Directions: Identify the following (you may have to do some research; make sure you cite correctly, and created a works cited page below all of your answers)
Part One: Read once and answer the questions before moving on to part two.
S - what is Swift writing about?
O - why is Swift writing this?
A - who is Swift writing this for?
P - is Swift trying to give information or persuade? What does he wish to persuade the audience of?
Part Two: Read again and answer the following questions:
How does Swift use ethos, logos and pathos to convince his audience? How does he use logical fallacies for the purposes of satire? Are there fallacies in his reasoning, given the time period in which he is writing? Is his tongue-in-cheek approach too extreme? Why or why not?
(Due before class on June 25th)
Reply to classmate: Ask a question about Part Two in order to get more information about where your classmate is coming from in his/her argument. Pick a classmate who has no replies under his/her response.
(Due by Friday, 5pm, June 27th)
Reply back for extra credit (5 points): answer the question your classmate asked.
(Due by Sunday, 5pm, June 29th)
Posting my blog early this week because there was a malfunction on my PC last week and wasn't able to post,thankfully its fixed.
ReplyDelete(Part 1)
S- Poverty, over population, and unemployment.
O- Turning the problem into its own solution.
A-Country of Ireland, the poor, and wealthy people.
P- Swift is trying to persuade by trying to solve Ireland’s over populated, poverty, starving country by selling and eating children, will have positive effects, where husbands will treat their wives with more respect. He argues if implemented this will solve Ireland’s complex social, political, and economic problems then anything that has already been proposed.
(Part 2)
I. “I believe no gentlemen would repine to give ten shillings for the carcass of a good fat child, which as I have said will make four dishes of excellent nutritive meat” ( Paragraph 14)
II. Poverty and childhood starvation with the wrong of developing a childhood that accommodates a market similar to the pork bellies.
III. The whole idea of this reading is extreme- NO I don’t think the tongue in cheek approach is extreme because his plan has advantages like he says it will lessen the number of “Papists”. Also it will give poor Irish people valuable property in their children. All the money they will save by not having to raise children and lastly husbands will value their pregnant wives and parents will value their children.
On Part 2 question III you stated that his approach was not too extreme and that his solutions will help the Irish people. Are you taking his provided solutions literally or are you reffering to the fact that when people think of selling and eating children they will be repulsed and value their children more since they realize how inhumane that is?
DeleteI'm referring to the people realizing how inhumane this proposal Is and begin to value there children and women more in hopes they find a much better proposal on bettering there country's poverty situation.
DeleteSwift is writing about poverty and overpopulation in Ireland and how to fix it
ReplyDeleteHe is writing about a solution to the poverty and population problem
He is writing this for the legislative body in Ireland
Swift is both trying to persuade and inform. He is informing his audience of a real concern and trying to persuade his audience of a solution to the problem, I.e. the selling and growing of human baby flesh.
On a personal note this was the most disgusting thing I’ve ever read.
How do you think Swift uses logical fallacies?
DeleteCan you be more specific as to what kind of ethos, pathos, and logos you saw? Also I am not sure how he was trying to persuade anyone. I read it as trying to mock people who scored the impoverished and call attention to a social issue, Most of the 'persuading' he did was in the form of logical fallacy for satirical black comedic effect.
DeletePart 1
ReplyDeleteS: Swift is writing about the issues that are occuring in Ireland that relate to overpopulation, starvation and poverty.
O: Swift is writing this in order to sort of provide an answer to these questions in a way that is full of logical fallacies, yet provokes thought to why no one is doing anything about the issues Ireland is facing.
A: Swift is writing this both for the people of Ireland and in order to try to get some attention to their issues so that the wealthy rulers can helo solve the problems.
P: Swift is both informing everyone of the issues in Ireland and persuading the people who can make a change to act on it by revealing how ridiculous the issues are and that someone needs to step up and help.
Part 2:
Swift uses ethos by being a very well known author that is both respected and trusted by a wide audience. He uses pathos by talking about eating children and such because instinctively humans know that harming a child is repulsive and it gets an automatic emotional reaction form the audeince, and he uses logos by blatantly pointing out the flaws and coming up with ridiculous solutions to show how Ireland actually does neet helo and the current system is a disaster. Swift uses logical fallacies in order ot create a satire by using a myriad of exaggerations and sarcasm in order to both reveal how the issues in Ireland are in need of attention and make fun of teh system that is currently not working. Yes there are fallacies in his reasoning because he overdramatizes everything and even relates back to the consumption and sale of babies. I do not think his appraoch is too extreme due to the extreme circumstances that the Irish were facing those days and someone needed to write something very extreme in order to draw attention and fix the predicament.
A lot of people tend to read his proposal and they don't realize that it is satire, do you think if he had been a little less extreme more people would see the irony more easily and understand his actual purpose? Why do you think his extreme approach was a positive aspect to his purpose other than that it attracted attention to the problems Ireland was facing?
DeleteDrew,
DeleteEven though Swift was able to grasp and keep the attention of his audience I still found the way he went about this piece of literature was disturbing but to the point. I did however like how he was able to provide a picture of what Ireland was going through at that time. Well, written essay with you hitting the nail right on the head.
Part One
ReplyDeleteS) Swift is writing about what he thinks would be an effective approach to solving his country’s problem regarding the growing population of poverty level mothers and their children.
O) Swift is writing this piece in hopes of persuading his fellow citizens to see and support what he considers a logical solution to the above problem.
A) This piece was primarily written to appeal to the people of Ireland, especially the wealthy and mid-class, but he also tries to appeal to the beggar/poverty level mothers that can’t support their children by highlighting the idea that they would essentially be provided for if they joined his cause.
P) Swift is trying to use information (not all backed by evidence) and his ideas to persuade his audience that his cause is for the better of the country. He is trying to persuade the people to adopt the notion that if the wealthy class provided for these poor mothers in exchange for their children being eaten or sold on the market to be eaten, Ireland’s growing problem with overpopulation and poverty would be solved, as well as producing many other benefits for their economy, culture, etc.
Part Two
Ethos- Swift is a citizen of Ireland, so he has experienced the effects of the overpopulation, poverty, etc. and is an established writer. He also credits part of his idea to his friend in London, stating that he was “A very worthy person, a true lover of his country, and whose virtues I highly esteem…” (3-4).
Logos- He uses factual information about Ireland at that time and some statistics. He also uses logic in his solution to Ireland’s poverty problem- There are too many poor and starving women and children in Ireland, so by supporting the women in exchange for eating the children, there will be no more of either and there will be more than enough food to feed the nation.
Pathos- The description of the conditions that Ireland was enduring, particularly the starving children begging for food (1-2), draws sympathy from the readers. He also touches on a few subjects that people of that time were likely up in arms about, such as “Papists”, the cost of living, food shortage, and spousal abuse (4-5), to gain support for his cause.
A notable fallacy that I picked up on was inappropriate appeals (he appeals to the reader’s fear or pity- see pathos). This piece of work really threw me for a loop. At first, I had more of a jaw-dropping response to it, and couldn’t tell if Swift was being serious. After looking up what “satire” means to literature, I believe that he was using this extreme approach not to truly convince people to eat the children, but to draw attention to the very serious and growing issue that his country was facing at that time. The effect that he is trying to instill upon his audience, which was my initial reaction, is to appall them, so that they might realize how grave circumstances are and take an alternative, pro-active course of action to change them. I don’t think his approach was too extreme. Sometimes people need a slap in the face to wake up and make changes. I found this piece amusing.
Works Cited
"Satire - Definition and Examples | Literary Devices." Literary Devices. Web. 24 June 2014. .
Swift, Dr. Jonathan. "A Modest Proposal." The Project Gutenberg EBook, 27 July 2008. 1-6. Web. 23 June 2014.
Hi Loni,
DeleteOn part 2 in ethos, how did you concluded his friend is an ethos? I think his friend is a fallacy of false authority because Swift did not stated his name, so we can't look up his friend information. And in this satire essay, his friend might be pathos because Swift had someone to agree with him.
Hey Jeffrey,
DeleteI appreciate your reply and somewhat agree with it. I think it was an attempt to use ethos, as it would show his audience that someone of a higher standing that valued his country supported his proposal and make him more trustworthy. I didn't find it appealing to anger, sadness, fear, etc. so I'm not sure I'd say it was pathos. However, because it was a pretty vague reference, and there is no proof of such an individual or their standing in society, it would probably more easily under a logical fallacy.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI. S- Swift is writing about the way the aristocracy views the poor and underprivileged during a time of hardship in Ireland, and the way the wealthy belittles the poor by calling them useless or a burden instead of seeking to help them or acknowledging that as human beings they have the potential to become educated, work, and improve the country as a whole.
ReplyDeleteO- Swift is writing this to call attention to the heartlessness of the upperclass and the government while the rest of the country is suffering, and to reflect their view of the poor as useless, in a way that shows how horrible their opinion of those suffering truly is.
A- Swift is writing this for the upperclass and the British government (Shmoop Editorial Team).
P- He is trying to persuade the audience of seeing the underprivileged as something other than beggars and worthless burdens. He's trying to convince the audience that helping the people who are suffering and in need is the right thing to do.
II. I think Swift primarily uses Pathos and logical fallacies to convey his point. He uses false authority when referring to his "American acquaintance" who says one year old babies taste good and are good for you, which I also think is a false attempt by Swift to establish ethos and logos (Swift 3). The pathos he uses is purposely trying to play on the audience's emotions by proposing cannibalism and upsetting them. Another part of the ethos he uses is his language in the essay which helps the audience to think that he is serious about his idea. I think he uses sweeping generalizations when describing the poor who are suffering and he also uses argument ad populum based off of the views the wealthy have of the poor. By combining the logical fallacies and his appeal to pathos I think he wrote a very convincing satirical piece that comes off as so serious people generally don't realize right away that he was not seriously promoting cannibalism to fix the country's problems with famine and it's economic state. When I began reading through it the first time I was a little offended until I realized he was using satire, finishing the reading and rereading after this realization hit me I understood what his point was. I think his writing may have been to extreme, only because it sounded so serious and his irony is hard to pick up on if you don't understand that he's doing it on purpose.
Shmoop Editorial Team. "A Modest Proposal." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 24 Jun. 2014.
Swift, Dr. Jonathan. "A Modest Proposal." The Project Gutenberg EBook, 27 July 2008. 1-6. Web. 23 June 2014.
Rachel,
DeleteIt was very interesting to see how Swift could bring the attention of his audience to the poor and unfortunate. He was able to present a valid point and show the how the country he lived in was falling apart and treating those not of wealth by listing them as useless. Well, worded response, good job.
S: Lack of cattle and use of humans as cattle.
ReplyDeleteO: Making a problem the ideal solution for two problems.
A: Higher seated authority, maybe a judge, bishop, or king.
P: He is giving idea’s or his ideas to population control and solving a starvation problem in the “Kingdom”
His tone sets the mood by being rather hatful towards a group of people; poverty stricken low life’s that cannot feed or even work. By suggesting that children who grow up beggars become thief’s and he offers a way to counteract that problem by saying that life expectancy for children growing up from beggar’s had a very low life expectancy. However his method to buy off children from parents looks good on paper is unethical, no parent no matter their standing would never sell a child dead or alive to be used in who knows what way. The idea of eating another human might seem to be a good idea to solve hunger issues its not natural, just knowing that you are eating another person that you might know or someone close to you does is not appealing It is appalling.
I am not sure you realize that this whole paper is satirical. What logical fallicies do you think he used in order to make his satire more intense?
DeleteS- Jonathan Swift is writing on his country’s problem with poverty and unemployment.
ReplyDeleteO- Swift is speaking to the people of Ireland about the women beggars in his country and their children and implementing a way the people can help get rid of this problem.
A- The audience Swift is writing to are the people of Ireland.
P- The purpose of Swifts essay is to inform Ireland on the things he see that are going on around him and by writing something that will get the people of Ireland attention, so that he can persuade them to help solve their countries problem.
Ethos- Jonathan Swift uses ethos by being a known writer of his time.
Pathos- The pathos Swift use is getting his audience emotionally involved, when he is considering the people eat their children to reduce the poverty rate in Ireland.
Logos- The evidence he provides is of his own experience seeing the people of Ireland begging, and not being able to provide for themselves and their children.
Logical Fallacies- Swift does use logical fallacies in his essay and he added satire by suggesting the people of Ireland should start eating their babies and selling them to be eaten and how that suggestion will help solve their countries problem of poverty.
Tongue-in-cheek method- I do not believe Swifts’ method was too extreme. He had to find a way to get his countries attention about the problems that are existing around them.
Your occasion and audience seem to have the same description, but I don't think you are being too inaccurate. I wonder if being more specific as to what people or social classes Swift is addressing. I also thought that the pathos he used would be targeted less of the eating of the children to reduce poverty, and more toward the justifications for doing so, for instance how the lives of children and mothers would be improved.
DeleteJesse,
DeleteIt seems that we all interpret Swifts text differently. I can see where you are coming from with your interpretation of the text. I believe Swift just wants to get in his readers mind when they are reading his text.
Hey Dana!, so I was just wondering what you thought of the story?, and what do you think was one the Meany logical fallacies in this story was?
DeletePart I: S- Swift begins to talk about poverty in Ireland and the surrounding Kingdom, but then as you read further into his piece he continues talking about what he sees as a solution to this problem. The raising, selling, preparing of children being used for food.
ReplyDeleteO- Swift has came up with what he thinks is a solution for the amount of homeless, poor, useless mouths that need to be fed but, do not contribute to the community. Making these children beneficial to the public.
A- From my standpoint I see Swift writing for the people of the mid 1700s to 1800s with in the Republic of Ireland.
P- Swift is definitely trying to persuade his audience into making a program that takes a percentage of the children born in Ireland and selling them as a delicacy on the markets within the community.
Part II: Throughout his writing Swift was able to express what life is like in the mid 1700s and provides details that he will be elaborating on during his writing. Swift includes Ethos by discussing his concerns for a solution to the country’s poverty problem of that time. Swift continues with a illustration of the beggars and their children and the struggles they endure. Swift was able to incorporate Logos for his essay by writing such entries pieces as “always advising the mother to let them suck plentifully in the last month, so as to render them plump, and fat for a good table” and “Infants flesh will be in season throughout the year”(Swift: page 3). On page 4 of his entry, Swift makes the statement “I am not in the least pain upon that matter, because it is very well known, that they are every day dying, and rotting, by cold and famine, and filth, and vermin, as fast as can be reasonably expected” in which Swift is referring to the thought of selling children at markets as a delegacy (Swift: page 4).
Considering how Swift tries throughout the entire entry to have his audience connect with his idea Swift, uses the technique of Begging the Question. Swift remains focused on express his concerns for a solution to the poverty issue in Ireland which goes on to give me the impression that he was using the Begging the Question approach to his argument. There are of course fallacies within Swifts writing. I say this because Ireland wasn’t the only country at the given time to be over populated and struck with poverty yet, this is the first I have ever heard of any person from that time wanting to sell children as food. The simple idea of this to me is very sickening to think about. I thought that Swift’s statements were ridiculous because of his sarcastic approach to the complete idea of eating children to begin with. I honestly bought into what he was saying and believed his standing on the overpopulation and how to solve this problem.
I am not sure I understand your example of Swift's use of ethos and logos. The second example of logos I agree with as being accurate, but the first quote seems out of place as an example of logic. Also, is Swift's concern for the level of poverty a reason to find his information credible? Although, to be fair I don't think he was trying to be too believable since it is a work of satire.
DeleteJesse,
DeleteI actually wasn't engaged enough with the reading to notice that it was satire until the about 3/4 of the way through the piece.
S- Swift is writing about necessity for a solution for the poor, copious beggars that populate Ireland, and suggests the he has come up with a flawless solution. By eating these poor, overpopulating beggars, we not only feed hungry people, but eradicate a class of people bringing down the country of Ireland as a whole.
ReplyDeleteO- Swift is writing about this in an attempt to save a country he cares a lot about, and make Ireland a more prosperous rich country, and the envy of others. He is attempting to persuade his nation to practice his beliefs.
A- Swift’s writing was intended for those in power in Ireland. People who had the potential to change the country’s customs and the way it operates.
P- Swift is trying to persuade his intended audience to use his solution “for the prevention of poor people in Ireland” instead of another’s solution.
Swift uses logical thinking to simplify his solution into a bare-bones form, which on its own is a fallacy. He takes a concept as gruesome as cannibalism and simplifies it to “just getting rid of the poor and helping Ireland”. He also neglects all morality and assesses his solution on a purely logical basis. Swift’s credibility stems from him being a citizen of Ireland, and having a friend who lives in London, who he describes has “a very worthy person” (3). Swift calls attention to starving suffering children and mothers, forced to beg because when the children do get a job, they don’t have the energy to maintain it (4). I believe Swift used fallacies mainly to justify his proposal, and overlook it’s immorality. Swift’s approach to solving Ireland’s problem is absolutely too extreme. It is immoral and unjust. Had someone written this in the 21st century with genuine intent, they would have gotten death threats.
Works Cited
Swift, Dr. Jonathan. "A Modest Proposal." The Project Gutenberg EBook, 27 July 2008. 1-6. Web. 23 June 2014.
alex, Why do you think that simplifying something to bare bones logic is it's own fallacy? Generalization when done correctly can be very logical, the problem is when a broad statement of all this or all that is made, to disprove the statement all a person needs is to find one example where the statement is not true to prove the whole statement untrue. Also, why is morality a part of logic?
Deleteto make you feel a bit better about this writing I would like to draw your attention to page 5 last paragraph 3rd sentence on. Ill paraphrase because it's too long for quotes. Swift says that he wants the reader to know that this remedy can't ever be used on this earth. He wants nobody to ever talk to him of other quick fixes like more taxes on the poor or charging the poor for their children unless they are willing to do the logical thing and just eat those children. Basically at the very end he tells the reader to either do this or shut it. because it's the fault of the upper class that the poor are so poor so change the tax rates and landowner abuse, ooooor eat your children....
S) Swift is writing about the problems of overpopulation coupled with a food shortage and a crippled economy; he also details a possible solution for the problem similar to the plot of the movie “Soylent Green.”
ReplyDeleteO)Swift is writing this because of the serious food shortages that were taking place in Ireland around the time he lived. The Irish Potato Famine took place in the sixteenth century, the same period that Swift was alive and wrote this piece, as it is dated 1729 (1).
A) Swift is writing this for anyone literate and Irish, and for the time period that is probably limited to landowners and the “middle class.” In an attempt to make them laugh and still bring attention to the plight of the country, he offers a satirical work full of cutting remarks. Even making political comments, like how eating the poor young would reduce the number “Papists, with whom we are yearly overrun (4).”
P) The tone of his satire tells me that Swift is trying to wake up the people of Ireland to the plight of the poor. Those in poverty tend to be viewed as disposable and useless. Throughout all history the impoverished are treated as a lesser class, and Swift is telling people if the poor are so useless, let us make them useful! Just eat them! Women can make a living as livestock rather than begging (3).
Swift appeals to our emotions early on, speaking of the “helplessness” of the poor and the “deplorable” state his country. Before he even starts in on the details of his plan he talks about how to “provide” for the children, and how he can even help prevent the act of “women murdering their poor bastard children (2).” Logos is demonstrated throughout Swift’s ‘proposal,’ in particular where he talks about the money that people would save from not having to pay for a child’s rearing, using the logic of mathematics to appeal to people with profit margins (2). Since this is a piece of satire, Swift does not need much ethos. He relies on the current events of the time such as the attitudes of Spain’s “Pretender” and the general reputation he had as an author (1). There are many logical fallacies as well, such as the false authority of the “very knowing American” who tells him how good a one year old baby tastes (3), or the ad populum he applies to his sixth supporting point by claiming this plan would improve the state of family and marriage (5).
Works Cited
Swift, Dr. Jonathan. "A Modest Proposal." The Project Gutenberg EBook, 27 July 2008. 1-6. Web. 23 June 2014.
Part I
ReplyDelete1. Swift is writing about a satirical proposal of eating children to show wealthy and upper-class men not to treat poor people inhumanely.
2. At the time of the writing, England treated lower-class poorly, almost inhumanely.
3. The target audiences were people who governed Ireland or people who had influenced on the decisions. The general audiences were whoever cares about treatment of poor people.
4. Swift is giving information and persuasion. His satirical approach showed how people were treated, almost to an extreme point of eating children.
Part II
Swift used ethos because he’s a doctor. In the beginning of the essay, Swift stated a solution to fix the children of poor people. At the end of the essay, Swift was open-minded on other solutions to the problem. It is shocking when Swift described his solution to fix the children of poor people (pathos). Selling a children as a commodity seemed illogical. The logos is the same as ethos in the beginning of the essay; to fix the children of poor people. Almost to the end of the essay, Swift stated six reasons why his solution might help the parents and the kingdom. His conclusion was to fix the problem and not offend England. Swift first logical fallacy was erroneous appeal to authority. Swift gave an illogical solution to the problem at hand. Readers might questions his motive when reading this essay. His next logical fallacy was bandwagon. Swift conveyed other people are doing it like his American friend and the famous Salmanaazor. His third logical fallacy was either/or fallacy when he stated he can’t think of any objection to his proposal. Bandwagon fallacy is true back then as it is true presently. It is extreme wording, but I think it was not too extreme because it caught the attention of the attend audience.
Work cited
“A Modest Proposal.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc, 21 June 2014. Web. 24 June 2014.
Swift, Dr. Jonathan. "A Modest Proposal: For Preventing the Children of Poor People in Ireland, from Being a Burden on Their Parents or Country, and for Making Them Beneficial to the Publick." The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Modest Proposal. 6 Feb. 2013. Web. 24 June 2014.
could you give example of the reasons his idea would help. and how was it illogical the ideas were around at the time.
DeleteHI Corwin,
DeleteYes, in the time of the writing, there were famine and poverty in Ireland, so Swift's proposal of eating children will reduced poverty level in Ireland. Therefore, reduce the amount of food needed to give to a child. From the past to the present in a modern civilization, it seems illogical to eat your children or sell your children to be eaten because of famine.
Part one:
ReplyDeleteS Swift is writing about the horrible treatments of tenants and especially the poor by their landlords and those of higher class.
O He is writing this because he is tired of seeing the mistreatment of the poor and hearing those landlords or upper classes complain about the impoverished state of their tenants without offering any suitable solution.
A Swift is writing this for those of higher class and landlords.
P This is a persuasion piece. The basic argument begins as logical argument for the poor or beggarly infants to be used as food. This is a shock value argument used to horrify those who read it. Only at the end does he finally state that this is not a real argument, but as a lesson to those who have the nerve to oppress the poor then turn around and complain about them. If they want to complain then accept his horrifying argument for babies becoming food. If they cant do that then be quiet and come up with a better idea.
Part two:
Ethos: Swift’s ethos in this argument comes largely from the relatively high level of his writing and arguments. At no time does he state or imply that the argument should be believed simply because he is Jonathan Swift. He does at the end state that he has nothing to gain from implementing his idea, he has no children nor can his wife bear children. This is intended to convince the audience that he is unbiased and thus his argument is also unbiased.
Logos: While the majority of this piece is an elaborate argument for the use of infants for food, this is not Swift’s actual argument. The actual argument is not stated until the final paragraph of page 5. This argument’s logic is relatively simple. If you want to impoverish your tenants and still complain about how poor they are then go ahead and begin using their children as food. You already use up all of their parents and it would be better for everyone if their children were also used up entirely. If this is not something you can or are willing to do then either don’t complain or come up with better, like not impoverishing your tenants in the first place.
Pathos: The logic of this argument would not be useful unless there is heavy pathos. Swift uses babies being eaten to evoke the most basic and strongest of emotional responses to prove his point. He relies on the idea that his reader will not just agree to use babies as food, but will have such a strong and horrified reaction to this concept that when he suggests that the reader either stop complaining or come up with a better plan that they will jump at the idea. He is counting on the reader being willing to do almost anything to avoid the emotion tied into eating our babies.
He uses logical fallacies in his argument to eat babies in order to prove generalizations that are grotesque and extreme. For instance at one point he says that eating babies will help marriage due to increased income from selling your babies. As well that a well stuffed and presented baby would make a fine and entertaining centerpiece for a banquet. The conclusion is absolutely wrong and yet the initial data/facts are true therefore the logic must be fallible.
The fallacies in his reasoning are valid at nearly any time period including the one he wrote in.
I do not think his approach is too extreme due to how strong the opposition to his main argument would be. Around 1729 there was a huge and well-emplaced ruling class as well as very rich landlords. The general accepted class structure was to use the poor completely in order to maximize the upper gains of the upper class. So this system was well in place and he wanted to strike against it. Had he used a more forward or less extreme method he would have had a huge backlash from the classes he was criticizing.
Works cited
Swift, Dr. Jonathan. "A Modest Proposal: For Preventing the Children of Poor People in Ireland, from Being a Burden on Their Parents or Country, and for Making Them Beneficial to the Publick." The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Modest Proposal. 6 Feb. 2013. Web. 24 June 2014.
(I've already commented on others, however you don't have a comment down here yet, so I'll throw one at you.) Do you think there are any other forms of ethos used? How do you think the fallacies he uses creates satire?
Deletegood question, I really don't see any other forms of ethos within the writing. I would think that some ethos in his intended audience would come from them knowing who he is. Other than that, I can't think of any others. I really think that his fallacies within the proof for eating children are only for extending the argument to its farthest possible extent. The satire in my opinion comes solely from the statement only implied until the end. That nobody in their right mind would ever do this. It is called something along the lines of proof by opposition or some such. Where instead of proving your main point you instead prove how ridiculous the opposition is. Logical fallacy, if a then b not b therefore a. a implies b not the other way. i.e. if crayons are orange, this is not orange therefore this is not a crayon.
DeletePart 1
ReplyDeleteS- Swift is writing about overpopulation, especially with the lower class in Ireland, and how to deal with it.
O-Swift is writing this to present a non-solution. He cares about his country, but this text is ripe with satire. It is showing in a humorous way the extent the upper-class will go to solve the poverty problem.
A- Swift’s audience is all the classes of Ireland. He shows that he cares in a comedic way.
P- Swift’s purpose is to inform and persuade. The text was written to inform the upper-class of the plight of the lower class. Also, it was written to persuade the lower class to join his cause.
Part 2
Swift has ethos. The fact that he is a well-known writer who has been read by many people gives him ethos. Swift uses logos by giving numbers and statistics about how much a baby weighs and how many people it will feed. Also, he talks about how much money the family can expect from selling the baby. This paper is predominantly pathos. The majority of the text, at least until the end is written to shock the reader. He talks about eating babies! Swift uses logical fallacies such as “I can think of no one objection, that will possibly be raised against this proposal” (5). There are many fallacies in his reasoning, which is the whole point of the text. He was not being serious when he said they should eat the babies. Because of the serious predicament they were facing in Ireland of overpopulation I think this text is just what was needed to stir the general populace to take action and find a good solution.
What logical fallacy would the quote that you used fall under? And what is the source you're quoting from? (you forgot your works cited)
Delete