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Essays. Nonfiction. HTML: Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal is one of the earliest and most seminal satirical essays written in English. Having as an original title "A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of Poor People from Being a Burden on Their Parents or Country, and for Making Them Beneficial to the Publick," it expresses deep anger at the squalor and miserable conditions from which the Irish people was suffering in the eighteenth century. Swift ironically suggests that poor Irish families could sell their children to rich Englishmen as an ultimate solution to their miseries. The essay, which is generally characterized by a rather bitter, ironic and hyperbolic tone, provides details of how to convert the problem that Irish children represent into its own solution. He even dares to propose selling those children to meat markets to be served as food for the rich. He ironically gives a complete analysis about how this weird solution would help combat unemployment and overpopulation and boost the country's economy. What is worth noting, however, is that Swift does not put all the burden on the shoulders of English rulers, rich men and Irish politicians. Indeed, the essay also represents a work of self-criticism where the Irish masses are equally blamed for not being able to help themselves..… (more)
User reviews
A most notable work of art whose only sin is that of brevity. An admirable solution in times of trouble which transcends space and time and should be seriously pondered by all great and not-so-great minds alike in order to solve the concerns of our modern society.
I think I should probably re-read it sometime now that I do have an idea what it is about; I didn't like it much, but part of that is because it was so different from what I expected, and that I really thought it was terrible at first, before realising it wasn't serious.
Then again, it is really well done, seeing as it did fool me at first...
A mixture of satirical and semi-realistic essays with some poetry thrown in, A Modest Proposal
I did feel like, because of the time and context, some of the finer points of the satire went over my head but his
A neat and tidy example of satire.
This satirical essay is short, and straight forward in it’s implication. The humor and irony is both in the subject matter and in his style of delivery. He writes in concise, business like language which makes his proposal all the more shocking when revealed. He also backs up his proposal with specific data about the positive effects this practice would have, both on the poor families and on Ireland’s complex social, political and economic systems.