Critical Analysis of Johnathan Swift’s a Modest Proposal

Introduction: The satirical essay “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift is narrated in the 1700. Swift was an actively political, educated person and, because of this, his writing delivered the same political stance he had. In this writing, he addresses the problems his country, Ireland, is facing due to the elevated numbers of poverty. Background: He also talks about the issues that cause this, and the reasons for this not being a logically or easily solvable problem. Additionally, he gives the reader a visual example of the streets of the country, which are “crowded with beggars” (Swift 377). Thesis statement: He explains the difficulties of trying to improve this people’s economic or living status, because this is a growing, worsening situation. The publication talks about Swift’s suggestion for eradicating or minimalizing the country’s poverty, by selling a percentage of the children born from poor families to be eaten. His writing expects the reader to understand this is a satirical writing, not to be taken literally, and to act against the problems addressed.

Topic sentence: When this text was first published, it was to be read by the very people of Ireland. Evidence & citing: This group can be generally divided in two: the rich and the poor, the former which was the intended audience for this document. The residents of Ireland who had no problem handling the costs of the bearing and upbringing of their children were the primary target for Swift’s writing. When first reading this essay, it may come as a surprise when Swift mentions the way he plans to fix the poverty issue. Commentary: From reading the article, it can be supposed that what is to be taken seriously is the problem discussed and not the solutions proposed. By writing this way, Swift hoped to inspire the reader to help rebuild the economy and society in a way that was beneficial to all, not only the upper class, as it had been previously done. Keeping his intention in mind, he explained, in a sarcastic tone, the benefits of feeding off of the children.

This essay took place in Ireland during the 1700 and was written in response to the deteriorating economic circumstances the country suffered and Swift's awareness of the indifference of the Irish people. Evidence & citing: The text highlights the abundance of poor people and families, and the fact that they were bringing numerous children into the same conditions. Swift’s response to this was to sell the children to rich families as food and clothing material. Commentary: Poverty was not an isolated event, nor was it exclusively from one country, region, race, or ethnicity. People from all over the world were suffering this misery and its consequences, which have been catastrophic and infinite. Although it might be hard to interpret at first, this message can be widely understood because of poverty spreading throughout, not only countries, but the world.

Topic sentence: Swift’s writing addresses, on several levels, poverty, overpopulation, social indifference, and the attitude towards the poor. Evidence & citing: He describes poor people as “all in rags and importuning… strolling, to beg for sustenance” (Swift 377). He explains that poverty is one major cause for theft, because it creates the need for what someone is missing, while minimizing the opportunity of getting a remunerating job. Swift continues by talking about the desperation that emanates from seeing the streets crowded with beggars, describing it as a very great grievance. He elaborates on this topic by saying that children born from poor families are a burden to their families and the country. He explains that from the time a baby is born to the age of one, it can be supported by the mother’s milk. After this, it might become impossible for low income families to provide for a child, and this is where Swift’s proposition comes from. He introduces the idea that a fraction of the children born from impoverished families should be sold to the wealthy as food.

Topic sentence: As his essay progresses, Swift touches on the topic of overpopulation. Evidence & citing: He expresses his proposal by offering statistical evidence of the children born that could be sold. By calculating and rounding from the general population, subtracting the number of families able to provide for themselves, miscarriages, and accidents, “there remain a hundred and twenty thousand children of poor parents annually born” (Swift 378). Commentary: He claims that his proposition will help decrease the number of abortions. Swift expects his proposal will positively affect the country in a tremendous manner. Firstly, it would diminish the number of children crowding the streets. By selling these infants, the parents would have an additional income that could potentially come annually, which would eventually decrease the number of beggars in the streets. Swift assures that there is no other viable option but encourages the reader to try to find another solution that settles each of the issues his own proposal does.

Topic sentence: Another topic recurrent in Swift’s essay is that of the attitude society holds towards the poor. Evidence & citing: He explains that by selling these babies to the people of the same country, it will boost the internal economy. He elaborates on this by stating that, by having the money circulate among the country, “the nation’s stock will…be increased fifty thousand pounds per annum” (Swift 381). Aside from this, Swift affirms there would be other economic advantages. The selling of these babies would not only bring economic relief for the lower class, it would also benefit the upper class, which is what those people would look for when attempting any national change. He continues by offering several different dishes that could be made from the babies, many of which would be mainly only affordable for the rich. This is mentioned because Swift supposes that the readers will care about the benefits more than they care about the current state of these people. Commentary: This illustrates the indifference Swift perceived in his surrounding society.

Conclusion paragraph: Although Swift’s essay clearly states that his proposal is to sell children as food, his intentions are far from this. Swift is clearly not suggesting that the people of Ireland actually eat their children, and so the task becomes one of identifying his actual argument. The proposal draws attention to the deterioration of the country as a whole by illustrating it in literal ways. The idea of overfeeding the poor to feed the rich exemplifies the social relations in Ireland. The language that equates the whole matter of these children to the preparation of livestock becomes more prevalent as the text continues. Swift implies a similitude between eating people and other ways in which people, or a nation, can be consumed and demolished. He hints in a highly literal way that the nation is eating itself, its people and its resources. Throughout the whole essay, Swift reminds the reader of the value systems that exist within Ireland's social and political division and the problems that each of them suffers.

Works Cited

• Swift, Jonathan. “A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of Poor People from Being a Burden to Their Parents or to the Country and for Making Them Beneficial to the Public.” Readings for Writers, 15th edition, Editors JoRay McCuen-Metherell and Anthony C. Winkler, Boston, MA: Cengage Learning, 2016, pp. 377-383.