Modest Proposal

                According to Jonathan Swift, babies can be a wonderful source of good cuisine for the wealthy. Not only will they clean the streets of criminals, but he believes it will rid Ireland of its poor class altogether. In the essay, “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift, a proposal to make the poor people of Ireland beneficial to the public is made. Swift states that a sixth of the population’s children should be reserved for breeding purposes while the rest be offered in sale as food for the wealthy. Throughout this piece of writing, satire is made very evident. Swifts persona is constantly exaggerating facts and recommending the most ridiculous options for the people of Ireland. In this way, Swift creates two distinct voices in the piece. The first being his actual opinion on the matter, and the second being the comical version or his persona. This essay is a piece of satire because Swifts persona goes to the extremes to make his outrageous point. Swift uses this persona to prove that something like “eating babies” is horrid no matter what you support it with.

Swifts persona believes that if children become part of the menu, Ireland will become a much better place. This proposal would be beneficial in ways such as lessening the amount of Papists, criminals, and diseased. When looking at all the logic, the idea of eating children actually sounds appealing. This is why Swift must use satirical instruments to ridicule his own idea. Swifts actual message is that people are withering away below the society’s feet and the people who can make a difference aren’t attempting at all. He wants these people to notice that all these children are dying and suffering, and that you might as well eat them if you won’t help them. His main point is that the society of Ireland is falling apart because nobody is taking action. This is why he goes to the extreme to catch the attention of his audience in a satirical piece. Swift first uses satire in his title, “A Modest Proposal”. Although he states “no other motive than the public good of my country”, his proposal seeks to revolutionize Ireland in its economy and society on a national scale. This, in no book, is a small feat. When Swift first introduces his idea, it is clear that he has intentions to make a huge impact on his audience. Like this example, Swift uses satire constantly through his piece to prove his point.

One of the most satirical ideas that Swift addresses is abortion. “That it will prevent those voluntary abortions… which would move tears and pity in the most savage and inhuman breast”. Here, Swift states that abortion is a horrid practice in that it resembles murder. Killing your child in this sense for your personal gain is therefore inhuman. However, isn’t Swifts proposal completely about killing children for personal profit and status gain? His strong distaste for abortion contradicts with his stance on using newborns for a food source. What Swift is actually doing is telling his audience that abortion is just as bad as murder. This connects to the idea of being a bystander and watching someone suffer. Hes telling the rich classes that if they just sit around and don’t try to help the poorer families, it’s as if they’re helping commit murder.

Another case where he does something similar is when he suggests eating babies at marriages and christenings. “Supposing that one thousand families… particularly weddings and christenings”. This is extremely incongruent in that events such as marriages are meant for procreation. When two people get married, they aren’t only making vows to each other, but the okay is being given to have children. If you’re eating babies at an event such as this, it’s like defeating the purpose. In these examples, Swifts persona is giving evidence that supports his stance. The fact that cooking children for food will decrease abortion trends and actually be a main dish for certain events shows that it can be successful. However, by using incongruity and paradoxes, Swift subconsciously lets us know the antithesis of his essay. He shows how disturbing his proposal can be and is sending the message that there has to be solutions to Ireland's economy and society rather than eating its children.

The author continues to show satire with reversal and parody. “Those who are more thrifty may flay the carcass; the skin which artificially dressed will make admirable gloves for the ladies”. When stating this, Swift suggests that we skin the children before cooking them and use the skin for garments and accessories. As disgusting as this may sound, his persona is saying this with all seriousness. He even goes as far as to compare children to cattle or pigs and how we should use slaughterhouses to kill them in large amounts. Swift purposely does this to show the atrocity of how far he will go to prove his point and to make the readers step back in disgust. Jonathan Swift, a renowned scholar, wouldn’t be expected to have such barbaric thoughts. With knowledge of who he actually is, it’s possible to sense that there's a deeper meaning to what he is saying. Swift means to tell us that the poor are looked at like animals and that the rich are treating them like beasts. He makes this parody to protest the bad judgment that the richer classes deliver.