Jonathan Swift Satire Analysis

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.

He appeals to the mournful emotions of the audience by using obversations of his own of the community. He says, “It is a melancholy object to those who walk through this great town or travel in the country, when they see the streets, the roads, and cabin door, crowded with beggers od the famle sex, followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags” (Swift 404). His opening statement inmediatly tries to attach an emotional approach and introduces sensative topic. Swift does this as a way to grab your attention in order to instantly know that his readers will continue to become hooked on his proposal and take a moment to realize Ireland’s economical hardships. This outpouring emotion from the audience is a

Swift begins his essay by describing walking down a street in Ireland. He describes how you would see, “beggars of the female sex, followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags, and importuning every passenger for an alms” (Swift, Para. 1). This gives the reader a mental

Swift attracts attention to the cruel mistreatment of the impoverished class of Ireland through the use of his absurd proposal, his tone, and also his insincerity.

During the late seventeenth century, political pamphlets were distributed throughout Ireland to promote the ideas of various intellectuals and laymen. However, many discarded them and did not pay attention to them. Jonathan Swift, author of “A Modest Proposal,” takes lead for these unnoticed pamphlets and builds a proposal he thinks would help Ireland economy. A Modest Proposal is an ironic example that presents the attitude of rich towards poor and their starving kids. Jonathan uses various elements like metaphors, repetitions, irony and parallelism to focus on destructive defiance of the writing. Jonathan swift starts by blaming the mothers of these children that they should start working and get some earning to support these kids. He also foretells the future of these children that they will turn into thieves or sell themselves to foreign countries for money. According to Swift, it is just because the parents did not train their children the unassertive way of life and could not give them a proper lifestyle. In “A Modest Proposal” Jonathan Swift does not blame the shortcomings of Ireland on the people. He says that the people, politicians, and English were all to be at fault for the terrible state and poverty of Ireland. there are three factors that make Swift’s argument not serious: the tone of the author, his insincerity, and ridiculousness of the proposal.

Beginning with an examination of the subtitle, the stance of the narrator and his views of the poor are evident immediately. “…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 Para.1). This example is a distinct instance of irony; in which Swift uses such long, elaborate sentence to summarize his main proposition. By referring to

Swift is clever as he manages to lure the reader into a 'Fake sense of

Swift clearly states and shows with great imagery what the country was facing at the time. Swift begins by saying, “It is a melancholy object to those who walk through this great town or travel in the country when they see the streets, roads, and cabin doors crowded with the beggars of the female sex, followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags, and importuning every passenger for an alms” (Swift). The Irish were very bad economically and Swift wanted one to feel a sense of sympathy toward them because the Irish had families to care for and could not offer them a healthy safe living. Swift wanted the country thrive to find a solution after he clearly mentioned their hardship and dreadful lives. He describes how the females went out to the streets hoping they would receive money or food to feed their children and themselves. Their lives were nothing compared to the English. The Irish children were described as beggar walking around in rags. The English were the wealthy and the British officials had the power to take action but it seems to Swift that they were not doing anything to better the situation. Swift really wanted the English and the government officials to notice the Irish’s economic living conditions and at the same time feel empathy toward them recognizing how much the Irish needed their help.

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

In a “Modest Proposal” Swift expresses his grief as well as irritation of Ireland’s politicians, the hypocrisy of the wealthy, the tyranny of the English, and the degradation in which he witnesses the Irish people living. While Swift explains how England continuously exploits Ireland, he also expresses the utter disgust he finds in the inability of the Irish to help themselves. Swift mourns and shows compassion for the Irish people but critiques both for the issue at hand. (Sparknotes). Through this ironic essay of surprises and shocks, swift challenges the reader consider and critically analyze policies, motivation, and moral values. Jonathan Swift states in the essay that

as a good deed it is seen as a kind of insult by the Lilliputians.

Although the use of incongruity is used to seize attention through a sarcastic view, another way Swift uses satire to grab England’s attention is through reversal. Reversal is used by Swift to switch the roles of babies to pigs, to emphasize the idea that these babies taste like pig. It is expressed in the text where the author points out, “I rather recommend buying the children alive and dressing them hot from the knife as we do roasting pigs” (Swift 99). This piece of text is evident of how Swift makes the point of having children served similar to pigs makes it sound serious, yet sarcastic making his point more clear to the reader with hidden meaning. The way Swift places reversal in the text makes it clear to England of how insane he may seem, but for a cause. This effective way of satire is undeniable of how Swift achieves his idea to bring poverty to an end to Ireland.

Indeed the proposal to eat the poor is a shocking statement, but what adds to the shock value is the delivery. For example, take the last statement regarding a fricassee. This statement is not necessary for the point, but it certainly adds to the appalling nature of the quote. The sarcastic nature puts Swift so far above the poor subjects that it evokes an extremely humorous response. Swift digresses and uses sarcasm numerous times in the essay, to emphasize truisms in a manner that tries to be less than direct, but has the ultimate effect of clarity. For example Swift proposes that some one of the uses for the children would be to

Thesis Statement: Jonathan Swift’s literary canon of politically and comically-prolific satires, fantasies, and allegories was seasoned with his exposure to the follies of the economic, religious and governing institutions of the British Empire, and thus, he sought to lampoon and caricature the current events and social, cultural, religious, and political trends that were so omnipotent during his lifetime.