Rhetorical Strategies
Swift uses this rhetorical strategy to mock excessive politeness, suggesting it can lead to insincerity and dull conversation.
What is Satire?
This city is where Swift grew up, as well as the capital of Ireland.
What is Dublin?
In A Modest Proposal, this appeal allowed Swift to establish his credibility as a concerned observer and problem-solver by citing data and economic observations about Ireland.
What is Ethos?
This crop was the staple of the Irish diet, making its scarcity a symbol of the broader exploitation of the Irish population.
What is the Potato?
Swift exaggerates that some people’s civility reaches such heights that they might apologize for existing.
What is Hyperbole?
This satirical essay by Swift proposes a shocking solution to poverty in Ireland, suggesting that the poor sell their children as food for the wealthy.
What is "A Modest Proposal"?
This appeal allows Swift to shock his audience in A Modest Proposal by suggesting that poor families sell their children as food, stirring horror and pity among readers.
What is Pathos?
In A Modest Proposal, Swift ridicules English landlords who treated Irish tenants as commodities, famously suggesting this as a “solution” to the poverty crisis.
What is Eating Babies?
Swift praises those who follow etiquette so rigidly that they become unbearable in society, using this strategy to critique extreme formalism.
What is Irony?
Swift’s work often blended biting satire with a deeper social message, making him one of the greatest writers of this literary period.
What is The Enlightenment?
In A Treatise on Good Manners and Good Breeding, Swift critiques shallow social behaviors by presenting himself as a rational and experienced observer of human nature.
What is Ethos?
Swift’s hyperbolic suggestion to consume Irish children indirectly critiques these groups, whose exploitation and neglect caused widespread poverty in Ireland.
Who are the English Landlords/Elite?
Swift compares good manners to a well-made coat, emphasizing that they should fit comfortably and not be too tight or ostentatious, illustrating this rhetorical device.
What is an Analogy?
Swift is often referred to as "Dean Swift" after he became the dean of this place of worship, of which is usually ran by a bishop.
What is St. Patrick's Cathedral? (Or Cathedral)
In A Modest Proposal, Swift carefully calculates the number of children available for consumption and their economic value, presenting his argument as a mathematically sound solution to poverty.
What is Logos?
In A Modest Proposal, Swift critiques the exploitation of Ireland during this period under English rule, a time when these devastating events were leading to widespread poverty and starvation.
What is the Irish Famine? (Or Potato Famine)
Swift specifically utilizes both of these style elements to shape his essay as a piece of advice, furthering his satirical tone.
What is Diction and Structure?
Swift originally published all of his works under pseudonyms, of which this was his most popular.
What is Lemuel Gulliver?
Swift uses exaggerated and absurd examples of poor manners in A Treatise on Good Manners and Good Breeding to highlight the emotional and societal consequences of excessive politeness.
What is Pathos?
In A Modest Proposal, Swift critiques this economic system, where Ireland’s resources were extracted for England’s benefit, leaving the Irish impoverished.
What is Mercantilism?