The Modern Proposal By: Jonathan Swift

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Critical analysis of Jonathan Swift’s “A Modern Proposal.”
In the late 1800s, Ireland faced the challenges due to conflicting ideologies that different intellectual and non-specialists perpetuated through their pamphlets. However, the controversial author Jonathan Swift went against all these odds to write his book “A Modern Proposal” to construct a different satirical proposal to the citizens of Ireland of the time. He rejects the evils of the state of Ireland and supports the ethical ideas. This paper will analyze the novel A Modern Proposal through the evaluation of the overpopulation and famine as the author describes them. The analysis is going to establish the extent of poverty and overcrowding as some of the factors that affected the development of most states in the seventeenth century.
Swift uses ridicule to fault the backward and filthy state of Ireland due to the springing of different social classes that are dictated by the ideologies of capitalists. He proposes that all the children of the desolate and the poor will play an important yet dehumanizing role providing the resources for the feeding and even clothing of many people in attempts to improve the economy of Ireland (868). The controversial author records that most women in Ireland of the days contributed actively to bringing forth children even without any good knowledge of how they are to feed them. In his perspective, Jonathan Swift feels that his proposal would make the babies more beneficial to the public regarding economic development (866).

In his view, Swift proposes these steps because Ireland of the time had extremely grim living standards. He consciously blames the politicians for making the poor to be in their status due to the apathy the politicians presented while making important economic decisions to remedy the situation. Swift, in his “A Modern Proposal,” utilizes rhetorical exaggeration, sarcasm, insincerity to bring out his hatred for the political class, papists, as well as the general public who have become poverty stricken until this period in history. However, one can easily say that the argument of this author is not serious due to his tone, satirical nature of the proposal, and the author’s insincerity.
In an in-depth analysis of “A Modern Proposal,” Swift seems not to blame only the Ireland people for the challenges they were experiencing as a state. He outlines that both the political class, English, and even the people themselves have all contributed to the terrible famine and eventual poverty-stricken nation. Swift categorically says that if a poor child goes through the critical years of childhood in Ireland, he/she will have no otherwise but to leave his/her native country and fight for James Stuart (who he calls the Pretender of Spain), sell themselves as slaves to Barbados (867). In other words, the author argues that even the people who leave their country did not only lack the sense of nationalism but also lacked pride in their country thereby leading to the country’s demise in the future. The political or social stratification is at its peak in destroying Ireland since the poor dearly provides for the rich everything they needed while themselves they suffer.
From this proposal, the reader gets the feeling of resentment towards the religious class whom the author calls the “papists” in this powerful essay. The thirteenth paragraph of this article informs Swift’s view that more Catholic woman gives birth to children nine months after Lent. The fact that he feels will lead to a market flooded with infants and no adults to direct them to what is right.

Jonathan Swift later says that “A Modern Proposal” will bring about one collateral advantage in reducing the population of the so-called religious individuals who are not only involved in the dirty deals of famine but also in making the citizens of Ireland more miserable than before (869). In this one can quickly conclude that the hatred that the citizens have towards the papists is expressed through accepting to reduce the number of children being born since it will lead to the reduction of the population of the Catholics in the long run. It is from these statements that the reader can find himself buying the arguments that the main cause of famine and poverty in Ireland in the seventeenth century was the ideologies perpetuated by the religious class – Catholics. Also, the fact that Jonathan Swift was an Anglican priest show that the Protestants came up with the ideas of prosperity in the economy of Ireland contrary to the Catholic Church that had previously drained the economy of its flesh. Here, the reader is forced to take Swift’s point of view since politics of religion is always loaded with spirituality and other strong persuasive views.
Similarly, the confrontation that Ireland experienced from England was also a major cause of annoyance in the views of this author. He observes that England imposed heavy taxes on the Irish in addition to depriving them of their resources. In the text, Jonathan Swift describes how England exploited Ireland when he states;
Let no individual address me about the issues related to taxes, household furniture, clothing…except what is locally grown and manufactured…nothing will be of curing the high cost of idleness, pride, gaming in our women, and vanity (872).
From the above statements, Swift wants Irish to stand against English intimidation, work towards making their country independent and also solve their national economic woes. Swift’s bitterness towards the other countries taking advantage of Ireland goes overboard when he refers to Americans as cannibals. He outlines that, to America, the young healthy baby (London) is their most delicious wholesome food (869). In short, Swift plays the blame game on the state of famine and poverty in Ireland – he blames others.
The author of “A Modern Proposal” is not only unserious but also dishonest in his presentation of arguments. He proposes that people should consume (eat) who are innocent and are not aware of any problems in the society. Similarly, his ability to talk about eating children so openly and freely would make the readers think that he must be seriously joking. He proves his jokes when he says that he “does not have personal interest” in slaughtering the children of Ireland for food (873).
Swift joins different arguments in “A Modern Proposal” that gives the reader an “ambivalence” association with the speaker. He at that point says that women are “constrained” to spend “all their chance” strolling about the avenues of Ireland asking for “sustenance for their defenseless baby” (867). He demonstrates the discrimination against the poor women and their babies. The solid words “constrained” and “defenseless” influences the reader to feel sensitivity towards the moms and youngsters. It likewise makes a solid bond and trust between the speaker and the reader.
Swift shocks the readers with his views that the women of Ireland should sell their children so that Ireland can benefit from them. Here the author feels that the infants play no role in the development of Ireland and in selling them, the country can get some revenue. The proposal is however ridiculous since Swift does not even organize his views clearly so that the readers can know how dangerous he is in his arguments. He instead uses irony to ridicule whatever is happening in Ireland. Irony is the contradiction of the meaning from the actual words from the speaker. For instance, he says that women should sacrifice the innocent babies to improve the living standards in Ireland by preventing voluntary abortion and killing of babies (868). He tells the readers that women of Ireland abort babies due to lack of financial support.
Once the substantial obligation of trust has been constructed, Swift rapidly utilizer a few expressions and terms that dehumanize people and compares them to creatures. He says “an infant dropped from its dam” to dehumanize woman and compares them to creatures by the way they bring forth many children, apparently that creatures tend to have various youthful (867). He utilizes reproducer to influence a lady to appear as their lone reason in life is to deliver kids and thus, pitch them to the market as a “delicacy.” (869). Another regular term utilized all through the content is “reproducer.” Here, Swift analyzes ladies to domesticated animals and gives the reader an understanding of reference to how a rancher would evaluate how to give birth their infants. He discusses youngsters and ladies as animals and dehumanizes them.
Works CitedSwift, Jonathan. A Modest Proposal and Other Prose. Barnes & Noble Publishing, 2004.