Resumo de A Modest Proposal

.       The main point of the work is that it is a satire. It is written to critize society and explain how government officals and people of importance always think up ideas and make proposals and plans, but they never do anything about them.
       The key to understanding Swift's essay is seeing the effect it has on the reader, changing the reader's view by reading it.
       In the first paragraphs of the work, Swift uses excellent imagery to make the reader feel pity for the children of poverty and feel interest in what he is proposing. Following this, Swift relates his calculations to the reader, making the reader feel that after all of this work, his idea must be one of quality and help the poor children. Then, suddenly, Swift states his proposal, causing the reader to greatly change his or her thoughts. The idea of eating children is simply appalling. The reader is brought from the high state, being hopeful and expecting something very good, to a low state, being horrified and sickened by the solution that is even worse than the problem. Being in the high state first and then falling to the low state makes the low state seem even lower than it is, exaggerating the idea and giving more effect than the idea itself could give. The reader is then simple shocked at the explanation of breeding children for food as Swift gives more depth to his idea. Calculations are added to the work, so that as the reader starts to think that the proposal might be a joke, the calculation show the seriousness of Swift as he took such time into elaborate planning. The reader?s mind is slightly calmed as Swift strays slightly in his proposal. After the reader is more at ease and able to think clearer, Swift states his reasoning once more so that the reader can understand it better, hearing it put very simply while he or she has a mind able to understand it. Swift doesn?t directly state the work to be satire, but begins to criticize others, making the reader begin to think that it is. By the end of the criticism, the reader can be most sure that the work is satirical. Swift doesn?t ruin the effect of the piece by telling the reader directly his true feelings, but lets the seriousness of the work still affect the reader. In the end, the reader will take the work seriously and consider it, even though it wasn?t a truly serious proposal.

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