benefits of eating the unfortunate, innocent newborns he just mentioned. The speaker's demeanor is utterly devoid of empathy, although he is highly humorous. For example, following the speaker's massive proposition about eating children, in the very last statement in the final paragraph, he adds, "I have no children by which I can propose to get a single penny." Readers may now see why he produced such a ridiculous proposition. It's because he doesn't have any children of his own, therefore he can't understand the parents who refuse to eat their baby. His character is more strongly associated with logos since he supports his case with facts and figures. However, the audience is more likely to clutch their infants closer to their bosom and away from Swift's terrible, bloodthirsty men in this passage.
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Vanetta July
12/8/2022 11:30:24 am
Parts of your answer is vague! You say he uses logos, but does he really?
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Taylor Martin
12/6/2022 05:50:17 am
3. Jonathan Swift reveals the wanted results of his proposal before revealing the proposal itself in order to get the audience to be more open to his ideas. The idea is, of course, insane and something that no normal person would agree to. That is why it is important to show the results before presenting the solution. When Irish citizens hear about a solution that will solve poverty, hunger and the growing population, they will want to hear about this solution and take it into consideration. Swift explains that “mothers, instead of… work[ing] for their honest livelihood, [must] beg sustenance for their helpless infants.” So not only are the infants suffering, but also their mothers who can not afford to take care of them. As this is a devastating problem, people are more desperate for a solution. After this Swift introduces his solution: eating the children. They would be cultivated specifically for either eating or breeding. He explains his solution in great detail and the idea of eating children is meant to illustrate just how bad the poverty epidemic is in Ireland. By suggesting such a ridiculous solution, he is pointing out the necessity for a genuine solution that would help the families of citizens in Ireland.
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Eva Qasim
12/6/2022 06:07:59 am
2. During the 1700s, Ireland was controlled by England. England restricted much of Ireland’s economic factors, causing trade and agricultural to fall, along with crops failing which eventually led to starvation. In his confrontational article to English Injustices, Swift utilizes diction to encourage irish people to start standing up and resist oppression. Given Swift is talking to the English Injustices, this is incredibility important because he is criticizing the way England is handling Ireland’s economy. By using phrases like “when they see the streets [...] crowded with beggars of the female sex..” and “...employ all their time in strolling to beg substenance…” to convey to the English Injustices that the irish people are suffering, but by critizing them and pinning his people’s suffering on England. Swift also describes landlords and people in power as being “plump and fat” and “they have already devoured most of their parents…”. By being disrespectful and insulting towards the Landlords, Swift illustrates and conveys to the audience that the people in power who are supposed to help make change, are sitting comfortably, while their people are suffering and should be trying to help. Swift’s purpose by using harsh diction and passive-agressive words is to convince the people to help him stand up for what’s right.
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Jackson Konzelmann
12/6/2022 04:33:37 pm
Ireally how how you added the background into your answer and how it is also the patform to add more detail.
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Kailin Marciniak
12/6/2022 07:35:55 pm
I enjoyed reading the additional details you incorporated into your answer. I thought it was interesting how you pointed out the role of the people in power and where they ´ re at while they allow their people to suffer.
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Ella Case
12/7/2022 03:54:14 am
I really liked that you set some background information in your response. Your examples were also very good and helped strengthen your response on diction. I think your whole response flows very well and creates a strong response on the author's diction.
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Silas Leonard
12/7/2022 04:41:35 am
I appreciate your added context that strengthens the textual evidence you provided.
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Vanetta July
12/8/2022 11:33:44 am
Swift utilizes diction---always specify what diction.
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Ahtziri Prestegui Loeza
12/6/2022 07:35:09 am
Swift wants the audience to view the speaker as, logical, reasonable and somewhat of a realist who may have found a solution to the irish common issues. Swift utilizes a high formal of diction on of horrifying list but logical reasons on why society should feed on infants flesh. The persona the speaker exhibibts is detached and heartless but changes throught out the text. Before the speaker talks about how infant flesh would soon to be in season, the speaker had a realization of humanity when talking about the sacrificial of infants and how it is inconceivable. After that, the speaker returns back to their argument about the advantages of sacrificing the infants. The speaker then shows a sense of detachment from reality or humanity when stating “I have no children by which I can propose to get a single penny”, illustrating that the speaker has bolstered their credibility that they infact do not own any children of their own, which concludes they cannot empathize or sympathize with the parents who are sane enough to not give up their infants to be eaten or sacrificed. The persona also appeals to logic by utilizing statistics and facts about the breeders, when the speaker wrote about a great advantage on why they should sell their children that they would not have to maintain their children after the first year. The speaker also has a cold-hearted persona when the speaker uses the phrase such as “ the sarcass of a good fat child and “a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old most delicious, to portray how unemphatsized the speaker is about the sacrificing on infants to be conusmed of their flesh or used for other purposes.As a result, the reader is most likely to hold their own children close to their chest or against them and far from the cannabalistic men or people portrayed by swift.
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Max Allen
12/6/2022 10:29:57 am
I disagree with you saying that he was trying to make the speaker look like "logical, reasonable and somewhat of a realist". I thought the opposite was true. He proposes such an inhumane solution to make the reader seem psychotic and crazy.
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Jackson Konzelmann
12/6/2022 04:32:31 pm
I think that Swift has some logical parts to him, without them he wouldnt be as convicing as a crazy guy.
Vanetta July
12/8/2022 04:56:54 am
- logical reasons on why society should feed on infants flesh.---is he really trying to be logical?
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Max Allen
12/6/2022 10:26:05 am
In his essay “A modest proposal”, Swift aims to create a psychotic and cruel persona by talking very casually about evil actions like eating babies, in order to criticize the British government and encourage the Irish to take action. For instance, in order to solve the Irish famine, Swift suggests that they start eating babies because “a young healthy child is.. Delicious, nourishing, and wholesome”. Because Swift offers such an inhumane approach to solving the famine, he portrays himself as sadistic and cruel. Thus, if the country is in such a dire state that cannibalism is necessary, it’s made apparent that some form of change is necessary. Furthermore, Swift uses a casual tone when referring to something that most people would find ruthless, further illustrating that he is psychotic and inhumane. Ultimately, this creates a call to action compelling the Irish listeners to stand against the British's poor treatment of the Irish.
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Jackson Konzelmann
12/6/2022 04:31:20 pm
I agree with you stating that Swift creates a psychotic persona, I dont agree with it being aimed toawrds the British, I think thst the whole reason for writing was so Swift could highlight how far Ireland is going and they should try to get back on track.
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Vanetta July
12/8/2022 11:42:32 am
Apparently, after learning the 5 words and phrases in order you commentary has gotten better.
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Jackson Konzelmann
12/6/2022 04:28:12 pm
At the beginning of Swift's A Modest Proposal, Swift appeals to the Irish’s Sense of disgust but also pride by describing how “It was a Melancholy object to those who walk the street of this great town.” Swift is using a description of their town as sort of a call to action. Swift assumes that the reader cares about Ireland and would want to see it succeed, he assumes this because they are literally in Ireland. By describing the once “great town” as “melancholy” Swift wants to utilize the people of Ireland's pride for Ireland and turn that into disgust over what their country has become. After Swift has the reader's attention, he goes with more of a logical approach by saying the number of kids each woman has and how many resources are needed to take care of those kids. Swift wants the reader to see kids as almost the problem in why Ireland has become so melancholy, using logic also helps to lead to his claim for how he can fix Ireland. Swift however does not do a lot to boost his credibility, the most credible thing Swift really does is being able to say the real problem going on in Ireland. The main appeal that Swift utilizes is logic. Swift understands the idea that butchering and selling babies is something that no one will do but he needs to almost convince the Irish to do that, and the only way to do that is through logic and facts. Swift wants the reader to almost consider selling and eating children so that the reader can see how far from civilized they are becoming, and how influenced by other cultures they have become. All of the appeals are utilized to almost convince the reader to eat and sell children to highlight the trajectory away from civilization the Irish people are coming to. Once the reader sees that they can then change what they are doing to become more civilized.
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Vanetta July
12/8/2022 11:43:29 am
What you mention for credibility, is not. You saying he is using facts is a misinterpretation. It was satirical.
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Ella Case
12/6/2022 05:09:35 pm
#1
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Emerson Humphrey
12/6/2022 06:19:22 pm
Hi Ella! I really like your analysis of how Swift painted himself to the audience. I think that his unremorseful attitude made his argument more impactful and shocking to the Irish people reading, and made them feel as if they needed to rebel against the English. We agreed on a lot of aspects of it. Great job!
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Emerson Humphrey
12/6/2022 06:12:48 pm
Question 5
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Elshaday Tekeste
12/6/2022 06:24:05 pm
5. Taking careful note of the diction of paragraph 12, with words such as “dear” and “devoured,” explain the rhetorical strategy at work.
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Vanessa Muniz
12/6/2022 06:46:20 pm
3. Swift’s speaker explains the anticipated results BEFORE revealing the actual proposal. Explain the rhetorical purpose of such a strategy.
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Lauren Ramos
12/8/2022 06:16:58 am
Hi Vanessa! With it anticipating beneficial results, I can also say that through the audience, not only give them gist of how "amazing the idea and how they would approve of getting it themselves." It can also be pictured as a standard of Swift provided this as a "miracle cure" and lastly I agree with the comparison of how Swift demonstrates his proposal with the correlation of modern day salesmen
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Vanetta July
12/8/2022 11:44:07 am
You are not really explaining why do it in reverse! Affect?
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Will McKean
12/6/2022 07:11:32 pm
Question 4:
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Vanetta July
12/8/2022 11:44:29 am
Very well done!
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Mallory Karrenstein
12/10/2022 06:53:58 pm
This was really well written, I liked how you went into a lot of depth with your analysis of each appeals!
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Hanna Laabid
12/6/2022 07:14:08 pm
Swift utilizes loaded diction to criticize the English government for their hypocritical tyranny over Ireland. He also mocks the Irish’s lack of initiative to emancipate themselves from English rule so the Irish people would be encouraged to revolt against the English government and Parliament would recognize their unfair treatment of the Irish. He opens his essay by stressing the melancholic situation in the streets of Ireland, where mothers and their children are “...importuning every passenger for alms,” acknowledging the dire state of the poor in Ireland. By using the word “importuning,” Swift asserts that the Irish are so desperate, they harass “passengers” to provide for their families rather than take up the issue with the English government. Furthermore, Swift intends to instigate reform by engaging the Irish to oppose the English while depicting a miserable image of the future generation who will become either “thieves” or leave the country for better opportunities overseas if they do not stand up for themselves. He proceeds to sarcastically attack the English and their great kingdom by stating that the “[Irish] children…[are part of] the present deplorable state of the kingdom a very great additional grievance…,” juxtaposing the substandard conditions of the Irish and the Kingdom. The use of the words “deplorable” and “grievance” underscores the accumulation of difficulties endured by the Irish. Due to the dreadful circumstances of the Irish economy, Swift aims to have the English recognize that the political and economic state of Ireland is crumbling under their rule and they have a responsibility to fix it. Finally, in the fourth paragraph, he proposes that a one-year-old “...shall…contribute to the feeding, and partly to the clothing, of many thousands,” which is a satirical reversal to the normal order of the parents taking care of their children. By saying the roles between the parents and the children shall be reversed, he mocks the inability of the English government to properly nourish its Irish citizens by oppressing them and leading them to starvation.
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Kailin Marciniak
12/6/2022 07:23:54 pm
Question 2
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Vanetta July
12/8/2022 11:45:11 am
You went wrong when you didn't acknowledge that his solution was absurd and why use this satirical solution.
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Bella Quesenberry
12/6/2022 08:10:38 pm
Question 1
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Vanetta July
12/8/2022 11:45:37 am
You needed to mention this was satire and why?
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Sajni Patel
12/6/2022 09:56:17 pm
#1:
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Vanetta July
12/8/2022 11:45:57 am
Your commentary is redundant.
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Daniela Betancourt Santibanez
12/7/2022 04:27:39 am
Throughout the Essay, Jonathan Swift hopes to illustrate himself as a inhuman who would eat babies and not care about it. By creating this persona, Swift wants the readers to be able to acknowledge and understand the terrible circumstance that society was at the time. In the essay, Swift states,” delicious, nourishing, and wholesome babies” by stating this Swift is highlighting how there was a lack of food In Ireland and that citizens of Ireland would have to turn to babies as their source of food . By stating this Swift is emphasizing the fact that England was superior over Ireland which created restriction for Irish trade and Irish agriculture to occur. The restriction causes Ireland citizens to become desperate. Swift puts emphasis of Ireland having their food supply be babies in order for the audience to acknowledge the fact that he is exaggerating. Swift over exaggerates the food supply being babies in order to highlight that Britain’s the reason for Ireland’s suffering. Swift compares the fact that what Britain is doing is crazy and terrible, with the fact that having babies as the food supply is also crazy and terrible. Swift hopes to get through British readers and have British citizens be sympathetic towards Irish citizens. Swift wants and hopes that his essay can be an eye opening which will cause a change in rule.
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Silas Leonard
12/7/2022 04:37:16 am
2. Note Swift’s diction in the opening paragraphs. IDENTIFY examples of influential diction or charged/loaded words. EXPLAIN their purpose.
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corrie mcarthur
12/7/2022 05:53:54 am
In the opening paragraphs of ¨a Modest Proposal¨ by Jonathan Swift, He rhetorically connects to his audience, ultimately drawing them in by applying influential diction. Using words and phrases such as ¨beg for sustenance,¨ ¨honest livelihood, and ¨dear native country¨ in the first paragraph he invokes a sense of sympathy from the audience. He uses these phrases to describe children appealing to the emotional aspect of the audience. Furthering his emotional appeal to the audience in the following paragraphs, he applies specific adjectives such as ¨prestigious,¨ ¨deplorable,¨ and ¨beggars¨, Mr Swift, compares and contrasts the men of the city versus the women and children who are suffering. The use of this diction enhances the overall sympathy seeking appeal to the audience. By addressing the men as prestigious and deplorable or high ranking and award deserving and the women as beggars, the author is establishing the social hierarchy of the ¨great town.¨
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Vanetta July
12/8/2022 11:47:31 am
You needed more commentary!
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Kali Daniels
12/7/2022 07:52:19 pm
1. How does Swift want the reader to view the speaker? What features best describe the “persona” he adopts?
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Lilah Childers
12/13/2022 07:09:24 am
I disagree with your assessment of the persons Swift adopts. He is, if anything, very empathetic to the lower class, he sees their situation and is using humor and satire to establish the absurdity of things. Swift never meant his words to be taken seriously, it’s a joke about children’s lack of usefulness in society, the same way you might give a toddler a plastic vacuum and complement their hard work. He is aware the problem is being ignored, and uses dark humor to create a commentary sympathetic to the hurdles being faced by the poor
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Bella Norton
12/7/2022 08:07:50 pm
1. Jonathan Swift develops a disturbing essay about how people should eat children and use their skin as clothes as a way to solve hunger and poverty/overpopulation in Ireland. By doing so, he creates the persona of him to be seen as a cruel and brutal person to show how Britain has taken control over them and how they are responsible for the things that are going on in Ireland. He provides the explanation that a “young healthy child well nursed [...] delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food” meaning that to solve hunger in Ireland the only way they can do it is by eating “young” and “healthy” kids. He later states “the skin of which artificially dressed will make admirable gloves for ladies, and summer boots for fine gentlemen” illustrating that after they eat all the meat off of the child's body they are going to use the skin for fashion. When Swift provides his examples of hunger and poverty/overpopulation in satire form, it helps Ireland and Britain better understand the problems that are going on between them and wants to help their people.
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Lauren Ramos
12/8/2022 06:10:48 am
5.Taking careful note of the diction of paragraph 12, with words such as “dear” and “devoured,” explain the rhetorical strategy at work.
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Ahtziry Peres
12/8/2022 07:14:49 pm
Swift wants the readers to view the speaker as a reasonable, thorough, and compassionate speaker. He does so by introducing how calm the speaker seems to act when talking about eating male babies and including the fact that therefore “one male will be sufficient to serve four females”. In the speaker's tone the speaker does not come off as showing any certain emotion when bringing the topic of eating male babies. The speaker comes off as direct. The idea of eating babies is something cruel and absurd but as well it ties into how the Irish are getting treated by the British. The British are treating the Irish cruel and inhumane. Swift providing the solution of eating children brings attention to how terrible policies were in Ireland due to the British government in their society. Swift archives this by creating an almost emotionless existence because he does not at all feel repulsed or bad for suggesting we kill and eat babies.Yet the persona that Swift creates is an exaggerated persona meant to represent the class of people whom Swift especially disdains. This persona is meant to emphasize the Irishes struggles and what they had to go through during the rein of terror the british had on them during that time. In a way it is like their perspective of what they experienced. It is almost like a sign or a call to action for the Irish to stand up for themselves and fight back with the british. Swift brings up the idea of eating children as a metaphor for what he had seen as the exploitation of the poor, such as the high rents charged by landlords.
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Ava Williams
12/8/2022 08:48:55 pm
5. By using descriptive language such as “dear” and “devour”, Swift compares the babies to animals sold on the market for food, as well as comparing landlords to parents to predators to prey. Swift inserts that the infants “will be somewhat dear” meaning that if they are sold on the food market, they will be expensive. But then, Swift also goes on to write that this cost would make them “proper for landlords…as they have already devoured most of the parents” thus giving the “landlords” “the best title to the children.” This means that since the “landlords” have already taken many parents' belongings, or “devoured” them, therefore they might as well take the kids too. Swift includes the word “dear” because saying that the infants will be expensive on the market effectively illustrates the infants as a type of food or meat that could be sold on the market. Swift also includes “devoured” because it compares the landlords to animals, specifically predators where “the parents” are the prey being “devoured”. Since the “landlords” are being compared to predators it makes them seem less human, with less emotions or sympathy, so it makes them seem more able to sell kids as food. Thus, if the infants are being compared to market meat and the “landlords” are being compared to predators, then we can assume that Swift is trying to make them seem less human so his readers don’t feel as bad about the idea of selling infants as food. Furthermore, the readers are probably still a bit shocked at the idea of selling not just another human for food, but another human who is a helpless baby, and by comparing the babies and “landlords” to animals Swift tries to rationalize selling and eating human infants. Ultimately, this leads the readers to not only start envisioning a market of human infants similar to current meat markets, but also start to rationalize the idea by thinking of infants and “landlords” as animals instead of humans, and therefore not feeling as much empathy for them.
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Mallory Karrenstein
12/10/2022 04:09:27 pm
2. Swift utilizes charged or loaded words like "forced", "beg", "helpless", and "deplorable" in order to emphasize the harsh way a lot of the Irish people had to live due to the neglect from the English Parliament. Swift makes this purpose very evident from the beginning by jumping right into it and saying, "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." This exaggerated phrase allows the English to understand the full extent of what it's like to live in Ireland at this time. Talking about how the mothers can't work alludes to the fact that there weren't a lot of jobs available in Ireland during that time due to Parliament passing laws that restricted trade and production in Ireland, so there were a lot of people without jobs. Swift then goes on to describe landlords and people in power as being “plump and fat” and “they have already devoured most of their parents…” which helps further Swift's purpose that a lot of the Irish people had to live very harsh lives due to the neglect from the English Parliament by saying that while the people were suffering the landlords were sitting pretty and were living lavish lives. Which helps the audience understand that the class system was very unfair and biased towards people in power.
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Elizabeth Garrity
12/11/2022 01:29:44 pm
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Elizabeth
12/11/2022 01:30:34 pm
#1
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Lilah Childers
12/13/2022 06:59:10 am
3. Swift’s speaker explains the anticipated results BEFORE revealing the actual proposal. Explain the rhetorical purpose of such a strategy.
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Reyna Lee
12/14/2022 07:11:00 pm
2. Note Swift’s diction in the opening paragraphs. IDENTIFY examples of influential diction or charged/loaded words. EXPLAIN their purpose.
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Vanetta July
12/16/2022 08:09:13 am
"It is a melancholy object for those who walk through this great town [...] when they see [streets crowded with] beggars of the female sex, followed by three, four, or six children." ---explain how this is patronizing or condescending.
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Kennedy Draper
12/16/2022 04:17:09 am
Jonathan Swift creates a type of personality of one who is desperate but an inhuman individual who takes on a casual attitude when discussing such a brutal topic such as eating babies. With this personality, Swift wants the reader to understand how terrible things have gotten in the present society. For instance, in this essay the speaker shows that, after many calculations that resulted in an increase in food, harvesting and eating “delicious, nourishing, and wholesome” babies would be a perfect fit for the lack of nourishment in the Irish country. During this time, Ireland was completely under Britain’s control and the English “strangled” Ireland economically by restricting Irish trade and agriculture. This restriction caused the citizens of Ireland to get very desperate, and Swift wrote this essay after seeing this unfold around him. What the British are doing to the Irish was unbelievable just like the notion of eating babies is, and with this essay Swift emphasizes that comparison of the unbelievable. By displaying how casually the writing about the solution of eating babies is, Swift conveys just how casually the British are also hurting thousands of Irish citizens. Overall, not only does this satirical piece underscore the desperation in the situation of the Irish by stating multiple ways eating babies would sadly be of benefit to the citizens, it also highlights the type of incidents that the British are imposing upon them, calling both the notion of eating babies and the British stranglehold insane. Through the essay, Swift hopes to get through to his British readers at the time and evoke a sense of sympathy and agreement from them for the desperation of the Irish citizens and insanity of British rule, respectively.
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Finna Young
12/18/2022 08:43:41 pm
For each of the classic appeals (ETHOS. LOGOS, PATHOS), indicate two examples from the first 4 paragraphs. Which one is the speaker’s primary appeal? WHY do you think this?
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Nicole Vastis
1/3/2023 07:40:31 am
In the opening paragraphs of Swift’s satirical essay, he selects words with strong connotations in order to emphasize the poor condition of the country. He describes the streets as “crowded” by women with numerous children who are “forced” to beg to support their families. By depicting the mothers as helpless, Smith evokes a sense of sympathy for the mothers and their children. He also creates a feeling of discomfort with the crowded streets, as he reminds the readers of a great number of dirty beggars clogging the streets. By creating an image of unfavorable conditions, Swift creates a problem that he has a solution to- eating children.
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Ethan Blackmon
1/12/2023 05:16:04 am
Question #1: In his writing A Modest Proposal, Jonathan Swift fabricates a persona of a desperately cruel individual who takes on a highly flippant attitude concerning his brutally inhuman proposal to cannibalize Irish infants. In his persona, Swift wants to communicate to the reader how impecunious and despondent Irish society has become to due the influence of the English. For instance, in his proposal, the speaker calculates that harvesting and eating “delicious, nourishing, and wholesome” babies would be an effective solution to the lack of nourishment in Ireland. During this time, Ireland was almost entirely controlled by an authoritarian English crown, which purposefully “strangled” the Irish economy. This restriction caused the citizens of Ireland to fall upon very desperate difficult times, and Swift authored this essay after watching the effects of this tyranny unfold around him. The obviously overboard despair that was insinuated by utilizing babies as a food source is how Swift emphasizes the stranglehold that the English has on Ireland and the widespread poverty and suffering they have caused. By overplaying how cavalierly the speaker suggests his solution of eating infants, Swift conveys exactly how casually the English are, say, ‘cannibalizing’ thousands of Irish citizens. Not only does this piece underscore the desperation in the situation of the Irish by stating multiple ways that something as absurd as eating babies would sadly, and perhaps legitimately, be of genuine benefit to their citizens. With this essay, Swift hopes to communicate to his British readers and arouse a sense of sympathy and justice from them for the desperation of the Irish citizens and the cruelty of the English control.
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Gray Kerr
1/17/2023 06:00:47 am
How does Swift want the reader to view the speaker? What features best describe the “persona” he adopts?
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