ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -This is equally true for his A Modest Proposal which is ironic and cynical in tone. A Modest Proposal was written as a commentary on the apathy of the rich towards the poor and the apathy of the political personas towards the Irish.

Detailed explanation-2: -This satirical hyperbole mocked heartless attitudes towards the poor, predominantly Irish Catholic (i.e., “Papists") as well as British policy towards the Irish in general. In English writing, the phrase “a modest proposal” is now conventionally an allusion to this style of straight-faced satire.

Detailed explanation-3: -Johnathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal, features an anonymous speaker who proposes a resolution to the poverty in Ireland. The tone of the speaker is uncaring, roguish (he suggests cannibalism), and devoid of logic.

Detailed explanation-4: -Analysis of ‘A Modest Proposal’ With ‘A Modest Proposal, ’ Swift makes fun of similar pamphlets that were being circulated at the time. His word choice throughout the piece, including the word ‘modest’ in the title, highlights this by mocking the false modesty in the tone of many of the pamphlets of his contemporaries.