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¶ … Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift is satire? The combination of the bland mealy-mouthed title attached to a horrifying vision of mass-murder might at first seem inherently ironic. But this is no guarantee of satirical humor: after all, when the bureaucratic-sounding title attached to a monstrous plan is the "Final Solution," we have left the realm of ironic satire and entered the realm of actual atrocity. The notion that Swift's "proposal" -- which proposes that poor babies and children should be turned into meat, and sold for food, to solve the problems of poverty in Ireland -- is somehow too horrifying or excessive to be taken seriously is actually not enough to explain why this qualifies as satire. However, a close examination of the text of Swift's "Modest Proposal" shows the reason why it can be understood as an effective satire rather than an authentic blueprint for mass-murder. The reason why "A Modest Proposal" is effective satire is because Swift offers crucial clues that enable us to understand the text is not meant literally, but metaphorically.
The central idea of "A Modest Proposal" is cannibalism: the narrator is suggesting that a solution to the problem of impoverished Irish babies and children is to eat them. This would improve the economic... But Swift very clearly places clues in the text to show why and how the idea is not meant to be literal:
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... 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, full in our own power, and whereby we can incur no danger in disobliging England. For this kind of commodity will not bear exportation, the flesh being of too tender a consistence in salt, although perhaps I could name a country which would be glad to eat up our whole nation without it. (14)
Cannibalism is a form of exploitation, and for that reason it is often used as a metaphor for exploitation. When people look at their income tax bills and say "the government is bleeding me dry!" or "the government is eating me alive!," they do not literally mean that taxation is cannibalism: this is a metaphorical complaint about exploitation.
Swift knows that the problem of Irish poverty begins with Ireland's status as an exploited colony of England. In the passage just quoted, we can see how Swift places the clue for understanding "A Modest Proposal" as satire. In…
Works Cited
Swift, Jonathan. "A Modest Proposal." ed. Jim Manis. Hazelton, PA: Pennsylvania State University, 1997. Print.
Just as in Swift, we find in Cervantes social criticism, irony and sarcasm as well as the satirical method and exaggeration and allusion as methods. Humor was also used centuries earlier in Don Quixote as well. Cervantes is as gifted and accomplished of a satirist as Swift. For instance, Cervantes humorously has Don Quixote jousting windmills who are giants that he is preparing to deprive of life. This is an
By focusing on elements such as how the babies should be fattened up, served, and prepared Swift actually minimizes the horror of his proposal. In addition, by mentioning the fact that some of his "breeders" already seek to terminate their children, whether through abortion or by killing newborns, Swift continues to minimize the horror of his proposal. After all, the thought of ripping a year-old babe from the arms
It stands as proof of the fact that people are more powerful than nature when it comes to the confrontation between the two. People have to abandon all prejudices when coming across the concept of global warming and start thinking about methods of profiting from the overall state of affairs. This process is actually preventing numerous individuals from focusing on one of the most important matters in the contemporary society-money.
Johnathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal" is a work of satire in which Swift suggests, as a solution to the problem of famine in Ireland, that the starving Irish should eat their babies. This, he states, is a way to cope with the problem of both hunger and overpopulation. Swift makes deliberate use of hyperbole throughout his essay. He uses some of the most common, racist criticisms about the Irish leveled
Jonathan Swift wrote “A Modest Proposal” in 1729 as piece of political satire, or as Cody (2000) puts it, a “disgusted parody” and a “savage indictment,” (p. 1). As it falls within the genre of satire, there is a healthy dose of humor embedded in the text but also rich political commentary as well. As both the course text and Cody (2000) point out, Swift was concerned about issues like
Journal Writing "a Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift As the name suggests, this is a proposal put forth by the writer on the way to help Ireland out of the problem of beggars along the streets and an ever increasing population of poor people within the nation. Indeed, he not only views his suggestions as viable towards decreasing the population of the poor, but to also earn the country foreign money that