Jonathon Swift: A Modern Proposal

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Please see response attached (see some of response below as well). I hope this helps and take care.

RESPONSE:

A modest proposal shows Swift being very harsh towards essentially everyone. He is lashing out at the English for exploiting the Irish; he is lashing out at the Irish for allowing themselves to be exploited. Swift suggests some rather disturbing ideas to get people to think. One of his ideas is to sell poor peoples children when they reach the age of one to the meat market. By doing this they could combat poverty and overpopulation at the same time, the families could save money by not having to bring up their child and it would also deliver a tasty meal to the rich thus pleasing everyone. Swift goes into great detail about this, even citing prices one could ask and the projected consumption patterns. Swift is essentially saying that his plan will do more to help them than any idea that has ACTUALLY been suggested, which he views as a very sad thing. http://people.stu.ca/~hunt/33360405/writers/swift/plan.htm). However, through satirical language, pathos and visual images, Swift engages the reader's sympathy for the poor of society.

First, the reader is drawn to the image of women selling their bodies as "beggars of the female sex" while being followed "by three, four, or six children, all in rags and importuning every passenger for an alms." Instead of feeling shame about the mother being in the sex trade, the image conjures up sympathy and rage in the mind of the reader - rage at a society who does not provide for the poor. Indeed Swift's use of language is powerful, using verbs to suggest that the poor mothers, children, and fathers have indeed been "forced" to theses ends as evidenced here, "These mothers, instead of being able to work for their honest livelihood, are forced to employ all their time in strolling to beg sustenance for their helpless infants."

The image of children "begging for alms", while marching behind their mother also leaves an image of sadness and possibly one of hopelessness, as the future of these children is thrown before the reader "...who as they grow up either turn thieves for want of work, or leave their dear native country to fight for the Pretender in Spain, or sell themselves to the Barbados." Again, his use of language implies that these children "want to work" and a better life, but instead they are basically at the mercy of a heartless society.

To instill the larger view of impovishment in society, Swift goes on to include all "poor" ...