Question

Swift is criticizing the English government and the wealthy for creating poverty in Ireland. He uses verbal irony when he proposes that eating children is the way to resolve the growing problem of impoverished children. By developing this idea and implying that the English will not mind if the Irish use children for food, Swift suggests that the English government is callous and cruel. What did you include in your answer? Check all that apply.

A. Swift is criticizing England and the wealthy.
B. Swift is criticizing the treatment of the poor.
C. Swift uses rhetorical devices such as verbal irony and understatement.
D. Swift uses false premises to make his arguments.

Answer 1

Jonathan Swift uses verbal irony in 'A Modest Proposal' to critique the English government and the wealthy for their role in Irish poverty. His satirical solution of eating children to solve poverty serves to underscore the cruel detachment of English policy towards the Irish. The balance of humor and criticism in satire aims to evoke reflection on the serious social issues at hand.

Step-by-step explanation:

In A Modest Proposal, Jonathan Swift employs verbal irony to critique the English government and the wealthy, who he perceives as responsible for the poverty in Ireland. Swift's satirical suggestion that eating children could solve the country's poverty issues starkly underscores the perceived inhumanity and detachment of the English towards the Irish predicament.

Swift is indeed criticizing not only the English and the wealthy (A) but also the dehumanizing treatment of the poor (B). He artfully uses rhetorical devices like verbal irony and understatement (C), presenting obviously false premises as tangible solutions to satirically highlight the absurdity of the actual governmental policies and societal attitudes towards the impoverished.

The sharp satire not only aims to provoke laughter but also a deep reflection on the serious underlying social issues. Thus, writers must balance humor with the conveyance of their critical messages, ensuring that the satire does not overshadow the themes being critiqued.