Satire in Swift's "A Modest Proposal" (Continued) — Quiz
Question 14 • English Language Arts 12
Read the excerpt from "A Modest Proposal." A very worthy person , a true lover of his country , and whose virtues I highly esteem , was lately pleased, in discoursing on this matter, to offer a refinement upon my scheme. He said, that many gentlemen of this kingdom, having of late destroyed their deer, he conceived that the want of venison might be well supply'd by the bodies of young lads and maidens. The underlined portions of the excerpt are examples of verbal irony because
Answer
A
anyone who is truly virtuous or patriotic would not suggest using children for food, so Swift means the opposite of what he says.
B
this man truly is virtuous and patriotic, so Swift is surprised by the man’s support of eating children to solve the poverty issue.
C
this man is a close friend of Swift’s, so Swift is just expressing his personal thoughts and feelings about the man’s character.
D
anyone who tries to better his country must be virtuous and patriotic, so Swift is simply explaining what is already obvious to the reader.
Explanation
Swift calls the man “worthy,” “a true lover of his country,” and virtuous while presenting his suggestion that children be eaten. That praise is verbal irony: a genuinely virtuous and patriotic person would not propose such a cruel solution, so Swift means the opposite of the compliments. Choice B identifies this contrast; the other choices treat the praise as sincere.
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