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Definition of Mood
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes in the reader. Every aspect of a piece of writing... read full definition
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes in the reader. Every aspect... read full definition
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes... read full definition
Mood
Explanation and Analysis:
Swift designed the mood of "A Modest Proposal" to throw the reader off in all aspects. On the one hand, the Proposer is earnest in his proposition, seeming to genuinely believe in its efficacy. The mood this narrator seems to want to imbue in the reader is simultaneously somber and hopeful: somber, in the sense that this suffering is an awful problem that requires solving; and hopeful, in the sense that the Proposer genuinely believes child cannibalism is an apparent and groundbreaking solution. This hopeful tone emerges toward the end of the essay, as the Proposer concludes his argument:
But as to myself, having been wearied out for many years with offering vain, idle, visionary thoughts, and at length utterly despairing of success I fortunately fell upon this proposal; which, as it is wholly new, so it has something solid and real, of no expense and little trouble, full in our own power and whereby we can incur no danger in disobliging ENGLAND.
He believes that he was "fortunate" to stumble upon this proposal, framing it as the last possible hope after a long string of failed solutions. This somber yet ultimately hopeful mood conveyed by the Proposer is undermined by the very nature of his proposal, which is appallingly and unnecessarily violent. The ultimate effect this has on the reader is one of uneasiness, shock, or discomfort, which is the mood that Swift, as the author, ultimately intends to imbue in the reader.
Related Themes:
