In his satirical essay "A Modest Proposal", Jonathan Swift proposes the consumption of children to draw attention to the fact that other viable solutions to solve Ireland's economic problems are being ignored. Swift suggests that a country's most pressing problems arise from the greed of the rich. He conveys this message through his careful selection of words, his use of satire, and the establishment of a philosophy. The author uses diction to suggest that the wealthiest individuals are responsible for a nation's most important problems. Swift's use of formal but derogatory language reflects his own perspective on how the rich perceive the poor. He calls his project a "project", although he has criticized "several projects of other projectors" (Swift 4). This is one of the first indications that even Swift doesn't like her idea, which is aggressively supported by the rich who stand to gain financially. Words such as "sacrifice an innocent" and "crucified" describe a brutal death, usually in exchange for something that will benefit the greater good, such as Christ or a soldier dying while saving a child in a bombed area (5 and 18 ). However, in this case, Swift explains that the rich will insensibly allow the poor to suffer unspeakable deaths to make enough profit to offset the "high cost of [their] idleness (28)." His use of demeaning language through words like “savage” and “race only” highlights the condescending way in which the upper class views the masses (10). These words describe them as nothing more than uncivilized animals destined to be sold in the market, which through his proposal would become a reality...... middle of paper ...... Swift quotes "a Very knowledgeable American.” of his acquaintance in London” who “assured” Swift that a young child is “nourishing and wholesome,” thus lending further support to his proposition (9). Swift also refers to the "famous Psalmansar, native of the island of Famosa", as well as the "chief gentleman of the land of Cavan" in his essay (18 and 6). Swift's use of ethos assures the reader that there are people other than him who agree with his ideas. Ethos helps give readers a sense of security, a “Hey, if he likes it, it must be good” mentality. However, when examined closely, one will notice that all of these people cited by Swift are likely wealthy, upper-class people. The essay contains no lower-class philosophy. So, in effect, Swift's use of ethos also slyly casts blame and reproach on the greed of the rich while increasing the validity of his argument. Swift's use of diction, satire, and ethos asserts that the gluttony of the rich poses significant problems for a nation..