A Modest Proposal Satire Analysis

Satire is defined as the use of humor and exaggeration to criticize politics or current issues. “A Modest Proposal” was written anonymously by Jonathan Swift in response to the current treatment and economic trouble of the Irish in the 1700’s. Jonathan Swift manages to encase his readers into a horrendous but feasible idea of murdering poverty-stricken children to be fed to the rich. He uses a well thought out process of supporting details, adhering to the people’s needs, and straightforward, heartless attitude that make him seem like an expert in is field. This is why his proposal was taken with more than a grain of sand. Jonathan Swift’s proposal was seen as a cure-all since it aided both the wealthy and the poor of the time. The first way that Jonathan Swift managed to keep readers’ attention was to connect with them on a common level. Seeing beggars in the streets and starving families was a

Swift explains how the children can be made into exquisite meals and the leftovers, like the skin, can be used for gloves. He has every detail laid out from the ages of the leanest meat, and he supports all his claims with vague references to friends in distance countries and strange historical facts. However, he cannot do anything to help the elderly, ill, and disabled, which is a downfall in his plan, but problems are expected. The overarching prejudice to the poor is the theme of this satire since the landlords and wealthy have already “devoured” and drained the poor of all their wealth and belongings (paragraph 1, Swift). The wealthy live at the expense of the poor, but they are so disconnected from the poor that they are willing to support the idea of killing children to benefit themselves. Swift references America as already being open to eating children showing that this barbaric scheme is found in other untamed countries that might need England’s guidance (paragraph 10,