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In “A Modest Proposal,” Dr. Swift
attempts to address some of the major problems in the country of Ireland in
1729 through satire. One problem that Dr. Swift identifies with society concerns
its citizens bearing children without the means to support them. The parents are
forced to resort to begging or other forms of charity to ensure their family’s
survival. He first identifies mothers as the culprits, but then goes on to
include fathers. Dr. Swift, to some
extent, attributes the current economic conditions as the cause and foundation for
these matters which plague society. However, he implies that parents should not
use this as an excuse, but rather have awareness of their inability to provide
for their young before conceiving them. Dr.
Swift also makes mention of an excessive presence of Catholics in Irish society
whom he refers to in a demeaning fashion as the Popish. He also alludes to the greed and exploiting
nature of the English saying “…and flesh being of too tender a consistence, to
admit a long continuance in salt, although perhaps I could name a country,
which would be glad to eat up our whole nation without it.” (Swift)
As a solution to these problems,
Dr. Swift suggests sarcastically, that the children, one year of age, be gorged
with food, slaughtered and served as a delicacy to affluent Irishmen. This, of course, is not a serious suggestion,
but instead serves as a wake up call for Irish citizens and creates awareness
by ridiculing serious problems. Dr. Swift urges them to consider the harsh
realities and take action. He is essentially making fun of the ignorance of the
people. To learn more about Dr. Swift's life or see more his works; click here.
Ironically, Dr. Swift does present
his solution logically. While it is an expedient, he provides many compelling
arguments that illustrate the possible benefits of his solution. For example, he discusses benefits which
include but are not limited to economic progress, self-sustenance, improvement
of family dynamics, replacement for a diminishing supply of venison, and
removal of a great burden on society. He even goes to great lengths to describe
the high quality of the meat derived from a one year old child, describing it
as a dainty. However, it is obvious to all, except for the few remaining tribes
that embrace cannibalism, that such a concept is profoundly savage, immoral and
inhumane. His concerns are very genuine
yet he if so baffled by the lack of action that he chooses to mock a grave set
of circumstances.
Work
Cited
Swift,
Jonathan. "A Modest Proposal, by Jonathan Swift." Project Gutenberg,
July 27, 2008. Web. 2 Feb 2012.
<http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1080/1080-h/1080-h.htm>.
I feel like you really understood what you were reading about because you were spot on with what I believe Dr. Swift was trying to say in his paper. I enjoyed how you explained is reasoning for being sarcastic about his proposal
ReplyDeleteAaron,
ReplyDeleteI agree that Dr. Swifts concerns are very genuine. I like that you explain it by saying he is so baffled by the lack of action that he chooses to mock a grave set of circumstances. I think Dr. Swift was living in a very frustrating time. There were poor in the streets begging for food and without jobs. There was also a huge rift in the nation between religions the protestants and the Catholics. England was oppressing the nation. The poor could do nothing to change it, and the rich as long as they were comfortable didn't care. I like that Dr. Swift chose to do something. He wrote something so outrageous it called for action. He also ended up having a piece of literature that will last for ever. Well maybe:)
Carli