Prejudice In A Modest Proposal

Social constraints and prejudice placed on people by society had and still have substantial effects. This allows ignorant people to develop preconceived notions and judgments of individuals based on what society have deemed them to be. The struggle for equality can push people to break away from barriers; however, many tend to stick within the framework that society has constructed for them due to the constraints that they place on themselves. Both Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” and Virginia Woolf’s “Shakespeare’s Sister” develop fictional characters that deal with the serious issues of society that are still present today. Swift proposes the solution of consuming Irish infants to England’s overpopulation problem, which at first seems serious but later becomes evidently clear that it is satirical. Woolf also tackles a major issue through the character of …show more content…
He proposes a solution that would be beneficial to everyone, which consist of the selling and consumption of Irish children. He goes into great detail of his proposal describing the many ways the children can be prepared and made into other goods as well. Seeming to be so ridiculous, it is clear that the essay is satirical; however, his argument is so detailed that it would cause some readers to believe that Swift is being serious. Like Swift, Woolf also dives into the topic of society constraints. She touches on the issue of women and their inferiority to men because of their sex. She conveys the message that it “would have been impossible . . . for any woman to have written the plays of Shakespeare in the age of Shakespeare.” Woolf portrays this through her character of Judith Shakespeare who eventually commits suicide because of this disparity. Both Swift’s and Woolf’s essay even through published decades ago still vividly portray the frustrating truth that people have to face because of who they are even in today’s