A Modest Proposal: Style 1 key example

Swift's style is influenced by the 18th-century essayists he satirizes, drawing on a long tradition of persuasive essay writing made popular by earlier writers like Milton. Swift mixes classic elements of persuasive essay style—including the use of pathos, logos, and ethos—with his characteristic sarcasm and deadpan writing style to produce effective satire.

Swift's deadpan method of writing, in particular, serves as the fundamental aspect of his criticism. He tends to present absurd, shocking ideas in academic-sounding sentences, as exemplified below:

I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food.

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