A modest proposal summary. A Modest Proposal Study Guide 2022-11-01
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"A Modest Proposal" is a satirical essay written by Jonathan Swift in 1729. The essay proposes a solution to the problem of overpopulation and starvation in Ireland: to eat the children of the poor. Swift uses irony, satire, and rhetorical devices to mock the lack of compassion and empathy for the suffering of the poor in Irish society.
The essay begins by discussing the problem of overpopulation and the financial burden it places on the wealthy landowners of Ireland. Swift then presents his solution: to fatten up and sell the children of the poor as food to the wealthy. He argues that this would not only solve the problem of overpopulation, but also provide a financial benefit to the poor parents, who could use the money to buy more children to sell.
Throughout the essay, Swift uses a tone of mock seriousness and employs various rhetorical devices to make his argument seem logical and reasonable. For example, he cites statistics and offers practical details about how to breed and raise the children for slaughter. He also suggests that the children could be sold as exotic delicacies in foreign countries.
Despite the ridiculous nature of the proposal, Swift's use of irony and satire highlights the callous and indifferent attitudes of the wealthy towards the suffering of the poor. By presenting his proposal in a way that appears logical and reasonable, he exposes the absurdity and cruelty of such attitudes.
In conclusion, "A Modest Proposal" is a satirical essay that uses irony, satire, and rhetorical devices to mock the lack of compassion and empathy for the suffering of the poor in Irish society. Swift's proposal to eat the children of the poor may seem outrageous, but it serves to expose the heartlessness of those who are indifferent to the plight of the disadvantaged.
A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift Plot Summary
I grant this food will be somewhat dear, and therefore very proper for landlords, who, as they have already devoured most of the parents, seem to have the best title to the children. Many women, unable to find work, have resorted to begging, many of them trailing their young children behind them. How will they be provided for? He says his proposal, if adopted, would also result in a reduction in the number of Catholics in Ireland. Accessed December 30, 2022. The Catholics are disadvantageous to the country as they have very large families. Without excusing any party, the essay shows that not only the English but also the Irish themselves--and not only the Irish politicians but also the masses--are responsible for the nation's lamentable state. He said, that many gentlemen of this kingdom, having of late destroyed their deer, he conceived that the want of venison might be well supply'd by the bodies of young lads and maidens, not exceeding fourteen years of age, nor under twelve; so great a number of both sexes in every country being now ready to starve for want of work and service: And these to be disposed of by their parents if alive, or otherwise by their nearest relations.
Only after one reads through the whole essay will he finally come to realize that with this essay, the author in fact intends to show pity towards poor people, expose social plights of… The Modest Proposal Analysis In The Modest Proposal published in 1729 by Dr. He tells of his own weariness after years of struggling with such impracticable ideas, and his final relief and excitement at hitting upon his current proposal, which "hath something solid and real, of no Expence, and little Trouble," and which will not run the risk of angering England. The citation above will include either 2 or 3 dates. The mention of Psalmanazar, whose name an 18th-century reader would have certainly recognized, further exposes the Proposer as out of touch with reality. This money is not equal to the amount spent on their upbringing. As a result, many children lived in squalor, which often lead to poverty as well.
At long last, the Proposer finally unveils his own plan. Though this sort of statistical reasoning is familiar to modern readers, it would have been new in Swift's time, and he's commenting on it as well. The rulers of England are said to be ready to eat the whole nation. Modest Proposal was "a burlesque of projects concerning the poor" A Modest Proposal also targets the calculating way people perceived the poor in designing their projects. For validation of his proposal, he refers to the merchants as authorities on prices and costs, to a "worthy person" who loves Ireland for judgment on the nation's best interest, and to the practices of other countries. Many Irishmen worked farms owned by Englishmen who charged high rents so high that the Irish were frequently unable to pay them. He said, that many gentlemen of this kingdom, having of late destroyed their deer, he conceived that the want of venison might be well supply'd by the bodies of young lads and maidens, not exceeding fourteen years of age, nor under twelve; so great a number of both sexes in every country being now ready to starve for want of work and service: And these to be disposed of by their parents if alive, or otherwise by their nearest relations.
By equipping his literary work with sarcasm, Swift was able to create a whole new sense of scope that needs to be analyzed as a whole context itself rather than as a minute understanding of views that can easily be perceived if not properly comprehended. Evidence of BIG problem. Jonathan Swift wanted this situation to change. Although Swift was himself an astute economist, here he draws attention to the incongruity between a ruthless though impeccably systematic logic and a complexly human social and political reality. This Very Worthy Person got his idea from George Psalmanazar, who spoke of an incident on his native island of Formosa in which a young woman was executed for treason and then eaten by various members of the court. Fourth, the mothers will be free of the burden of bringing up children.
After this empathy-inspiring description of female beggars and their children, the author goes on to claim that this is a matter of national concern. But acceptence of homosexuality is 52% of those older than 50. The author's statement that much of the population would have been better off dead is exaggerated, perhaps, but not ironic; it is meant as testimony to the dire national consequences of such rampant civic neglect. He propose, jokingly, that Irish infants be sold as food at age one, when they are plump and healthy, to give the Irish a new source of income and the English a new food product to bolster their economy and eliminate a social problem. However, before people offer alternatives, he asks they consider two points.
His frustration with the political situation in Ireland culminated in A Modest Proposal 1729 , a bitter and darkly hilarious satire of English indifference to the suffering of the Irish poor. His use of hyperboles, metaphors, irony, and Because of his literary techniques he was able to draw the reader in to his essay and really get his message across. Within the irony lies a deep and sustained anger. Through this technique, he shows how irrelevant utilitarianism is to human problems. The Proposer refuses to take seriously any objections to his plan. On the other hand, the meat of the child will yield ten shillings.
There will be a competition among mothers to bring the healthiest child to the sale. At the same time, the buyer will also not be at a loss. Strict inheritance laws dramatically reduced Catholic land ownership: in 1703 the Catholic majority held only 14% of the land, down from 59% in 1641. The essay progresses through a series of surprises that first shocks the reader and then causes her to think critically not only about policies, but also about motivations and values. Rather, his sole motive is the common good.
What unites the unruly and unscrupulous mob with the social planner is the fact that their priorities are basically economic. He has heard from an American friend that the flesh of a one-year-old, breastfed infant is delicious. The child can be either boiled, or stewed, or bakes, or roasted. Thus the squire will learn to be a good landlord, and grow popular among his tenants, the mother will have eight shillings neat profit, and be fit for work till she produces another child. Reductio ad absurdum or Going to Extremes Scholars have identified specific techniques of argumentation. A Modest Proposal Context Jonathan Swift was born in Dublin in 1667 to English parents.
Analysis If you do not realize that this proposal is satirical, you have no sense of humor or irony. He argues that children could be sold into a meat market as early as the age of one, giving poor families some much needed income, while sparing them the expenses of raising so many children. Neither will merchants buy or sell children. On average, a child can be nursed for one year for less than two shillings. Essentialists say it has existed in all times and cultures, while social constructionists believe that it has arisen only in certain places and eras ancient Greece, for instance Bailey 54. Therefore let no man talk to me of other expedients: Of taxing our absentees at five shillings a pound: Of using neither cloaths, nor houshold furniture, except what is of our own growth and manufacture: Of utterly rejecting the materials and instruments that promote foreign luxury: Of curing the expensiveness of pride, vanity, idleness, and gaming in our women: Of introducing a vein of parsimony, prudence and temperance: Of learning to love our country, wherein we differ even from Laplanders, and the inhabitants of Topinamboo: Of quitting our animosities and factions, nor acting any longer like the Jews, who were murdering one another at the very moment their city was taken: Of being a little cautious not to sell our country and consciences for nothing: Of teaching landlords to have at least one degree of mercy towards their tenants.
A Modest Proposal and Other Satires “A Modest Proposal” Summary and Analysis
Their flesh is, apparently, similar to venison deer meat , and the Irish deer population has recently been hunted to extinction. Swift concludes this section by suggesting other benefits such as trade and a reduction in eating pigs, as children would be more delicious. I do therefore humbly offer it to publick consideration, that of the hundred and twenty thousand children, already computed, twenty thousand may be reserved for breed, whereof only one fourth part to be males; which is more than we allow to sheep, black cattle, or swine, and my reason is, that these children are seldom the fruits of marriage, a circumstance not much regarded by our savages, therefore, one male will be sufficient to serve four females. Secondly, The poorer tenants will have something valuable of their own, which by law may be made liable to a distress, and help to pay their landlord's rent , their corn and cattle being already seized, and money a thing unknown. Furthermore, his flurry of calculations belies his concern for the Irish populace: he is unable to think of impoverished families as anything other than data points, perhaps even commodities. Therefore, the problem needs to be solved.
