What is the criticism?
A Modest Proposal Reading Guide
Imagine that suddenly 50% of people in Alabama were having a hard time feeding themselves, finding work, or doing anything but beg in the streets.
What could we as a society do to deal with their suffering?
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In Jonathan Swift’s time, when the people of Ireland were in a similar situation, the government didn’t do anything like that. In fact, 90% of the land was owned by the English, who charged such high rents that the Irish could barely afford to feed themselves. Some people in England made the argument that there were just too many people, and that as long as the government provided the poor with aid, the poor would continue to reproduce and not support themselves. These people argued that the simplest, and cheapest solution, would be instead to simply allow much of the Irish population to die off.
Why is this ironic?
What problem does he show in the beginning of the essay?
Now it’s time to take a deep look at the purpose of Swifts essay and identify how satire is used to Convey his point. Complete the chart below using the example as a guide.
| What’s the underlying problem that Swift is addressing? | |
| Swift’s Satirical Proposal | What is the criticism? |
| Example:
The children of the poor would make good food 20,000 should be kept as breeders, 1 of 4 being male The remaining 100,000 will be sold to rich people for eating Landlords should have first choice, given that they have already “devoured” the parents |
Example:
Swift satirizes the rich English landlords, by pretending to argue from their point of view. Swift pushes the attitudes of the English landlords, who are already exploiting and tyrannizing the Irish, to their logical extreme by suggesting that they now start eating the Irish children. |
| Now it’s your turn.
Be sure to use examples from the text to support your analysis of Swift’s ideas. |
|
| Swift’s Satirical Proposal | What is the criticism? |
| · Infant flesh would be more available in March, because of all the fish Catholics eat nine months beforehand for Lent
· Eating infants will make landlords popular, because they will be able to feed their friends; mothers would profit, and be able to work until pregnant again |
| The flesh of infants may be used as gloves and summer boots o Swift objects to eating girls as old as 14 because they would serve better as breeders, and because people would object that it is ‘a little bordering on cruelty” | |
| Although there are many suffering “aged, diseased,” or injured people, nothing needs to be gone for them because they are already dying “as fast as can be reasonably expected”
Poor Irish tenants, who have already sold their crops and cattle to pay the rent, will now be able to pay by selling their children |
|
| The sale of children will boost the economy, by much reducing the cost of raising children, and stimulating consumption at taverns
Mothers will love their children more, because they can now be sold profitably as food Husbands will now love their wives as much as they do the farm animals that are about to give birth |
|
| Swift says no one should talk to him about a long list of alternative solutions, most of them far more reasonable and humane, until there is “at least some glimpse of hope, that there will ever be some hearty and sincere attempt to put them into practice” |
| Many Irish parents would have preferred to have been eaten at one year old than have experienced the “perpetual” suffering caused by landlords, the impossibly high rents, and the lack of food, housing or clothes |
A Modest Proposal Reading Guide
Imagine that suddenly 50% of people in Alabama were having a hard time feeding themselves,
finding work, or doing
anything
but beg in the streets.
What could we as a society do to deal with their suffering?
In Jonathan Swift’s time, when the people
of Ireland were in a similar situation, the government
didn’t do anything like that. In fact, 90% of the land was owned by the English, who charged such
high rents that the Irish could barely afford to feed themselves. Some people in England made the
argu
ment that there were just too many people, and that as long as the government provided the
poor with aid, the poor would continue to reproduce and not support themselves. These people
argued that the simplest, and cheapest solution, would be instead to sim
ply allow much of the Irish
population to die off.
Why is this ironic?
What problem does he show in the beginning of the essay?
A Modest Proposal Reading Guide
Imagine that suddenly 50% of people in Alabama were having a hard time feeding themselves,
finding work, or doing anything but beg in the streets.
What could we as a society do to deal with their suffering?
In Jonathan Swift’s time, when the people of Ireland were in a similar situation, the government
didn’t do anything like that. In fact, 90% of the land was owned by the English, who charged such
high rents that the Irish could barely afford to feed themselves. Some people in England made the
argument that there were just too many people, and that as long as the government provided the
poor with aid, the poor would continue to reproduce and not support themselves. These people
argued that the simplest, and cheapest solution, would be instead to simply allow much of the Irish
population to die off.
Why is this ironic?
What problem does he show in the beginning of the essay?
