A Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift

Jonathan Swift’s article “A Modest Proposal” (1729) discusses Ireland’s ailments and how the English are oppressing the Irish. Swift discusses a possible solution to Ireland’s poverty, proposing a plan to sell off Irish babies to the English. Swift’s purpose by making this satirical proposal is to shock the English into seeing how oppressive they are, in order to bring about change in Ireland. The critical tone of Swift’s writing leads me to believe that this article is intended namely for the English, who he hopes will consider change after reading his article. Swift opens his essay by briefly discussing the situation and the problems in Ireland. Swift then begins to introduce his plan of selling off Irish babies to the wealthy English, speaking of the Irish as though they are made to seem like animals, reared only for food. In line with this, he lists six advantages to selling off Irish children as food, explaining how they could benefit both the English and the Irish. Swift then makes several remarks by which he hopes to make the English look barbaric and cruel, saying “...perhaps I could name a country which would …show more content…
His entire proposal of selling off children to the English is an appeal to pathos, as there really is no better way to get to people’s emotions than by mentioning babies. The idea itself should evoke a sense of horror from both the Irish and the British. By reading this, the Irish will realize that the English have more power than they should, giving them the drive to finally overthrow the oppressive English. The English on the other hand, might finally realize how poor and helpless the Irish are, which is emphasized by the quote “...how will they be able to find food and raiment for a hundred thousand useless mouths and backs,” (707). It is an excellent way to ring clear with both groups, as it leads both the English and the Irish towards a united understanding of how to fix