A Modest Proposal A Satirical Analysis

If one were to wander the streets of the Irish capital today, they would witness signs of urban decay, homelessness, drug abuse and uneducated, impoverished youths floating aimlessly around the inner city, left to fend for themselves by the Irish state. In relating to such, it is still incomprehensible that one of the greatest pieces of satire ever composed, Jonathan Swift’s ‘A Modest Proposal’ is still as relevant today in society as it was 285 years ago. Written in 1729, in an era of Irish history where Protestant absentee landlords ruled the roost, and Roman Catholic peasants left to starve at their hands, it is a scathing attack on the British establishment present in Ireland at the time. Swift empathised with the horrific scenes of poverty and decay of Catholics he …show more content…
He could see how easily the problem in Ireland could be fixed, and became aggravated at the heartlessness of the English, compelling him to write ‘A Modest Proposal’ focusing heavily on morality, ethics and the suffering of the Irish which he exposed in a satirical manner.
Swift was the master of satire using irony, sarcasm and witticism in this piece to poke fun at the ignorant in society. The Protestant absentee landlords are what motivated his work. Like leeches extracting blood, they profited immensely from the tithes they received, yet neglected to reinvest any of this money back into the Irish economy.
Even the title of this piece is satirical, with Swift proclaiming it modest, yet successfully arguing the case for cannibalism as a means of acquisition. Swift proposed that eating these Roman Catholic children was the only option available. All other options it seemed could not be considered. However it is not Swift that is proposing these murderous and malevolent ideas. He is putting forward the ideas that could help Ireland practically and speaks about the destitute scenes with