Swiftian Irony In A Modest Proposal

Jonathan Swift’s writing reflects his personality in the sense that it is both playful and serious at the same time. This duality of playfulness and seriousness is especially evident in his pamphlet “A Modest Proposal.” The speaker of this text is not Swift, but instead, an anonymous figure that Swift uses as a vehicle to express his political views, poke fun at the British, and reveal his resentment of British policies toward the Irish. Straightforward and poignant in his assertions, the speaker proposes that the impoverished Irish people could alleviate their troubles of famine, poverty, and overpopulation by selling their babies as food for the rich. In reality, Swift is not advocating for children to be eaten; he is simply using the tool of irony in a humorous way to draw attention to the poor living conditions of the Irish and to expose England’s unwillingness to relieve them of their economic burdens.
Before Swift’s utilization of irony can be analyzed in depth, a clear definition of what Swiftian Irony consists of must …show more content…
However, when the text unfolds and the true horror and ridiculousness of the speaker’s suggestions is revealed, the overall impact of the combination of the light-hearted title and the gruesome content is very ironic. The audience realizes that the proposal is in no way “modest,” and is completely shocked, which is what Swift intended to happen all