"A Modest Proposal" by Jonathon Swift

Heidi Soltis

Ms. Wilson

Brit Lit B

8 May 2013

A Modest Proposal 

            Ireland was a time of “widespread misery and poverty” (Baker 1), during the 18^th century and was continuing down this path of declination. Ireland is “helplessly bonded” (Baker 2) to England with its need for land and trade, which, in reality, only digs itself deeper into hole of economic debt. Jonathon Swift, an ordained priest and satirist (Elements of Literature 579), realizes that what people of Ireland were currently doing was not working and they had to make a social reform in order to better the state of their country.  In Swift’s, A Modest Proposal, he uses Juvenalian satire throughout, specifically through hyperbole and irony, to firmly grasp the people of Ireland’s attention and persuade them to take action in improving the economy.

            Swift uses irony to alert the people of Ireland of their current economic depression. He uses irony even before he actually begins his piece with his title. “A Modest Proposal” would be defined as an idea that appears to be “free from ostentation or showy extravagance”, limited, or moderate (dictionary.com 1). This is ironic, however, because Swift’s proposal, “For Preventing The Children of Poor People in Ireland From Being Aburden to Their Parents or Country, and For Making Them Beneficial to The Public” (Swift 1) in reality is actually very extravagant, absurd, and a big deal. Swift’s “modest proposal” is full of irony as well for he says “it will prevent those voluntary abortions, and that horrid practice of women murdering their bastard children . . .(Swift 2). This is ironic because his absurd proposal is exactly that, voluntarily murdering children by eating them.

Swift uses irony to satirically attack the way Ireland is handling their economic struggles. He says he “has no children by which I can propose to get a single penny; the youngest being nine years old, and my wife past child-bearing” (Swift 10).  This is ironic because he does not have a child that he can potentially sell and have eaten so he cannot begin to fathom what it would be like to experience it for himself which causes him to lose some empathy along with ethos from the readers. However, Swift uses his ‘economic planner’ perspective to establish an ethical appeal, through the use of logistical appeals and numbers. He emphasizes the terrible economic state Ireland is currently in, “The number of souls in this kingdom being usually reckoned one million and a half, of these I calculate there may be about two hundred thousand couples whose wives are breeders; from which number I subtract thirty thousand couples who are able to maintain their own children, although I apprehend there cannot be so many, under the present distresses of the kingdom but this being granted, there will remain an hundred and seventy thousand breeders. I again subtract fifty thousand for those women who miscarry, or whose children die by accident or disease within the year. There only remains one hundred and twenty thousand children for poor parents annually born” (Swift 3). Through Swift’s use of logical appeal, he not only provides credibility for himself, he also exhibits irony through his calculations by using understatements like “there only remains” when 120,000 is a big number and calls Ireland’s current condition under “present distresses” which is a huge understatement for the deplorable economy they currently face. It is also ironic that Swift writes from this perspective for he is an ordained priest in reality, and throughout the piece criticizes his own religion, Roman Catholicism, “. . .because the number of popish infants is at least three to one in this kingdom: and therefore it will have one other collateral advantage, by lessening the number of papists among us” (Swift 4). He is saying that it is good to lessen the number of priests, when in reality it would be bad for Ireland who is for the majority Catholic, allowing England to take over yet another aspect of Irish culture, replacing the major religion with the immigrant Protestant religion. Along with irony through religion he says “one thousand families in this city, would be constant customers for infants flesh, besides others who might have it at merry meetings, particularly at weddings and christenings . . .(Swift 8). Very ironic for the purpose of these events are to celebrate people and birth, but he is implying this is when people would buy infants to eat.

Swift bitterly criticizes England throughout the piece to emphasize the lack of effort Ireland has in trying to fix the economy. This is ironic, because he longs to be in England himself, “I fortunately fell upon this proposal, which, as it is wholly new, so it hath something solid and real, of no expense and little trouble, full in our own power, and whereby we can incur no danger in disobliging England . . .(Swift 9). This implies that Ireland is afraid to disappoint England in any way for they are completely dependent on them. Another piece of irony in Swift’s proposal is his bitter attitude towards the “normal” ways of solving economic problems such as “taxing . . .absentees”, “using neither cloaths, nor household furniture”, “utterly rejecting the materials and instruments that promote foreign luxury”, “curing the expensiveness of pride, vanity, idleness, and gaming in our women. . .” (Swift 8), yet he is perfectly okay with promoting the absurd idea of eating children.

Swift uses hyperboles to fully grab the attention of the people of Ireland for the current way they are handling their economic misery clearly isn’t working. He uses a very absurd idea of eating children, which is completely unethical and morally wrong, in hopes to finally make a social reform in Ireland’s economy. He uses exaggerated imagery such as, “a young healthy child, well nursed is at a year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled. . .”(Swift 3) to gain attention. He also criticizes England through harsh satire, “I grant this food will be somewhat dear, and therefore very proper for landlords, who, as they have already devoured most of the parents, seem to have the best title to the children” (Swift 4). This makes England seem as though they are the enemy, for they are the reason we must sell our children like meat in order to get money. The idea of eating children not only proposes an absurd idea, it also establishes an emotional appeal from the reader, “I rather recommend buying the children alive, and dressing them hot from the knife, as we do roasting pigs” (Swift 5). Swift compares innocent children to animals who are sold for their meat to make profit for their owners. This establishes empathy from the reader for the innocent children cannot defend themselves against this way of life and never get the chance to know their true purpose in life for they are sold like a piece of meat.

Readers develop an empathy towards the children throughout the piece due to the emotional appeals and hyperboles used to express the absurd idea of eating children. The innocent children of the piece directly parallel Ireland during the 18^th century. The children are sold at such a young age, they are still completely innocent and helpless, which is how Ireland is acting, completely dependent on England for economic stability. Also the children, although they do not realize it, are dependent on their neglecting parents who use them for their own personal gains, “It would increase the care and tenderness of mothers toward their children. . . provided in some sort by the public, to their annual profit instead of expense” (Swift 7). This implies both that childhood innocence is lost, for they are being raised solely to be sold and mothers only care about children so they can make the most profit from them. This is identical to how England treats Ireland, limiting their land and religion for their own personal control and gains. Jonathon Swift uses this Juvenalian satire along with hyperboles and irony to open the eyes of Ireland and take action to get them out of this helpless economic state.