A Swift Attack on the British Government

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how, in his work, "A Modest Proposal", Swift reflects the plight of the stereotypical poor Irish Catholic back upon the reader with intentions of provoking antipathy, while remaining totally practical throughout the piece. It discusses how the true victim of his attacks, besides the children, is the hypocrisy of the oppressive English governing body and how, by laying out his proposal and its benefits in clear terms, Swift attempts to appeal to the morality of the reader in the most unorthodox of ways, begging for social reform; his satirical wit and use of dramatic irony attacks the idiosyncrasies of British government that led to the conditions that plagued Ireland in the early 18th century.

From the Paper:

"Swift's proposal for social reform, on the surface, is a simple one: the thousands of children born of the poor Irish Catholic mothers should be bred and sold solely to be killed and eaten. Right from the beginning, Swift paints a dreary scene of the life of an Irish peasant. The narrator then continues, calmly and rationally, statistically justifying his outrageous scheme and its benefits to all. First, the eating of the poor children would foremost alleviate the overpopulation of "the papists" (Irish Catholics). Second, the "production" of such valuable commodities can be used to barter for rent, and increase the quality of life for the poverty-stricken families. Third, the state would reap the increase in revenue that would come from their sales, as well as the savings of the welfare dollars not spent on raising the children. Fourth, some women could make a healthy (and wealthy) living as child breeders."

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