a modest proposal modeste proposition jonathan swift

They do little to change their lifestyle as they are not focused on politics or changing their socioeconomic status. The commoners live in awful conditions where they are taxed highly by the landlords with “their corn and cattle being already seized and money a thing unknown”. Swift believes that the commoners in Ireland are too naive to defy British power. The goal of Swift’s satirical writings in “A Modest Proposal” is to gain the attention of readers to expose the real problem in Ireland – the Irish’s inability to stand up to the British, whether it be nobles who are reluctant to fight because of their incompetence or the commoners who are too naive.

Obviously, Swift does not believe that the practice of cannibalism will help Ireland become a better nation. He goes into gruesome detail on recipes for the children and how “vintners will certainly be so prudent as to procure the best receipts for dressing the children to perfection”. Swift gives specific numerical data on the price, weight, amount of children that are consumed, and amount left for breeding. This would help with overpopulation, famine, and would allow for poor families to have an extra income. He states that Irish families could sell their children starting at the age of one to rich landowners. The audience might find Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” appalling as he writes in great detail why the Irish should practice cannibalism to boost the economy. Often Jonathan Swift must use satire because his ideas have fallen on deaf ears, so to raise awareness about his topic he must write something shocking. Satire is the use of sarcasm, exaggeration, irony, humor, and ridicule to denounce and expose human vices, especially in modern issues and politics.

A modest proposal modeste proposition jonathan swift