A Modest Proposal Rhetorical Analysis

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Jonathan Smith’s essay entitled, “A Modest Proposal” is anything but modest. According to Smith, the most obvious and efficient way to resolve Ireland’s economic deprivation and the “present deplorable state of the kingdom,” is to allow the poor of Ireland sell their children to be consumed by the wealthy. On the surface, this outrageous proposal seems to go against all social laws and to lack any sense of morality. However, if one looks deeper within the article, Smith’s true intention becomes clear. The insanity of Smith’s article is intentional. In fact, the objective of Smith’s article is to shock us and to demonstrate the vain attempts that people will arrive at in an attempt to “fix” society.
Smith’s proposition centralizes around the
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