Analysis Of A Modest Proposal By Johnathon Swift

Johnathon Swift is often referred to as one of the most unconcealed satirical writers of the eighteenth century. Using irony and exaggeration in his writings, he makes it more evidently the extremes he would take to give his satirical views of society across to his readers. In what many would call one of Swift’s most bazar essays “A Modest Proposal,” he would show just how far he was willing to do so. In his own remarks on Swifts proposal C.J Rawson commented, “The form of title is that of many 'modest proposals ' and 'humble petitions ' which appeared in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, 'dealing with economic problems, particularly with problems concerning population, labor, unemployment, and poverty” (2). Swift

Swift may have titled his proposal “A Modest Proposal”, it was very much anything but modest. Swift started out his proposal with what seemed as great concern for the Ireland citizens and their overpopulation issue, but when it became more clear of his idea to fix the problem readers quickly questioned his proposal. Presenting some of the most disturbing ideas in English history, most people quickly knew that Swifts main purpose of his proposal was anything but serious and much deeper than to address Ireland’s population issue. However, the main concern people had was his method of getting his opinion across. Many people questioned that even not been literal with his idea of harvesting young children, how could a person begin to come up with such in depth information on doing so. In one of his lines Swift stated, “Those who are more thrifty may flay the carcass, the skin of which, artificially dressed, will make admirable gloves for ladies and summer boots for fine gentleman” (2433), almost bringing readers sick to their stomach with such a horrible thought. How one could even make joke of killing an innocent child and then harvesting their flesh as if they were some wild animal, some would even say. While other would refer to Swift simply as a madman who had obviously lost communication and moral ethnics of society and what it stood for. Some would even bring up the fact that Swift not being a father to any children having effect on his mad work as well. With that,

Although Swift obviously decided to take a different approach of giving his satirical view about the Irish government and people and the route things had taken, his forever known proposal on fixing the issue will always be known to the Ireland community. Even though it is still debated on what Swift may have truly expected on getting out of such a disturbing proposal, it can be agreed that the attention from the Ireland people was one of them. Upsetting numerus amounts of people swift can stilled be titled brave and courageous from his proposal. It is still believed by many however, that Swift’s proposal was to express his personal dislike for the Ireland people, but this as well can be argued. The initial idea however from Swifts work is that he took his literature expertise into his own beneficial use. Knowing Ireland’s history with cannibalism, Swift simply used the information in his favor in such a disturbing way to assure he would get their attention. Swift will always be known for his courageous yet extremely risky method on addressing critical issues to the Ireland community and bringing them to their attention