How does the writing of A Modest Proposal support title?

Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal has a title that seems quite disconnected from the actual text of the essay. After all, the essay suggests a horrifying solution to the problem of poverty in Ireland—that the Irish poor should sell their children as food for the wealthy. This proposal is anything but modest. However, the title is actually quite ironic and serves to create a sense of tension between the narrator's tone and the horrifying nature of his proposal.

The word “modest” typically refers to something humble, unassuming, or even shy. In the title of Swift’s essay, however, it is used to describe the most audacious and outrageous suggestion imaginable. This irony immediately creates a sense of cognitive dissonance in the reader, who is forced to confront the contrast between the narrator’s seemingly earnest tone and the sheer horror of his proposal.

The use of the word “proposal” is also significant. This term typically suggests a well-thought-out plan or solution, but in this case, it is used to describe what is clearly an absurd and impractical idea. This further amplifies the ironic tone of the title, as it implies that the narrator is seriously proposing something that is utterly ridiculous.

The combination of the words “modest” and “proposal” in the title creates a jarring and unsettling effect that prepares the reader for the unsettling content of the essay itself. Swift’s use of irony in the title is a powerful rhetorical device that helps to draw the reader into the essay and confronts with the uncomfortable truths about poverty and society that the essay explores.