“A Modest Proposal” sheds light on the deplorable conditions that young children in the kingdom live in as Johnathan Swift uses quick wit to create a satirical work. He employs diction, motif and theme to create the satire that is evident throughout. Using such mechanisms, he excellently pulls off the task of creating an unfortunately humorous situation. As Swift speaks about the situation he uses poignant words which allude to his satirical tone. As the children grow to be a mature one-year-old, Swift suggests they, “shall on the contrary contribute to the feeding, and partly to the clothing, of many thousands.” And as youngsters they need not wait until adulthood to begin working they can certainly, “…pick up a livelihood by stealing… although …show more content…
I confess they learn the rudiments much earlier, during which time, they can however be properly looked upon only as probationers…” In making the modest proposal that the children learn to take care of themselves and begin stealing at the young age of six, Swift highlights the dilemma that is plaguing the kingdom.
Children run around without guidance and are often byproducts of a larger issue in that part of the country, prostitution. The awful truth is realized through his diction that those children are much better off being thieves that staying with their mother or father. In using a motif of poverty and deprivation, Swift pokes fun at the poor families in many cases. Often referring to wives as “breeders,” and the unfortunate children who, “…can neither employ them in handicraft or agriculture…” By placing the blame of the country’s stagnant poverty dilemma on the children, it becomes obvious that the kingdom is in a situation that is truly saddening as we see the neglected children. Satirical jokes about the poverty-stricken kingdom are aimed to bring light onto the underlying problems of poverty that go alongside prostitution and malnourishment. The somber tone of the story Is revealed through the satirical comments made by the narrator. The unfortunate comments about the children who can neither be employed
in, “handicraft or agriculture” or the prevention of, “those voluntary abortions, and that horrid practice of women murdering their bastard children,” creates a somber feel as readers realize this is no satire, but a true situation. The reality of the satire that the children run rampant through the streets as their mothers turn to prostitution is heartbreaking and dampens the reaction to the continual sarcastic remarks. In “The Modest Proposal” Johnathan Swift uses a mastery of satirical effect. This effect creates an illusion of a comber reality that encapsulated the poverty dilemma in 18th century Ireland. Somber undertones fluctuate around the satirical remarks made by Swift and serve to highlight the unfortunate reality that most people encountered in that period.
While the tone may range from playful to angry, satire generally criticizes in order to make a change. Exaggeration, parody, reversal, and incongruity are satirical devices. Author’s use satirical devices to strengthen their central idea.
Therefore, before an analysis can continue, one has to make the assumption that this is strictly a fictional work and Swift had no intention of pursuing his proposal any further. One of the other voices that is present throughout the entire story is that of sarcasm. In order to understand this further, a reader has to comprehend that Swift, becoming infamous after Gullivers Travels, was a member of the upper-class. Right from the first paragraph, Swift attempts to fool his readers by the sarcasm of the dreary scene that Swift presents. For example, he mentions that it is a melancholy sight to see beggars and their children on the street.
The issue is that there is a growing number of poor and starving women and children living on the streets of Ireland that are a burden to the public and the country. The context is that these homeless and starving women and children are left to fend for themselves on the streets. Jonathan Swift is making the argument from the point of a concerned citizen who has spent years among the poor in Ireland studying the situation and trying to come up with a solution. Johnathan Swift used the example that those who visit Ireland and see the streets crowded with women and children that are beggars conclude that Ireland is a very poor, overpopulated country full of beggars and that they look down upon their country that is in such poor shape. His bias is that as a citizen living in Ireland, he does not want to be looked down upon by other countries. His targeted audience seems to be the citizens of the country and those in higher up positions who ...
Jonathan Swift is a well-known author and satirist who graduated from Oxford University in England. He is very educ...
In his satire, A Modest Proposal, Swift utilizes hyperbole and sarcasm to bring awareness of the unacceptable conditions of the Irish poor in the 18th century.
The story itself is ironic since no one can take Swift’s. seriously consider the proposal. This irony is clearly demonstrated at the end of the story; Swift makes it clear that this proposal would not affect. him since his children were grown and his wife unable to have any more children. They are all children.
...lready devoured most of the parents, seem to have the best title to the children.” He tried to make the parents realize that the present they are living in will become the future of their children. Swift’s use of these appeals helped his audience to take such a ridiculous proposal as something serious. If one could see through the veil created by all the sarcasm and satirical diction they would see a man who only wants to aid his nation in its time of need
Swift begins his argument by stating his view on the situation and displaying his annoyance. He states, "It is a melancholy object to those who walk through this great town or travel in the country when they see the streets, roads, and cabin doors crowded with beggars of the female sex, followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags, and importuning every passenger for an alms" (Swift 1). He uses melancholic imagery for the readers to sympathize with the suffering children and to understand their situation. Similarly, Swift displays his disgust for the wealthy by stating that "There is likewise another great advantage in my scheme, that it will prevent those voluntary abortions, and that horrid practice of women murdering their bastard children… which would move tears in the most savage and inhumane beast" (1). He talks about abortion and shows how ghastly and disheartening the practice is. Clearly, Swift makes use of pathos to slowly gain the reader’s confidence in preparation for his appalling proposal. He knows that many will be emotionally affected by his proposal because no one would want their own c...
Jonathan Smith goes to extreme measures to explain his new plan to raise the economic wellbeing of his country. He explains what age is too young and what age is too old, in order to eat the tenants children when they are at their prime juiciness. He also gives a list of suggestions on how to cook them, ?A young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled, and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee, or a ragout.? All of this talk about eating children comes as a surprise because previous to this disturbing suggestion, Swift is ironically discussing the plight of starving beggars in Ireland. The reader is unprepared for the solution that he suggests.
Effectively ushering change in society or pointing out faults that have existed and gone unnoticed can be a daunting task for any social commentator. Often, blandly protesting grievances or concerns can fall upon deaf ears and change can be slow or non-existent. However, Jonathan Swift in his pamphlet A Modest Proposal, uses clever, targeted, and ironic criticism to bring the social state of Ireland to the attention of indolent aristocrats. He accomplishes such criticism through satire, specifically Juvenalian satire. Swift’s A Modest Proposal stands as an example of the type of satire that plays upon the audience’s emotion by creating anger concerning the indifference of the voice created. He complements such criticism with sophisticated, clever language which may be mistaken for the more docile Horatian satire. Yet, this urbane voice, coupled with irony and the substance of the proposals accentuates Swift’s motive to use anger as a force for action. Through his absurd/humorous proposals, stinging irony, and use of voice, Swift effectively portrays A Modest Proposal as a Juvenalian satire designed to stir emotions concerning the social state of Ireland.
...erprivileged mothers who strive to take care of their children but do not have the resources to do so. Lastly, Swift states that for want of work, the children of the impoverished Irish “either turn thieves, or leave their dear native country, to fight for the Pretender in Spain, or sell themselves to Barbados.” Swift makes the reader feel sympathy towards the impoverished children who are forced to make a living for themselves by any means necessary at a young age. Swift’s use of gripping word choice to describe the living conditions of the impoverished Irish effectively puts both emphasis and pity on their situation while also making the reader despise those who do not care about the poor.
The University of New York. (1977) The 'Secondary' of the The Writings of Jonathan Swift: Authoritative Texts, Backgrounds, Criticism.
This book focuses on the way Swift employs fictional devices into his satires, and argues that it is this ability that allows gives his literature the great subtelty it posseses.
Bullitt, John M. Jonathan Swift and the Anatomy of Satire. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1966.
Another important feature of Swift’s prose is that he uses the common touch. In other words, everybody can understand his language that is why even children can read his books with so much enjoyment. Also, Swift addresses people as rational and political beings, making them his equals. For example, in Drapier’s Letters Swift uses the same language of the class which he is addressing i.e. rough and shrewd. Swift doesn’t write long sentences or speeches or difficult words. And he familiarizes with the people by using their own simple and at times coarse language.