Hyperbole A Modest Proposal
By misinterpreting and attacking the nuanced areas of the opposition’s argument, one is able to elevate his own argument while degrading that of the opposition’s. Even when an argument is sound and logical, if it contains a single unclear phrase open to interpretation that is followed by critical mockery, it appears inconsequential and foolish to an audience. Such is the case in an exchange between Richard Seaver, the Executive Vice President of the Grove Press publishing company, and Ira Herbert, an executive of Coca-Cola, regarding their common use of the marketing slogan, “it’s the real thing”. Herbert’s argument is innately logical but poorly supported and executed.
Chapter one, entitled "The College Essay Is an Argument", in "The Humble Argument" by Roy K. Humble states: that a proper college essay should be a cohesive, easy to understand dialog of contrasting views, that begins with a simple yet important question, and collection of evidence; then ends with a well thought out answer based on said evidence concluding with the student writer's personal thoughts and feeling about the question, the evidence, and the answer. Roy K. Humble concludes that if a student writer takes these necessary steps as part of their writing process they will most assuredly have written a complete argument, a true College
Christopher Morley wrote this essay in a very joking manner. He did not intend his essay to be taken seriously nor does he really believe any of the things that he says in it. Throughout the essay, we find little clues that hint towards a more sarcastic idea behind what he is saying. By using irony and sarcastic ideas throughout the essay, Morley conveyed his message through the usage of satire.
An example of irony in the essay is when Eighner mentions the students who throw out all their food at the end of a semester. Despite being educated, the students do not know if their food “has spoiled or will spoil before they return” (Eighner 111) and foolishly discard all of it. On the other hand, Eighner, who is homeless man and may be presumed to be uneducated, knows that items such as “nonorganic peanut butter does not require refrigeration and is unlikely to spoil in any reasonable time” (Eighner 111). While one may assume that the college student would have more knowledge about perishable and nonperishable food, the college student proves to be less informed than the homeless man. Another example of irony is when Eighner mentions the students who “throw out canned goods and staples at the end of semesters when they give up college at midterm” (Eighner 111).
The Impact of Humor As Leo Rosten, an American humorist and author states, “Humor is the affectionate communication of insight” Humor is an intelligent way to enforce an argument to your audience. With the employment of humor, the authors are able to persuade their readers into understanding, and sometimes agreeing with their opinions. Humor allows authors to have the insight about their topic thus, giving the author credibility and zealousness. In Laura Fraser's essay, “Why I Stopped Being a Vegetarian”, she employs the element of humor to strengthen her essay in a myriad of ways.
First, Jimmy Carter begins his article with a personal story describing when he was out in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He uses great hyperboles and imagery to help his readers imagine that they are there with him. His imagery draws the readers in and gets them attached to the article and maybe even the wildlife. One example of his hyperbole is when Carter says sheep cling to cliffs. His hyperboles exaggerate the ways of nature and create a sense of emphasis on his article.
Expository Essay Irony can clearly be stated as the use of words that mean the opposite of what we think it means. An example of a story that uses irony is The Cask of Amontillado. Which is about a man named Montresor who believes this other man named Fortunato insulted him. Montresor’s family motto is “no one insults me with impunity”, he feels justified in taking revenge on Fortunato.
1729, a Papist infected Ireland was being devoured by the taxes that the British placed on them. The taxes were turning into what once was a glorious place into ruins. Jonathan Swift, an Englishman and Irish sympathizer, realized that someone had to do something to wake up the British. This lead to the creation of A Modest Proposal, a pamphlet heavy with irony and juvenalian satire, which was how Jonathan Swift planned on compelling the British to do something about the poor situation in Ireland. His use of rhetorical devices gets his point across in an effective and powerful way.
Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” is a very interesting take on how the Irish government should cure the famine that the country was then facing. However, the entire proposal was completely bizarre, and the whole point of the essay was to bring attention to the idea that they needed a solution to the all the problems they were experiencing but the proposal was definitely not it. He even had a strongly developed plan as to how his proposal would work which makes the reader feel as if he is serious about selling children, eating them, and using their skins as a fashion accessory; however, ultimately this proposal was not his true goal. Jonathan Swift skillfully used different styles of writing, such as imagery and irony, to show why the
By doing so the reader has no time to second guess the abnormality of the thought of a baby served as a fricasie or ragoust, which is quite
Ever thought about consuming a one-year-old baby with nice plump features? Most people will not consider such an immoral act; however, desperate times may force people to make difficult choices. This is the case in Dublin, Ireland in the late 1720’s. The attainment of human rights in the fullest sense cannot be achieved so long as hundreds of millions of poverty-stricken people lack the necessities of life. As a call to reform, Jonathan Swift wrote “A Modest Proposal.”
Sarcastically Angry In Cheryl Pecks essay titled “Fatso” she conveys personal stories that have caused her pain throughout her life. Peck is an angry woman that has reached out to her readers to focus their attention to the pain she has felt since she was a child, and still feels today. I like the way she gives clear narrates for readers to envision situations, while using a sarcastically bitter tone to belittle the ones she herself was belittled by. Recalling a painful experience as a child, and how all the comments that were made have initiated her to have similar views about herself as an adult. When Peck speaks of a conversation with her friend Anne about a statement made to the gentleman Anne went to the fair with.
Irony is often used in literature to illustrate certain situations to the audience. In some pieces of literature that might be pointing out an unjust system, in others that might be to add a comedic effect, but whatever situation the author wants to illustrate, irony is very beneficial. Through small and witty, one-liners, or a bigger dramatic irony situation contrasting two very different situations, irony can be very beneficial for the reader to understand the story. Both “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins have a corrupt dystopian society. Through the use of irony, the author can portray the corruptness to the audience.
An example of irony in the section about the students is the idea of what is good or bad. As its states, “Students throw out many good things, including food” (Eighner 110). Presumably, food is thrown out because it is bad and is unfavorable to the student, however; Eighner finds that the student throwing out food is a good thing because it is favorable thing to him and others. Another example of irony is the food’s value. As its states, “The students does not know that, and since it is Daddy’s money, the student decides not to take a chance” (Eighner 111).
Satire is used in literature to criticize and point out society’s flaws. The criticism is usually masked in humour. Irony is commonly used in satires to expose flaws, an effective example is John Smith’s A Modest Proposal, he effectively uses irony, to communicate his argument about the poverty in Ireland at the time. Similarly, in Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale she criticizes the society that women live in. Atwood uses allusions to the Old Testament, Cultural Revolution, Salem Witch Trials, and the Taliban to satirize the oppression of women in political, religious and social aspects.
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