What rhetorical strategies is Swift using in lines 200-205 ("Of being a little cautious...") of "A Modest Proposal"?

Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” is a satiric exposition that proposes the people of Ireland eat their children as a way to end the country’s mass starvation.  Since the nature of his proposal is absurd, Swift employs several rhetorical strategies to effectively communicate the importance of the subject—Swift is not actually suggesting the people eat their children, but is trying to raise awareness of the nationwide epidemic.  Specifically in lines 200-205, Swift uses the rhetorical strategy of comparison and contrast to demonstrate the superiority of his proposal.  The excerpt is taken from a paragraph that offers other solutions to Ireland’s hunger issue.  Swift states, “Therefore let no man talk to me of other expedients,” and he launches into examples of other solutions, such as raising taxes, reducing foreign imports, curing the rich of vanity, and eliminating social prejudice.  The segment ends with lines 200-205, where Swift lists the solutions of teaching landlords to have mercy towards their tenants and to imbue shopkeepers with a sense of honesty and pride.  These “other expedients” contrast Swift’s own proposal, but are adorned with an air of absurdity so that the reader perceives Swift’s proposal as sensible and the most logical action.  This juxtaposition serves to elevate the validity of Swift’s solution. 

While compare and contrast is the central rhetorical strategy, other devices can be found in this section.  Anaphora, the repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of each sentence, is found in the recurrence of “Of” at the start of each contrast.  This strategy not only emphasizes the tenets of the argument, but elicits a particular rhythm to Swift’s writing that makes the list more memorable.  In addition, lines 200-205 exhibit an example of deductive reasoning, a device used to draw a conclusion from a set of premises.  In this section, Swift draws the conclusion that any of these seemingly valid solutions will in fact backfire and cause greater problems, claiming that if shopkeepers are taught honesty, they “would immediately unite to cheat and exact upon us in the price, the measure, and the goodness.”  Swift’s deduction is that these solutions are ludicrous, and his original proposal is the only sure way to end hunger.  Finally, although it is a minor device, Swift uses alliteration in line 200: “Of being a little cautious not to sell our country and consciences for nothing.”  Similar to the function of the anaphora, the alliteration incites a rhythmic cadence to Swift’s argument, making it much more appealing for his audience. 

The rhetorical strategies employed in lines 200-205 contribute to the overall purpose of the essay because they appeal to Logos, one of the three categories of rhetorical strategies that use logic and reason to convince or persuade the targeted audience. Compare and contrast and deductive reasoning are both forms of logos.  The essay is highly ironic, and Swift’s ability to sway the people of Ireland stems from his capacity to reasonably argue the validity of eating children, and this is done by listing seemingly realistic alternatives and presenting them as illogical solutions.  In order to showcase the superiority of his proposal, Swift must eloquently address the opposing side and deductively demonstrate how “other expedients” will not work.