This superbly organized essay was written by a man who was at his proverbial “wit’s end” over England’s oppression of the
Irish public. Written in biting invective, this essay attempts to fulfill satire’s universal purpose: to effect social change and help right inherent wrongs.
Jonathan Swift spent much of his life fighting (and writing) for this noble purpose, but his efforts were often thwarted. The ironically titled “A Modest Proposal” offers an outrageous solution to the problem of widespread poverty in Ireland: raise and sell infants to the upper classes to be used as food. Not serious, of course, Swift’s goal is, rather, to illustrate the absurdity of a
political minority who were either unwilling or unable to make appropriate changes.
This essay must be read with Swift’s frustration and passion in mind. When he offers details concerning recipes suitable for the cooking of children, or suggests that the “hides” be used for ladies gloves, or contends that the children would be best butchered fresh, the reader must remember that, in Swift’s opinion, the poverty, degradation and
suffering which the poor were suffering was in fact not much worse than fates such as these.
It is also important that the reader notice that, while offering his absurd (“modest”) proposal, Swift includes in this essay real solutions to these social problems. He suggests, for example, patriotic pride, temperance, the use of domestic products, and the rejection of useless luxuries as reasonable solutions. Of course, in keeping with the satiric tone of the rest of the essay, Swift actually claims that his solution (consuming children) is better than any of these. We know, however, that he would hope the so-called lesser solutions become the ones adopted by his peers.
This essay is an inspiration to those readers who believe that social change is possible and are able to see the absurdities which are often inherent in many social, political and religious policies of any time and in any place.