Analysis of the Speaker in a Modest Proposal

Jonathan Swift, in his "A modest proposal", uses the speaker as a subtle yet effective means of conveying the problem of poverty in ireland. throughout the pamphlet the speaker moves from a totally rational approach to the problem towards a very sarcastic one. Swift, through the speaker, suggests that the ideal way to end poverty in ireland is to turn children of poor families into a food source. He proposes that the children not only …

…about the less fortunate instead of always thinking about themselves. The speaker begins this pamphlet in a very rational tone and states the problem "cabin doors crowded with beggers of the female sex, followed by three, four , or six cildren, all in rags, and importuning every passenger for an alms" (Swift 2-4). This rational voice is what makes the paper believable at first; the problem is laid out before the reader in a methodical manner.