The genre of A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Smith is satire. The diction that Swift uses creates humor because while the speaker speaks formally they also use some colloquial terms that create a contrast. The use of both elevated and colloquial diction effectively creates humor because this diction informs the audience that the speaker is not credible. When the passage begins, the speaker explains their concern for the impoverished Irish children. Then the speaker reveals a plan for selling the children for food to solve the poverty issue. By doing this the author reveals that he dislikes the way the poor Irish are treated and believes that a much better solution should be implemented.
The author has a serious attitude towards the poverty of Irish children because he believes that there must be a solution, however his diction shows that he isn't serious about eating those children. The author provides lots of "evidence" and reasoning behind why certain age groups are useful for different purposes. This is humorous because it implies that a lot of research has been done on this phony solution. I was very impressed by this passage because I think that Swift used all of the necessary elements of satire very well, especially with the use of irony at the end of the passage when he confesses that he can't sell his own children because they are too old. I also think that this made a big splash in the British community of the time because this was contemporary satire and not many wealthy people cared about the poor Irish children.
Works Cited:
Swift, Jonathan. "A Modest Proposal." 1729. Web. 7 Dec. 2015.
The author has a serious attitude towards the poverty of Irish children because he believes that there must be a solution, however his diction shows that he isn't serious about eating those children. The author provides lots of "evidence" and reasoning behind why certain age groups are useful for different purposes. This is humorous because it implies that a lot of research has been done on this phony solution. I was very impressed by this passage because I think that Swift used all of the necessary elements of satire very well, especially with the use of irony at the end of the passage when he confesses that he can't sell his own children because they are too old. I also think that this made a big splash in the British community of the time because this was contemporary satire and not many wealthy people cared about the poor Irish children.
Works Cited:
Swift, Jonathan. "A Modest Proposal." 1729. Web. 7 Dec. 2015.