5.03 A Modest Proposal
1. Swift wrote "A Modest Proposal" under a pseudonym, so who is the speaker here?
a. The speaker here is Protestant and apart of the Irish upper class. He speaks on
behalf of the hypocrisy of many “wanna-be reformers”, whose aspirations are fake
to disguise their authentic prejudice and bigotry.
2. Discuss the tone of the piece. Pull examples from the text to support your
discussion.
a. The tone of this piece is very satirical and ironic. This tone is very apparent in
quotes such as, ​ “I can think of no one objection that will possibly be raised against
this proposal, unless it be urged that the number of people will be thereby much
lessened in the kingdom.” and “After all, I am not so violently bent upon my own
opinion, as to reject any offer, proposed by wise men, which shall be found equally
innocent, cheap, easy, and effectual.”
3. As you know, effective argumentation appeals to logic (logos), ethics (ethos), and
emotions (pathos). Please discuss how Swift uses all three appeals and how these
tools impact his purpose.