The Modest Proposal by Janathan Swift and Top of the food chain by T. Coraghessan Boyle are short stories written to make the reader realize how humans do absurd things which as a result have unexpected consequences. The following paragraphs will discuss how irony is used in both stories. In the Modest proposal, the author speaks of a "modest proposal," to end the cruelty to the Irish from the English. The story is ironic because …showed first 75 words of 522 total…

…showed last 75 words of 522 total…the details are gruesome, and that is how he gets his point across. Top of the Food Chain has strange ideas but makes a statement because it has a moral. By the end, Boyle makes the reader realize how pointless the actions of the Borneans were. Both Swift and Boyle use irony in their stories to prove their point. Swift exaggerates scenarios while Boyle develops a moral. Their styles are very different yet extremely effective.