In Jonathan Swift's satire, "A Modest Proposal," Swift writes about the starving people of Ireland in the early 1700s. He makes a far-fetched and absurd proposal to help alleviate the problems of overpopulation and poverty. Swift wants to make a political statement by using "children" as satire to capture the attention of the public – the English people, Irish politicians and the wealthy – and raise awareness of political, moral and social issues. In “A Modest Proposal,” Swift’s arguments are presented effectively using pathos (emotional appeal), ethos (ethics and values), and logos (logical reasoning and facts). Swift begins her argument by stating her perspective on the situation and displaying her point of view. boredom. He states: “It is a melancholy object to those who walk in this great city or travel in the country to see the streets, roads and hut doors crowded with beggars of the female sex, followed by three, four or six children. , all in rags, and pestering every passenger for a handout" (Swift 1). He uses melancholy imagery to make readers sympathize with the suffering children and understand their situation. In the same way, Swift displays his disgust for the rich stating: "There is also another great advantage in my project, that it will prevent these voluntary abortions and this horrible practice whereby women murder their bastard children... which would make the most savage and inhuman beast cry." (1). He talks about abortion and shows how terrible and discouraging this practice is. Clearly, Swift is using pathos to slowly gain the reader's trust in preparation for her dreadful proposal. He knows that many will be emotionally affected by his proposal because no one would want his own middle of paper to attract public attention through "political pamphleteers who are very popular." in his time” (SparkNotes Publishers). The language and style of his argument are probably why he is still popular to this day. Using satire, Swift makes his point by ridiculing the English people, Irish politicians, and the wealthy. He begins his proposal using emotional appeal, and as he progresses, he uses ethos to demonstrate his credibility and competence. To show the logical side of the proposition, he uses facts and figures. By applying these rhetorical appeals, Swift obviously makes her argument more effective.Works CitedSparkNotes Editors. "SparkNote on a Modest Proposal". SparkNotes LLC. sd.SparkNotes.com. March 5, 2011. http://Sparknotes.com/lit/modestproposal/section5.rhtml. Swift, Jonathan. “A modest proposal.” Handout. PP. 1-5.