The Irish Problem

In Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal, he addresses the reader in a way that they will react. At the time that Swift is writing this proposal there is a severe problem in Ireland with the Irish people barely surviving due to problems paying their tenants who were British and them not helping the Irish in theis economic and social crisis.

Swift intentionally detracts from the solutions that he thinks would work the most because they had been ignored before. In paragraph 30 Swift refutes himself all the points that he had previously proposed before to help improve Ireland. In this sense it seems as if though he is trying to get back at all the people that chose not to follow his models for reform by coming up with this proposal which any person in their right mind would think is fairly ridiculous.

The style in which Swift writes the proposal is also informal enough to where regular citizens could actually understand it. Back in the time when he was writing the majority of the population was not literate so it seems as if the manner in which he writes it allows different people to be able to actually understand what he is trying to say.

The claims that he makes throughout the proposal though they seem far-fetched are pretty rational. He believes that being able to sell the children less than a year old will benefit the Irish in many ways and he gives six very rational reasons for this. He gives the example of what would be done and how it would benefit the individual on the personal level. This strengthens his argument a lot because it gives exact instances to where this proposal would benefit every single person in Ireland.

Swift is very effective throughout his essay at provoking people and making them believe that he is actually serious in his proposal to eat babies. He addresses the parts that could have been refuted as well as gives examples of how it would help people. Or who knows maybe he was serious??

Equal in everything

In “Lost in the Kitchen” Barry discusses all the reasons behind the fact that men are not allowed in the kitchen. To me it seems as though he is making a generalization that does not seem to hold true in today’s society.

He plays into stereotypical roles of men and women but I believe that those are not necessarily true. It all depends on the type of family and the values that were taught to be important to the individual. In today’s society we try to make things as equal as possible for men and women, including in the workplace. This is why we see male chefs such as Emeril and his famous “bam” on national television.

Therefore Barry’s idea of men not being allowed in the kitchen is completely mistaken. This might have shown to be true in past decades but not in today’s modern society. Or maybe Barry’s inability to be able to cook and desire to do so causes him to make an excuse about men that may be only applicable to him.