A writer's attitude toward a subject or the reader is called tone. How would you describe Swift's tone in "A Modest Proposal"?

This is certainly one of the excellent aspects of this
essay. It is important to think about how the tone that Swift creates fits into his
satire as a whole. Swift very cleverly creates a tone that increases the impact of his
barbaric and shocking "modest proposal," which heightens the satire and irony of the
piece. Note how, before proposing his solution to the Irish famine, the speaker makes
every effort to present himself as a caring, sensitive and earnest individual who
sincerely wishes to find a solution to this problem. The repeated reference to
statistics likewise shows how credible the speaker is, as he has obviously done his
research well. Thus the suggestion of rearing Irish babies as a food source is all the
more shocking.

However, what is essential to realise about
this excellent essay, is the way in which there are two separate tones that are
operating side by side. Although the "surface" tone is reasonable and earnest, the
deeper tone is one of bitterness and sarcasm. The sheer preposterous nature of the
"modest proposal" is evidence of this deeper tone. Swift is very angry about the British
government's inability to do anything about the famine, and this anger and resentment
seethes beneath the respectable surface of this essay.