The essay, “A Modest Proposal” by Dr. Jonathon Swift was a satirically written piece, mocking the attitudes of society directed towards the impoverished people of Ireland. It also criticized the unhelpfulness of the government to alleviate the situation.
Swift’s idea to relieve the poor of their economic problems is to sell the babies and children to use them as food and in various other crafts. The very first glimpse readers get at Swift’s outrageous suggestion is when he says “I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricasie, or a ragoust.” It is at this point where readers first begin to analyze his crazy suggestion.
When I first started reading Dr. Swift’s essay, I wasn’t too drawn in to it. However, as I continued reading, I was extremely intrigued. I was reading about his ideas about the babies and I was somewhat confused. Of course, it seemed like a ludicrous idea, and I wasn’t familiar with any of Dr. Swift’s previous work, but his argument was so incredibly detailed that I couldn’t help but feel there were some serious undertones! I then thought to myself however, that we were learning about satire, so I kind of figured there was no way it could be real.
One of the ways Dr. Swift makes his argument completely real is that he takes a real situation and problem, and makes it clear to the readers that there is such a problem existing in the first place. He uses precise measurements and facts that make it seem like he did a lot of research, and although his outrageous concept can’t be taken seriously, his argument can.
Swift uses language to dehumanize the Irish people. In one paragraph he says the “wives are breeders” and speaks of them in an animalistic way. He mentions it over and over again how they are breeders; in example, “a hundred and seventy breeders.” At one point, he talks about how the children are purely profit and speaks of how the mothers are used only to produce the profit by saying, “be fit for work till she produces another child.”
Swift brings attention to the poor people and children of Ireland. He makes it clear that something needs to be done. There’s no real solution so far, but he uses satire to mock the problems and the fact that there are no real solutions being presented by the government to fix the economic situation that existed. On the last page, he starts to reveal to readers his sympathy and how he has “not the least personal interest in endeavoring.” One can recognize his seriousness when he actually speaks of the real issues, he just exaggerates it greatly.
It’s somewhat peculiar because there is actually one part that seems to be one of the only completely serious concepts throughout the entire essay. Swift says, “There is likewise another great advantage in my scheme, that it will prevent those voluntary abortions, and that horrid practice of women murdering their bastard children, alas! Too frequent among us, sacrificing poor innocent babes, I doubt, more to avoid the expence than the shame, which would move tears and pity in the most savage and inhuman breast.”
I definitely think this type of essay works to spark a necessary debate or action from the readers of such a piece because its extremity draws the readers in, and while maybe not being a logical solution to the economic problem, it alarms readers to the problem in the first place. It catches the readers eye and while it is a ludicrous solution, it makes them think, “Huh, well there is a problem here, what can I do to solve it?” It is a clever way to present a problem without outright saying there is a problem, which I think intrigues readers even more.
I enjoyed reading the essay because it was well-written and presented a problem with such a crazy solution. Dr. Swift’s complete emotional detachment really brought the essay to life, with a cynical outlook. However, the irony is that there really is an emotional attachment because his point is to help the poor people of Ireland. He is an excellent writer in the sense that he created a completely different character in his own narrative, which helped convey the point he wanted to get across, which I think he did successfully.
