Devouring Ireland: A Marxist reading of A Modest Proposal
Philosopher Karl Marx once wrote that “the history of all previous societies has been the history of class struggles” (Marx). This was the case in 18th century Ireland. For years, the British had been oppressing the Irish in every way imaginable. Johnathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal takes a satirical look at the issue. His proposal is basically that Irish parents should “fatten up” their children and sell them at market to the British for food. The narrator, or the proposer in this case, claims that the Irish people are so desperate that this is the only viable solution. This proposal would combat overpopulation and poverty at the same time, with absolutely no drawbacks (Swift). Though
Philosopher Karl Marx once wrote that “the history of all previous societies has been the history of class struggles” (Marx). This was the case in 18th century Ireland. For years, the British had been oppressing the Irish in every way imaginable. Johnathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal takes a satirical look at the issue. His proposal is basically that Irish parents should “fatten up” their children and sell them at market to the British for food. The narrator, or the proposer in this case, claims that the Irish people are so desperate that this is the only viable solution. This proposal would combat overpopulation and poverty at the same time, with absolutely no drawbacks (Swift). Though