A Truly Modest Proposal In the early 1700’s, the Whig party came to power under King George I and Prime Minister Robert Walpole. Walpole was a strong believer that England should control Ireland’s activities because it was their colony. However, Ireland had its own Parliament and cultural identity and did not want to be under England’s control. Legislation was enacted by England that severely limited the rights of the Irish to hold government office, purchase real estate, get an education, and advance themselves in other ways. As a result, many Irish fled to foreign lands, including America. Most of those who remained in Ireland lived in poverty, facing disease, starvation, and prejudice. By the 1720’s, Ireland was overly occupied and a majority were the poor lower class. In Jonathon Swift’s essay, “A Modest Proposal”, Swift uses the literary devices satire, persona, and logos to emphasize the poor quality of living and overpopulation of the inhabitants of Ireland, and calls for a renovation of the current system through the cooperation of the classes thus showing that one voice, can be a loud one. Swift uses many rhetorical devices throughout the work to demonstrate the necessity of change to the current lifestyle of the lower class. This essay is well known for its’ satire, which Swift uses throughout the whole composition, trivializing the poor conditions of the low Irish class. “A young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricase, or a ragoust.” (672) The satirical statement that people should begin selling their own children to be eaten emphasizes the extent the economic and population crisis has come to in Ireland. Families whom are in severe poverty do things such as sell their homes or possessions and acquire multiple jobs. Never do they shed a thought on selling their children. By stating the absurd suggestion of selling and eating children, one can tell that the situation of overpopulation and poor quality of living in Ireland is as horrendous as the statement. “For those whom are more thrifty (as I must confess the times require), may flay the flesh of infant carcasses; the skin of which artificially dressed will make admirable gloves for ladies and summer boots for fine gentleman.” (672) The satirical suggestion creates pathos in the readers whom do not want to see children treated like livestock and defiled into such excessive items as gloves. As one can see, satire, the device that Swift depends his argument heavily upon, is the foundation of the essay that exposes the issues. It opens the eyes of the people whom seem to have acquired immunity to the problems Ireland is facing. Satire helps the weak voice of Swift become one of implacable ferociousness. In order to make sure the emphasis on the poor quality of living among the lower Irish class, caused by overpopulation and the inhumanity of the upper classes and English government is taken seriously, Swift uses persona to make sure this is done so. All through out the essay Swift never says that his suggestion is absurd or a joke which maintains the image of impending serious the problems are to the Irish. As a result, Swift adopts the persona of a concerned economist who has the utmost intention to combat the poverty and overpopulation of Ireland by suggesting that the children of the poor be sold as food to the wealthy. To further the persona, Swift separates himself from the lower class by saying that only people who require his and other wealthy people’s, “charity in the streets,” (670) should have to sell their children, and later says that he has no children to sell, and that his wife is past childbearing, creating an antithesis and adding irony to the essay’s tone. Swift also argues that not only will the population be greatly reduced but the income of the poor will increase significantly as they sell their children, a suggestion with much fortifying consequences that can ease Ireland out of depression. The mask is upheld from the beginning of the essay to the end when Swift who never unmasks himself states, “I fortunately fell upon this proposal, which is solid and real of no expense and little trouble, full in our power…” (676) The tone of consummate seriousness and scientific objectivity give the man with the weak but now strong voice, a mask with impending black eyes that stare the problem and those whom choose to ignore it, in the face. Swift’s suggestion is very absurd and without support that it is valid, that satirical effect and overall meaning of the piece will be virtually non-existent. Swift, in order to avoid this, uses logos to make a valid paper that holds meaning. In developing this outrageous thesis, Swift provides abundant detail, projecting the costs of child rearing (which will be saved if the child is eaten), estimating the portion of the population affected, and even providing specific ideas regarding the number of servings a child might provide. Swift, who maintains the mask of an economist, states six advantages his proposal which are very well thought out an explained. One of them is, “This (child selling) would be a great inducement to marriage…it would increase the care and tenderness of mothers toward their children”. This logically makes sense. When children are being sold, the children that aren’t sold will be treated much better and be much more appreciated. Statistics of profit are discussed as well, which give Swift’s outrageous suggestion credible support. In a national population of one million and a half, there are probably two hundred thousand women of childbearing age. Out of these, thirty thousand might be supposed to be financially able to maintain their own children. That leaves one hundred and seventy thousand "breeders." Of these, perhaps fifty thousand will miscarry or lose their children in the first year, leaving one hundred and twenty thousand children born of poor parents each year. "The question therefore is, wow this number shall be reared and provided for, which, as I have already said, under present situation of affairs, is utterly impossible.” (671) A child under the age of twelve, "is no saleable Commodity," and even when they are old enough to be sold into servitude, children bring no very large price—certainly not enough to offset the costs involved in rearing them to that age. When the suggestion, with the support of facts and statistics, seems semi valid, it emphasizes how blind the government and people are to the horrible problems occurring. His arguments, rationally presented, support a profoundly irrational proposition which give the man with the once weak but strong voice and a masked face of serious civility, a strong argument of logic, facts, and statistics that challenges those who find it absurd and oppose it. Throughout the essay, “A Modest Proposal,” by Jonathon Swift, the literary devices satire, persona, and logos are used consistently in order to emphasize that the problem of overpopulation and poor living conditions in Ireland are dire need of attention. Swift calls out the politicians, telling them to find a better solution while doubting their success when most of the population would rather have been eaten as a child, than have to had lived through the, “perpetual scene of misfortunes,” (676) they have gone through thus far. Swift uses the devices to create a strong voice, masked face of arbitrary seriousness, and strong argument in order to cause a reaction of outrage from society, in order to spur them into action against the gross mistreatment they have faced already.