Historical Content of A Modest Proposal Essay

The Irish have done nothing to halt the terrorizing nature of their domineering counterparts. Swift uses this proposal to “the wretched Irish situation” (Lockwood). By “rigorously underplaying the aspect of fantasy in his proposal,” Swift suggests the Irish have arrived at a condition in which such a plan may be seriously considered (Lockwood). Booth describes that every detail of Swift’s proposal “supports the inference that the woes of Ireland make, indeed, a ‘melancholy Object.’” In essence, the “anger against the English is used merely to heighten” Swift’s own dismay over the way Ireland has conducted itself (Booth). Swift craftily causes readers to question more than just how to fix the problems in fraught Ireland.

At the time A Modest Proposal was written, Ireland was in a state of extreme poverty. The country was significantly overpopulated: people were struggling to make ends meet and provide for the growing population. The author of the text, Dr. Jonathan Swift, was repulsed by the Irish government’s reluctance to institute any major changes to help resolve the levels of poverty and overpopulation present at the time. In response, he wrote this text to criticize the upper class for this level of inaction, as well as their failed attempts at resolving the issue. Through Swift’s use of satirical devices -- such as irony, hyperbole, and understatement -- he was able to convey his message to the public which was criticism about the inadequate actions being taken by the government to solve Ireland’s troubles. He believed they weren’t doing enough to help the situation at the time and wanted them to see their defeat in hopes that they would decide to finally act.

A Modest Proposal was written in 1729 by a man of the name Johnathan Swift. This is a piece of early satire. He writes this to insult the early government system and mocks the heartless attitude that they have against the poor. He does this by writing a proposal that absolutely is outlandish and unthinkable, starting by addressing the current issue. “FOR PREVENTING THE CHILDREN OF POOR PEOPLE IN IRELAND FROM BEING A BURDEN TO THEIR PARENTS OR COUNTRY, AND FOR MAKING THEM BENEFICIAL TO THE PUBLIC” (Swift 1).

When Swift is describing the use of children as commodities, it is ironic because his intentions are to actually explain that the English view the whole Irish population as commodities. The English landlords are the ones responsible for Ireland’s poverty. The essay shows, through sarcasm, that the English have purposely took everything from the Irish because they view them as commodities. One example of sarcasm used to portray that idea is that the utilization of infants will be “proper for landlords, who, as they have already devoured most of the parents, seem to have the best title to the children” (804). It is very apparent that Swift blames the English for Ireland’s problems. He also blames the Irish Catholics that allowed English policy to break down Ireland.

Jonathan Swift, the writer of the satirical essay A Modest Proposal, grew up and lived in Ireland during times of famine and economic struggles (Conditions). Growing up with a single mother and no father, Swift knew what hard times and struggles were like (Jonathan Swift: Biography). His essay proposes an easy solution to the economic problems going on in Ireland for both the wealthy ruling classes and the poorer classes, although his intentions and the meaning behind his words are not what would be originally thought when initially reading the essay. Through his word choices and the description of specific events of his time, Swift uses satire to grab his audience’s attention and get his own personal ideas and opinions out about all the

The Modest Proposal begins with sad and sorrow of Irish mothers who spent all time looking for food to put in their kid's mouth. As a solution the author suggest to sell their child as food for the wealthy citizens, that will solve the over population of unemployment in Ireland and help the Irish economy as well helping their parent to have money to support the rest of their kids and have a decent life, as these children when they grow up they will either turn to be criminal or fight for the Pretender in Spain or sell themselves to the Bravadoes. Swift, provides his idea a statistical support, to express his argument. He says at the beginning ofa child life there will not be a problem as the child will be on his mother’s milk, the problem is later it will be difficult to get supported in such poor society, this is why the mother can give away her child.

In many ways the “Irish Problem“ which is shown in Jonathan Swifts satirical essay “A Modest Proposal” can be represented by many different things however the way I view the Irish problem in the United States is it being all around us and everywhere we go. The Irish Problem consisted of many things such as poverty, overpopulation, lack of education, and racism. To begin the comparison of the Irish problem in today’s modern America is not as different as many people would think due to the satirical essay being written in 1729. Poverty, overpopulation, lack of education, and racism is very common in todays society, even though these are all things that affect America negatively and would be better if these problems disappeared, sadly these problems will not go away for a long time or even forever.

Swift was said to “declare at one stage in his life: ‘I am not of this vile country (Ireland), I am an Englishman’” (Hertford website). In his satire “A Modest Proposal,” he illustrates his dislike not only for the Irish, but for the English, organized religions, rich, greedy landlords, and people of power. It is obvious that Swift dislikes these people, but the reader must explore from where his loathing for the groups of people stems. I believe Swift not only wanted to attack these various types of people to defend the defenseless poor beggars, but he also had personal motives for his writings that stemmed from unconscious feelings, located in what Sigmund Freud would call the id, that Swift

I agree with everything you said, but I have to disagree on one point you have made here which is first of all, A Modest proposal is a mocking work that gives it a great answer for the issues that Ireland was having with destitution and overpopulation in 1700. Another thing is that he gives a progression of impossible answers for the issue that include harsh treatment of kids. Finally, this thing will create a better cultural for Ireland as a whole. You have a well-written summary outstanding

Planning on how am going to expand my vinyl fence company in the near future, I will be forced to purchase a new warehouse facility in order to achieve the goal. My insurance company will be offering two very attractive investment options, an ordinary annuity as well as the annuity due, both compounding quarterly and which are paying 8% annual interest over a 5-year period. My budget of 5-year includes a saving plan of $2500.00 each quarter. I realized that I will have to replace the fence post- molding machine that sells for about $45,000. Have also estimated that I will have to purchase this machine within 3 years and I’m planning on saving for this purchase using the sinking fund that is compounded semi-annually, and earns a 12% annual rate.

Literary works often have profound influence. The period in which the literature is written has a profound influence on the work itself. Past literature is often found to adequately embody many ageless ideas and situations while the themes also remain relevant to the present. First, Jonathan Swift’s pamphlet, A Modest Proposal, holds a theme of exposing atrocities. In addition, Emily Dickinson’s poem, Because I could not stop for Death, possesses a theme of death. Finally, Franz Kafka’s novella, Metamorphosis, maintains a theme of psychological unease.

In order to prevent the children become a burden from their parents and make them more beneficial to the Ireland society, Jonathan Swift proposes several solutions and details them in his “A Modest Suggestion” which was written in 1792. Irony is the main literary technique used by Swift throughout the whole story. To relieve Irish from suffering miserable life, Swift supposes like “The remaining hundred thousand may, at a tear old, be offered in sale to the persons of quality and fortune through the kingdom” (Swift 2). The suggestions that Swift proposes in the story are incredible and ridiculous. However, he uses “modest” in the title which strongly mocks the hypocrisy and cruelty of the authorities at that time.

The citizens of Ireland were not the only ones to blame. Swift also reveals that politicians and the English were at fault, as well as the citizens, for the state of the country. Swift believed that if an infant survived childhood, they would just “leave their … country to fight for the Pretender in Spain…” or become an indentured servant by “sell[ing] themselves to the Barbados” (Swift 6-8). He shows that these people lack nationalism and pride for Ireland, and they also lead to its downfall.

The 1720s was a decade of crisis in Ireland. In 1729, Ireland was plagued with political, economic and religious struggles. These struggles diminished Ireland from a sister-kingdom to England to a virtual colony of the latter. Also during this time, there were religious divisions in Ireland. A large portion of the population was Roman Catholic but the immigrant Protestant minorities had united with the English to force through Parliament a series of discriminatory inheritance laws which broke up large Catholic estates and put them at the mercy of rapidly consolidating Protestant landowners. Catholics were basically overtaken by the Protestants. The Catholics went from owning 59% of the land, to owning only 14%. (Lyman A. Baker.) They were also stripped of any right to serve in Parliament or administration, the right to vote, join the armed forces, to possess arms, etc.(SparkNotes Editors) Farming in England was managed by the wealthy English Protestants, and farmed by poor Irish Catholics and became quite inefficient. This resulted in food production shortages and created much poverty in England. Many of these people in poverty were Catholics. In 1729 Jonathan Swift published "A Modest Proposal" in an attempt to be a voice of protest against this trend of poverty. In the essay “A Modest Proposal” Jonathan Swift challenges the status quo of the time and place in which it was written by sarcastically suggesting the people of England, in order to prevent the poor children

The title using the word modest and the fact that his proposal is the opposite of modest, makes the narrator untrustworthy, especially because the first part of the story is told without proposing his idea, but instead almost persuading his readers that his idea can’t be thought of as irrational or just completely immoral. His proposal is a statement set out to clearly mock and ridicule the rich and those who don’t realize the problems with poverty going on in the streets of Dublin every day.