Literary Critique of A Modest Proposal
Literary Critique of A Modest ProposalA Modest Proposal
Jonathan Swift
In very simple terms, A Modest Proposal is a satire of the social and economic events in Ireland. It was written in the early eighteenth century in an attempt to shame England and to shock Ireland. Jonathan Swift lived in an Ireland which was a colony, politically, militarily, and economically dependent on England. England was happy to keep things as they were to keep Ireland weak. The result was an overpopulated and poor Ireland. Swift offers a solution for the problems of Ireland in a practical manner. Through his ironic prose, Swift suggests one solution for both the problem of overpopulation and the growing numbers of starving people. The idea is to breed the children of Ireland for food and then sale the carcasses to England to improve Ireland's living conditions.
Swift was writing in response to the belief that the English are taking control and destroying the Irish. It definitely shows England as the villain.
" For this kind of commodity will not bear exportation, the 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."
This writing also gives equal responsibility to the Irish for their plight. Swift was extremely enraged at the passivity of the Irish people. It was an attempt to shock the Irish out of their lethargic state. Swift had made numerous proposals to the Irish Parliament...
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