This paper briefly examines the ideas put forth in Jonathon Swift's A Modest Proposal, a suggestion that children of the poor be eaten for food by the wealthy. The paper concludes that this piece was written in order to make the upper class examine their conscience with regards to the living conditions of the poor in Ireland.
¶ … SWIFT'S A MODEST PRPOSAL
Surprise Ending - Swift
The Surprise Ending in Swift's a Modest Proposal
In his essay A Modest Proposal (1729) Jonathon Swift ironically puts forth the proposition that for the betterment of Irish society, children of the poor, particularly Catholic children, because there was an over abundance, should be slaughtered and eaten. Swift maintains that this practice would solve a number of societal problems. It would decrease the number of Papists who are the principle breeders of the nation, as well as the most dangerous enemies, it would turn a liability of the poor, another mouth to feed, into an asset or a valuable commodity, it would increase the overall wealth of the nation, it would be a boon to business, and it would encourage marriage by rewarding parents with monetary gain. The surprise ending is that swift recommends this practice only for Ireland.
At the time Swift published this work Ireland was not an independent country and was far poorer than England. Most of the people born there were Roman Catholics and worked as tenant farmers and agricultural laborers. The land owners were mostly Protestants, many of whom were not born in Ireland and were not permanent residents. This ruling class took advantage of the plight the poor found themselves in, and knew that if the laborer quit, there would be another to take his place. Starvation was common and cannibalism had occurred in the country within living memory (Moore, 2002).
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