Situational Irony In A Modest Proposal

A Modest Proposal: Swift’s Satirical Approach

Almost a quarter of the global population, 23 percent, live below the US$3.65 poverty line, and nearly half, 47 percent, live below the US$6.85 poverty line, as reported in the 2022 Poverty and Shared Prosperity report (Christensen, “Poverty”). In A Modest Proposal, a satirical essay written by Dr. Jonathan Swift, he suggests an extreme solution to overpopulation and poverty in Ireland during the 18th century. At first glance, the presented solution in the essay seems callous, but in reality, it is a parody of the mistreatment endured by the Irish by the British government. The different elements of satire used by Swift in A Modest Proposal support his extensive argument while criticizing the social

The situational irony of the entire proposal suggests that Irish children who were born to poor families have no value and should instead “contribute to the feeding, and partly to the clothing of many thousands”(Swift, “Proposal”). The narrator’s proposal emphasizes the lack of use that society places on poor children and then presents a solution on how they can begin to benefit the population. While the proposed solution would stand to benefit no one, Swift uses irony to draw attention to the contrast between the supposed benevolent intentions of the British government and the actual harm they were inflicting on the Irish people. By highlighting this issue using situational irony, Swift critiques the moral values of the British regime and consequently exposes their lack of empathy for the suffering of the Irish

Swift uses sarcasm to suggest that selling children to be consumed as food is neither immoral nor unreasonable, but rather a logical and suitable solution to poverty and overpopulation. He further emphasizes this by writing “I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old a most delicious” (Swift “Proposal”.) By naming a source, Swift pushes to fuel the level of rationality behind his proposal but purposefully achieves the opposite by mentioning an American. During his time, Americans were viewed as ludicrous and barbaric, and the idea of eating children seemed to fit very well into their stereotype. By poking fun at America, Swift is able to further accentuate the level of injustice suffered by the Irish and implore the British government to come up with a sensible and humane