A M ODEST P ROPOSAL A Rhetorical Analysis

A LITTLE BACKGROUND Ireland was under the control of England for close to 500 years and was denied union with England when Scotland received it in As a result, Ireland continued to suffer under trade restrictions and lack of resources. This situation led Swift to write the satirical essay, “A Modest Proposal.”

P AMPHLETS During this time many writers wrote and published pamphlets with proposals to solve the economic problems in Ireland. Swift’s tract parodied the style and method of these others. His purpose was to capture the audience whose indifference he believed was to blame for the situation and make them think of solutions.

A NALYSIS OF ESSAY Swift satirically expresses his anger towards Ireland’s colonial rule under England in the late 1770s, as well as the hypocrisy of the wealthy. He feels that Ireland is suppressed by English rule and ambivalent in their actions against their rule. It bothers him that Irish politicians, as well as the masses of poor, fail to mobilize on their own behalf.

P ARAGRAPHS 1-7 A NALYSIS Swift “hooks” the reader by referencing the common sight of beggar mothers with their children on their heels. His proposal deals with the problem of the children of this certain age whose parents are too poor to support them. He continues by using statistical data to increase the factuality (and credibility) of his argument.

P ARAGRAPHS 1-7 A NALYSIS Through Swift’s last comments – how the children do not work or support society -- he begins to work into his biting satire regarding the ineptitude of his own Irish people. Swift seems exasperated by the situation in his country and censures the poor while critiquing the upper society that enables them.

P ARAGRAPHS 1-7 A NALYSIS Initially, Swift’s argument seems to make sense. He speaks out against abortion infanticide – both of which most people would agree are not good things. But shortly he calls women “breeders,” which begins a comparison to the poor as animals – a comparison he continues later in the essay by suggesting that people should eat children in order to save pigs. His satire here shows how society views the poor during this time: they are less than animals.

P ARAGRAPHS 8-19 Swift quickly moves to the specifics of his “modest proposal.” He begins by discussing the price of meat, the delicacy of the aristocrat’s palate, and the availability of meat year round. Next, he digresses to a story of cannibalism and the elderly – a group he won’t give mention to since they will die off soon anyway.

P ARAGRAPHS A NALYSIS Swift believed that people would find the consumption of children abhorrent, and as a result, the reader would try to find the true purpose behind his proposal. This section calls attentions to the self-degradation of the nation… the idea of fattening up a child to feed a starving population paints a picture of a ill society. He also frames a critique of the Irish-Catholic who regard marriage largely as a union to breed. He also pokes fun at England’s consumption of all that is Ireland, although he never actually names the country.

P ARAGRAPHS A NALYSIS Who will benefit from Swift’s proposal? The rich will profit from the poor paying their debts and the national economy will thrive. The Aristocracy will have a delicacy to enjoy. The poor will receive money from the sales of their infants. Marriage and birth will be encouraged. Men will be encouraged to not beat their wives since they could miscarry. Exports of meat will rise, since the Irish will be eating their children.

P ARAGRAPHS A NALYSIS Swift denounces the absenteeism of landlords who live in far off countries, like England (where they spend Irish money.) Swift then moves away from the consumption of children to examine the reality of Irish economic problems. Many of the arguments presented here were real solutions to the problems, but they had been previously rejected so he proposes something outlandish.

P ARAGRAPHS A NALYSIS Like any good essayist, Swift knows there will be objections, so here he presents the opposition’s side. He offers a list of ideas that others have suggested, from rejecting foreign luxury to encouraging landlords to treat tenants with respect. He nears his conclusion by suggesting that if someone else has a better idea he would like to hear it, then ends ironically saying that he humbly asks his proposal be considered since his wife is not of child bearing age and his children are grown.