Menippean satire
"A Modest Proposal" is a Juvenalian satire, characterized by its harsh criticism, irony, and exaggeration to expose and criticize societal issues and human folly. Swift's essay uses a satirical proposal to highlight the economic exploitation and dehumanization of the poor in Ireland by the English ruling class.
Jonathan Swift's title is sarcastic, because "The Modest Proposal" is a satire of the conditions facing lower-class people in Ireland at the time it was written. His suggestion of eating children is outrageous; it is called "modest" sarcastically because the satire is meant to draw attention to the problem in Ireland through irony and exaggerations and understatements.
"A Modest Proposal" fits the definition of satire by using humor, irony, and exaggeration to criticize societal issues, specifically the mistreatment of the poor in Ireland. Swift's proposal to solve poverty by selling children as food satirizes the indifference and cruelty of the ruling class towards the impoverished population.
Understatement
"A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift employs both Horatian and Juvenalian satire. Horatian satire is lighthearted, using humor to gently mock society, while Juvenalian satire is harsh and critical. The essay uses exaggeration and irony to mock the British government's mistreatment of the Irish poor, using a proposal to sell babies as food as a way to criticize the exploitation of the Irish people. This blend of satire creates a powerful critique of colonialism and economic oppression.
A Modest Proposal is best described as a juvenile satire.
But it is apparent.
juvelian satire
"A Modest Proposal"
"A Modest Proposal"
not until paragraph 7 that the reader is aware that this is a satire.
"A Modest Proposal" is a Juvenalian satire, characterized by its harsh criticism, irony, and exaggeration to expose and criticize societal issues and human folly. Swift's essay uses a satirical proposal to highlight the economic exploitation and dehumanization of the poor in Ireland by the English ruling class.
Jonathan Swift's title is sarcastic, because "The Modest Proposal" is a satire of the conditions facing lower-class people in Ireland at the time it was written. His suggestion of eating children is outrageous; it is called "modest" sarcastically because the satire is meant to draw attention to the problem in Ireland through irony and exaggerations and understatements.
The first paragraphs read as though the work is not a satire.
The first paragraphs read as though the work is not a satire.
"A Modest Proposal" fits the definition of satire by using humor, irony, and exaggeration to criticize societal issues, specifically the mistreatment of the poor in Ireland. Swift's proposal to solve poverty by selling children as food satirizes the indifference and cruelty of the ruling class towards the impoverished population.
Understatement