His very different tones in "A Modest Proposal" help the reader realize that the idea of ​​the essay is absurd. Swift's tone at the beginning of the essay is very sympathetic towards the Irish people, but his sympathy quickly vanishes when he suggests his idea. Swift changes the tone of the essay so drastically that it shocks readers by making "A Modest Proposal" very ironic compared to its name. In "A Modest Proposal," Swift doesn't blame everything on the Irish people. In fact, he says that the blame for the horrendous situation the country found itself in lay entirely with the people, the politicians and the English. One annoyance that Swift states is that the poor children, if they survived the years of infancy, would "leave their dear native country to fight for the pretender in Spain" or "sell themselves in Barbados", as indentured servants (Swift). He suggests that the lack of nationalism and pride in their country has led citizens to leave instead of trying to solve the problem leading to the country's ruin.