(855) 4-ESSAYS

Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

Literary Analysis - A Modest Proposal


            In "A Modest Proposal," Jonathan Swift presents a literary work that attacks the vices of the English Protestants, Irish politicians, and even the naivety of the Irish themselves. Being a Protestant and native Irish himself, Swift proposes a mocking resolution to the dreadful state of Ireland in his piece. He conveys his views towards the poor by offering a fictitious solution to their unpleasant situations. He proposes the appalling idea of cannibalism among other evaluations upon his somewhat delusive explications. By the use of Swift's figure of speech, satire, and intricate details in "A Modest Proposal," he writes of unreal remedies to the real problems that Ireland possesses as a whole.
             The central argument in A Modest Proposal is his proposal to the poor of Ireland to halt themselves from being a burden on their country and its families by subversively replacing their actions with that of his. Which includes killing Irish infants for meals, insisting on the general idea of cannibalism. Although he is not entirely serious, he is somber about the concepts he writes of and is producing his underlying arguments in this essay. His suggestions ultimately form from the fact that during the potato famine, the poor Irish did not have a problem producing children. By this, he directly attacks the consumption craze in an extremist point of view. Swift highly tests the indifference of the people of Ireland progressing to the concepts of motivational values and morals.
             Although the author's work is very much fictional, this piece portrays a noteworthy criticism towards Ireland in itself. By using satire, Swift cleverly makes a proposal to better Ireland's conditions. With a strong presentation of satire, he mostly targets the upper class people of England who at the time mothers Ireland, oppressing and exploiting its poor people who are for the most part Irish Catholics. With his beliefs that every poor family has a price, he suggests that selling Irish infants at age one while they are "plump and healthy" will give a profitable source of income to the rapidly descending economy of Ireland.


Essays Related to Literary Analysis - A Modest Proposal


Got a writing question? Ask our professional writer!
Submit My Question