A Grand Satire (A modest Propo

A detailed Summary of A Grand Satire (A modest Propo

This essay will examine the use of satire within a great work of English literature, Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal." To do so one must first understand what is meant by satire. It is a trenchant use of wit, irony or sarcasm used to expose and discredit vice or folly. "A Modest Proposal" is just that, mocking the absentee British landlords who take great advantage of the Irish peoples.

The title itself holds a great deal of the humor. If it had been named A Grandiose Proposal it would obviously have lacked most of the shock to the reader. When first published it was handed out as a pamphlet to people on the street. With the title as it was no harm was seen in it. However, upon reading it a great deal of people must have been quite unnerved. The proposal within was to take the children of the poor Irish and selling them as a delicacy to the rich English. The comedy is quite clear now and shows the wonderful wit that Swift made use of.

The pamphlet itself was presented as a proposal "for preventing the children of poor people in Ireland from being a burden to their parents or country, and for making them beneficial to the public."(2473) This introduction is quite mild for the topic at hand. Yet this is a convention used th

"I have reckoned upon a medium that a child just born will weigh twelve pounds." There seems to be nothing at all wrong with this proposition of a newborn's weight at a glance. He has come upon this average, most likely through scientific means, or so one would be led to think. Yet a twelve pound baby is quite unimaginable. Most one would think to be close to seven pounds and some odd ounces. A twelve-pound child would be quite an unnatural birth.

There are times when the sarcasm becomes too pointed. He steps too far and almost takes a swipe directly at the people he is arguing against. "I grant this food will be... very proper for the landlords, who, as they have already devoured most of the parents, seem to have the best title to the children." The landlords who take economic advantage of the Irish and leave them to live in horrible conditions are brought to the brunt of the argument. Swift is telling exactly what is wrong with the situation in Ireland.

The way in which the subject is approached is wholly scientific, lending it an air of believability. " I calculate there may be about two hundred thousand couples whose wives are breeders."(2474) His reference to the women as "breeders" lends an animal quality to them. It says that they are nothing more than livestock. Which is exactly how he sees them being treated. The pamphlet continues through figures without one atom of fact. This heightens the satire as he writes out his arithmetic on how many children the country will yield for wholesale in a year. At which time of year the market will boom is also detailed. "Infant's flesh will be in season throughout the year but more plentiful in March." Reasoning for this is attributed to a so-called eminent French physician. The eminent physician was actually Francois Rabelais, who is also a satirist. He purports to call on the knowledge of Americans that children are good stewed, baked boiled and that there are many other ways to cook them. Throughout all he keeps the same matter-of-fact tone, stating these things to make them horrible yet quasi-believable.

Swift also makes a stab at anoth

Some common words found in the essay are:
Francois Rabelais, Grandiose Proposal, James II, Modest Proposal, Finally Swift, March Reasoning, Irish English, American French, , modest proposal, Edward Stewart, children poor, advantage irish, poor people, poor irish, french physician, absentee landlords, rich english, pay landlords,

Approximate Word count = 1422
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English