A Modest Proposal

AModestProposalItisasatiricalessaywrittenandpublishedanonymouslybyJonathanSwiftin1729.SwiftsuggeststhattheimpoverishedIrishmighteasetheireconomictroublesbysellingtheirchildrenasfoodforrichgentlemenandladies.Thissatiricalhyperbolemocksheartlessattitudestowardsthepoor,aswellasIrishpolicyingeneral.InEnglishwriting,thephraseamodestproposalisnowconventionallyanallusiontothisstyleofstraight-facedsatire.ThisessayiswidelyheldtobeoneofthegreatestexamplesofsustainedironyinthehistoryoftheEnglishlanguage.MuchofitsshockvaluederivesfromthefactthatthefirstportionoftheessaydescribestheplightofstarvingbeggarsinIreland,sothatthereaderisunpreparedforthesurpriseofSwift'ssolutionwhenhestates,Ayounghealthychildwellnursed,is,atayearold,amostdeliciousnourishingandwholesomefood,whetherstewed,roasted,baked,orboiled;andImakenodoubtthatitwillequallyserveinafricassee,oraragout.WhatdoesSwiftproposeTheModestProposalbeginsbydescribingtheveryrealpovertyofpeopleinIreland.Swiftpresentsthisquitesympatheticallybutsetsoutfactsanddetails,showingthatthereisa“surplus”ofchildrenwhocannotbefed.Heconsidersthepossibilityofsellingthechildrenintoslavery,butobjectstothis-notbecauseitiscruelorwrong,butbecauseno-onewillbuychildrenbelowtwelveyearsofage.Thismeansthatthereisalongperiodinwhichthechildrencannotbefed,becausetheirparentsaretoopoor,butaretoosmallandweaktobesoldintowork.Nexthedigressestomaketheshockingclaimthat,accordingtoanAmericanwhomheknows,ahealthychildatoneyearoldis:“amostdelicious,nourishingandwholesomeFood,whetherStewed,Roasted,BakedorBoyled”Fromthisbeginning,Swiftproceedstodevelophisschemebybreedingchildrenforfood.Forexample,hestatesthatlandlordswillbepopularwithtenantsbecausetheywillbeabletopaythemmore,tobuythechildrenforthetable.Hereasonsthat,bysellingtheirchildrensosoon,motherswillbeabletogobacktowork,untiltheyproducethenextchild.Henotesthat,asCatholicsseemtobreedmorerapidlythanProtestants,hisschemewillhelpreducetheirnumbers-asmostofthechildrensoldforfoodwillbe“Papists”,ashecallsthem.Andhesuggeststhatsomepurchaserswillnotonlywishtoeatthechildren,butwillflaytheskinandmakeglovesorbootsfromit,asfromafineleather.IronyIronyisarhetoricaldevice,literarytechnique,oreventinwhichwhatappears,onthesurface,tobethecase,differsradicallyfromwhatisactuallythecase.Thesurfacemeaningandtheunderlyingmeaningofwhatissaidarenotthesame.Ironyconsistsinstatingthecontraryofwhatismeant.Ironymaybedividedintocategoriessuchasverbal,dramatic,andsituational.Ironyiswheretheliteralmeaningisoppositetotheintended;Sarcasmisaggressivehumorthatpokesfun”;awayofusingwordsthataretheoppositeofwhatyoumeaninordertobeunpleasanttosbortomakefunofthemSatire:awayofcriticizingaperson,anideaoraninstitutioninwhichyouusehumortoshowtheirfaultsorweaknessesVerbalirony:Acontradictionbetweenastatement'sstatedandintendedmeaning.Situationalirony:Thedisparityofintentionandresult;whentheresultofanactioniscontrarytothedesiredorexpectedeffect.Dramaticironyandtragicirony:Adisparityofawarenessbetweenactorandobserver:whenwordsandactionspossesssignificancethatthelisteneroraudienceunderstands,butthespeakerorcharacterdoesnot.Verbal,dramatic,andsituationalironyareoftenusedforemphasisintheassertionofatruth.Theironicformusedinsarcasm,andsomeformsoflitotescanemphasizeone'smeaningbythedeliberateuseoflanguagewhichstatestheoppositeofthetruth,deniesthecontraryofthetruth,ordrasticallyandobviouslyunderstatesafactualconnection.ModestProposalforpreventingthechildrenofpoorpeopleinIreland,frombeingaburdenontheirparentsorcountry,andformakingthembeneficialtothepublic.byDr.JonathanSwift;1729Itisamelancholyobjecttothose,whowalkthroughthisgreattown,ortravelinthecountry,whentheyseethestreets,theroadsandcabin-doorscrowdedwithbeggarsofthefemalesex,followedbythree,four,orsixchildren,allinrags,andimportuningeverypassengerforanalms.Thesemothersinsteadofbeingabletoworkfortheirhonestlivelihood,areforcedtoemployalltheirtimeinstrollingtobegsustenancefortheirhelplessinfantswho,astheygrowup,eitherturnthievesforwantofwork,orleavetheirdearnativecountry,tofightforthePretenderinSpain,orsellthemselvestotheBarbados.Ithinkitisagreedbyallparties,thatthisprodigiousnumberofchildreninthearms,oronthebacks,orattheheelsoftheirmothers,andfrequentlyoftheirfathers,isinthepresentdeplorablestateofthekingdom,averygreatadditionalgrievance;andthereforewhoevercouldfindoutafair,cheapandeasymethodofmakingthesechildrensoundandusefulmembersofthecommon-wealth,woulddeservesowellofthepublic,astohavehisstatuesetupforapreserverofthenation.Butmyintentionisveryfarfrombeingconfinedtoprovideonlyforthechildrenofprofessedbeggars:itisofamuchgreaterextent,andshalltakeinthewholenumberofinfantsatacertainage,whoarebornofparentsineffectaslittleabletosupportthem,asthosewhodemandourcharityinthestreets.Astomyownpart,havingturnedmythoughtsformanyyears,uponthisimportantsubject,andmaturelyweighedtheseveralschemesofotherprojectors,Ihavealwaysfoundthemgrosslymistakenintheircomputation.Itistrue,achildjustdroptfromitsdam,maybesupportedbyhermilk,forasolaryear,withlittleothernou