"A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift

“A Modest Proposal” is Jonathan Swift’s well-thought out satire that sheds light on the economic struggles and religious wars of the 18^th century. The article specifically references the connection between the cruel English landlords and the complacent poor Irish. The English are brutal tyrants who strip the Irish of their possessions and then hold their poverty against them. The Irish are depicted as ignorant and easily controlled, gathering in public to beg for money accompanied by their numerous children. Clearly tired of the scenes unfolding around him Swift takes a stand and offers a shocking proposal to the problem. His solution is for the poor Irish beggars to begin offering up their children to be sold to the rich as food. At first I was alarmed, Swift is so subtle in his approach that it is not apparent whether he is serious or merely joking.  

After reading, and perhaps rereading this article you begin to understand that Swift, although, not serious wants this article to serve as a wakeup call to the public. Swift wants the many Irish mendicants to rise up out of their circumstances and stop being so submissive to the English. Likewise, Swift would have the English forego their snobbery and stop punishing the Irish for their lowly state that was imposed on them by the English in the first place.

Although at its core Swift’s proposal is severely flawed, if you look at the idea at its most basic form it begins to make a lot of sense. Children present a huge economic dependency without the ability to give back or contribute to the family in any way. Through selling your children, “instead of being a charge upon their parents, or the parish, or wanting food and raiment for the rest of their lives, they shall, on the contrary, contribute to the feeding, and partly to the cloathing of many thousands.” (A Modest Proposal pg. 2) Additionally, without children to attend to mothers could gain jobs and bring in much need income. Marriage would increase and domestic abuse would diminish as husbands would be afraid to strike their wives for fear of miscarriage and loss of potential income. Travel would increase due to the demand for babies cooked just right. Lastly, woman would become better mothers now that their children represent significant income.

Overall, I am surprised to say that I enjoyed this assignment. Peeling back the layers of this article to undercover Jonathan Swift’s sarcastic, dark sense of humor was very enlightening. I believe that this article served to point out a political wrong as well as add humor to a very troubling time in history. I am looking forward to more assignments that open my eyes to the multifaceted world of literature. Here is a link that provides information both about Jonathan Swift and  “The Glorious Revolution” 18^th century.

WORKS CITED:

1)      Baker, Lyman. "Conditions in Early Eighteenth-Century Ireland." www.ksu.edu. Kennesaw State University, 1999. Web. 4 Feb 2012. <http://www-personal.ksu.edu/~lyman

2)      Vallance, Edward. "The Glorious Revolution." BBC. N.p., 2011. Web. 5 Feb 2012. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/civil_war_revolution/glorious_revolution_01.shtml>.

3)      Gillett, Ashley. A Newborn. August 2, 2010. Photograph. Flicker.com. Web. 4 Feb. 2012. http://www.flickr.com/photos/ashleysbusy/4853725724/