"a modest proposal"

what 2 points does swift feel must be addressed?

1. feeding and clothing the hungry 2. employement

what are the 10 actual proposals?

1. tax people who own land and aren't working on it 2. irish use only irish made products 3. reject foreign "luxury" items 4. women work 5. work to become thrifty and prudent 6. gain more national pride 7. unite as one people 8. keep conscience intact 9. landlords show kindness to tenants 10. shop keepers reform their ways

what 2 occasions would you eat baby? how are they ironic?

1. weddings- you get married to have a family 2. christenings- baby's baptism

list the 6 advantages of the modest proposal

1.lessen # of catholics 2. provide money to pay debts 3. increase the nation's stock 4. save constant breeders the extra money of having a child 5. make taverns better places 5. reduce incidents of men beating their wives

when was it published

1729

in discussing the economics of his proposal, what kind of appeal is the writer making?

Logical

why does swift choose to use the word "devoured"?

animalistic

the narrator implies americans are

cannibalistic

connotation

emotional association added to words

what type of appeal is the writer making when he wants to end abortions?

ethical appeal

what else might children be used for?

gloves and boots

what is the significance of the last sentence in that paragraph

he has nothing to gain because his children are too old and so is his wife

who is his intended audience

land lords from england, wealthy dubliners

persuasive techniques that swift uses

logical appeals, emotional appeals, ethical appeals

why does he choose to use the word "carcasses"

makes the babies animals

what does "dropped from its dam" mean? what is the connotation?

meaning: born connotation: negative b/c it refers to the birth of a baby as if it was an animal

what is the connotation of the word "breeders"?

negative

what was happening in ireland

poverty and overpopulation

why does he use the word "pretender"?

reference to James Edward, and that his claim to the throne was a lie

the intent of the author in this passage most probably is to

shock politicians into addressing the problems of the poor

"the art" refers to

stealing

denotation

strict literal meanings

black humor

subjects that are considered too grim for laughter are treated humorously

in paragraph 3, what problem does the narrator propose to solve

the # of children who are born to parents who cannot support them

why does he reject the idea of selling and eating the 12 to 14 year olds

the boys flesh is too tough and the girls can serve as breeders

the irony of the last paragraph lies in the fact that

the narrator would not profit from the proposal, but neither would he be faced with the prospect of selling his baby

what is the "modest" proposal

to sell the children as food

throughout the passage, the narrator

wavers between bold certitude and self-effacing humility

who does the narrator show hiss own prejudices against

women, jews, landlords, shopkeepers

diction

word choice

persona

writer's voice