Self Representation and the Self-Defeating Speaker in Jonathan Swift

Irony is a beautiful technique exercised to convey a message or call a certain group of people to action. This rhetorical skill is artfully used by Jonathan Swift in his pamphlet “A Modest Proposal.” The main argument for this mordantly ironic essay is to capture the attention of a disconnected and indifferent audience. Swift makes his point by stringing together a dreadfully twisted set of morally untenable positions in order to cast blame and aspersions on his intended audience. Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” employs despicably vivid satire to call for change in a world of abuse and misfortune.

From the beginning, irony is immediately displayed through the title of the text, A Modest Proposal. Modest means to be moderate and the proposal stated is anything but. The irony of this title serves to display to the audience how “moderate” this plan is in comparison to what the government was presently doing which was basically nothing in Swift’s eyes. Throughout the introduction, the speaker introduces the problem -- overpopulation and poverty -- and presents a solution. He mentions children in passing, which later on becomes a large part of his “proposal” to help Ireland. Swift cites that a significant part of the problem in Ireland is the struggle to provide for the evergrowing population and in order to solve this, children -- specifically newborns to a year old -- should be sold to the upper classes as food. He describes that “a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food..” (Swift, lines 70-71). This solution would lessen the pressure for the state to provide for them in addition to other benefits that Swift later expresses. This hyperbolic suggestion serves to express Swift’s viewpoint on the actions of the upper class to solve the issues that Ireland was enduring. He was implying that their

In Jonathan Swift’s satire, “A Modest Proposal”, Swift writes about the starving people of Ireland in the early 1700’s. He makes a wild and absurd proposal to help remedy the problems of overpopulation and poverty. Swift wants to make a political statement by using the “children” as satire to grasp the attention of the audience - the English people, the Irish politicians and the rich – and make them aware of the political, moral, and social problems. In “A Modest Proposal”, Swift’s arguments are presented effectively by using pathos (emotional appeal), ethos (ethics and values), and logos (logic reasoning and facts).

In Modest Proposal, it is evident on how Swift effectively uses incongruity to place a point under the disguise as incongruity. For example in the text Swift emphasizes, “A child will make two dishes at entertainment for friends...”(70). It is absurd for one to visualize how a child will be served for dinner and entertainment for people. The use of incongruity is a pristine example of how Swift’s argument is backed up using satire. Swift’s use of Incongruity disrupts human morale by replacing babies with food, similar to the way reversal is used throughout the text as well.

(Swift, par. 33) Of course, Swift was not serious in his proposal, but he was serious about helping improve the situations of the poor in his country. By directly addressing the situation, Swift addressed the issue of homelessness in a manner that was both bold and effective. It was bold in that it was a very controversial way of dealing with the problem. No rational human being would propose cannibalism as a solution to homelessness, but it s use is effective as a voice that stands out and causes people to think about what he is dealing with. By suggesting cannibalism, Swift draws on one of the most wide spread taboos in the world to repulse his audience into realizing that homelessness was a serious problem. Swift was tired of hearing ideas proposed to deals with the poor, in his opinion there was too much talk and not enough action: But as to myself, having been wearied out for many years of offering vain, idle, visionary thoughts, and at length utterly despairing of success, I fortunately fell upon this proposal, which, as it is wholly new, so it hath something solid and real, of no expense and little trouble (Swift,par.31) By stirring up such strong reactions to it, Swift cause people to really think about the problem of homelessness and ways to help deal with the problem. In the novel Naked Lunch, written by

When one thinks of the phrase “A Modest Proposal,” does one come to think of fattening babies so they can sell as meat. In Jonathan Swift’s essay “A Modest Proposal,” Swift uses satirical writing to communicate with the reader to expose the critical situation of the poor people of Ireland. Whom besides going through a tough period of famine have to endure the overwhelming taxation rates of the English empire. The author’s proposal intends to convince the public of the incompetence of Ireland’s politicians, the lack empathy of the wealthy, the English oppression, and the inability of the Irish to mobilize themselves against this situation. Johnathan proposed an outrageous solution that the Irish folks eat their children at the age of one or sell them in the market as meet. Finally, he manifests to be open to other suggestions to help overcome the country’s crisis. The proposal was made strategically using several different parts: the text, author, audience, purpose, and setting to persuade the tax to go lower.

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

Swift demands the audience to recognize the narrator's purpose "having no other motive than the public good of my country, by advancing our trade, providing for infant's, relieving the poor, and giving some pleasure to the rich." (Swift 489) The speaker optimistically believes that his idea is for the best. If Swift did not believe that his idea would not have a positive outcome he would not have suggested. Regardless of Swift's inhumane suggestion, which is negative, he only tries to reveal the positive of the situation. This feeling of insecurity is his way of disparaging the Irish and English government.

Swift shows his despair from the rejection he has experienced from every caregiver or leader in his own life, just as the poor have been rejected by society, forcing them to resort to begging. He feels that something drastic will have to happen in order for things to change, otherwise the misery of being devoured by society will be upon the poor “breed for ever,” as well as himself (Swift). Perhaps this drastic change that would have to occur is already too late for Swift. Perhaps his unresolved childhood complexes are too far past that they can never be resolved, but he is still trying to resolve them through his proposal that is trying to resolve society’s large problem of poverty.

Swift’s development of the absurd proposal for eating young children so that “the poorer tenants will have something valuable” or that there “would be constant customers for infants flesh” is enhanced by numerous examples of biting irony. Such irony exists even in the title: “A Modest Proposal.” Upon reading the text, the audience can agree that Swift’s proposal is far from modest and such irony servers to enrage and puzzle the readers to the point that they question why he would be using such shifting, ironic diction. Swift’s use of absurd logic to his proposal supplements the effectiveness of verbal irony, since no one would believe that children should be eaten to improve “in the art of making good bacon”. The aforementioned examples illustrate Swift’s craftiness and the use irony to almost mock the audience. In true Juveliean fashion, such techniques are designed to arouse the reader to anger and suspicion of what is trying to be said. A satire based on the Horatian type wouldn’t use such blatantly offensive irony. Rather, the tone of voice would be “gentler, more good humored and sympathetic” (“Horatian Satire”).

Swift reveals the negative side of the Europeans in the 18th century. He satirizes Gulliver and the different inhabitants Gulliver comes across. By using size, Swift shows the dreadful sides of the Europeans and their faults. Although some readers say that Swift uses size in Gulliver’s Travels to satirize people positively, he uses satire to reveal the negative side of people showing their human pride, existence, and knowledge.

In 1729, critical Jonathan Swift addresses the situation that poor and homeless people of Ireland face such as being “forced to employ all their time in strolling to beg sustenance for their helpless infants”. He does so in a proposal published via pamphlet by personifying as a projector to criticize the English for their oppressive methods used to make the Irish people suffer unjustly. Their methods include intense taxing and overly expensive rent that is far from payable. The English landlords have complete control over Ireland and its land and they use that power to oppress its people and then benefit off their suffering. Nothing is being done to improve the Irish people’s lifestyle now that it has been uprooted and utterly destroyed. Jonathan Swift aims to change that, using a perfect blend of satirical strategies such as exaggeration, understatement, sarcasm, and rhetorical strategies like appeals to emotion, logic and finally credibility so that people will begin to understand just how immorally England treats Ireland without so much as a consequence.

Satire is one of the distinguishing marks that makes “A Modest Proposal” a classic example of Neoclassical Literature. In his use of Satire Jonathan Swift was undoubtedly influenced by Greek and Roman cynics who criticized the status quo. Like some of these cynics, instead of offering a reasonable and moral solution to a social problem, Swift captures the attention of the Irish people by a proposition of cannibalism. Describing his proposal Swift writes, “A child will make two dishes at an entertainment for friends and when the family dines alone the fore or hind quarter will make a reasonable dish and seasoned with a little pepper or salt will be very good boiled on the fourth day especially in winter.” In statements like this Swift use the power of

Swift’s exposure to the monarchical mentality and rife factional conflicts pervading the political sector of England influenced a number of his literary works.