What literary device is predominantly used in Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal"?

In Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal," the predominant literary device is satire. This work employs biting irony and exaggerated proposals to critique social issues, specifically the poverty and overpopulation in Ireland during Swift's time. The outrageous suggestion of using impoverished children as a food source serves not only to shock the reader but to highlight the callous attitudes of the British government and wealthy landowners toward the suffering of the Irish population.

Satire, as a literary device, often aims to provoke thought and inspire change by exposing folly, vice, or societal issues through humor, irony, or ridicule. Swift's proposal critiques the dehumanization of the poor, making readers reconsider their perspectives on poverty and economic exploitation. By cloaking serious societal issues in a ludicrous narrative, Swift ensures the reader engages critically with the underlying message about ethics and morality in social policy.