FREE ESSAY ON A MODEST PROPOSAL

A MODEST PROPOSAL

A Modest Proposal was a satirical essay written by Jonathan Swift depicting the horrific
conditions of Ireland and the lives of the Irish people in 1729. The author portrays and
attacks the cruel and unjust oppression of Ireland by its oppressor, the mighty English
and ridicules the Irish people at the same time. However, Swift's opposition is
indirectly presented. Jonathan Swift is able to do so by using the persona, irony, and
wit in order to expose the remarkable corruption and degradation of the Irish people, and
at the same time present them with practicable solutions to their unscrupulous and
pathetic lives. The author uses a satire to accomplish his objective not only because he
is able to conceal his true identity but also because it is the most effective way to
awake the people of Ireland into seeing their own depravity.
Swift creates a fictional persona because by hiding his true identity he is able to
convince the readers of the significance of Ireland's problem and allow them to see truth
and reality. The persona is a concerned Irishman who is very intelligent, sound, and
serious. He appears to be a brute and a monster for proposing something evil and immoral
very calmly as if it is normal to consume the flesh of another human being. What makes
his proposal to be even more depraved is that he proposes to eat the babies. The persona
declares, and at exactly at one year old that I propose to provide for them, in a such a
manner as, instead of being a charge upon their parents, or the parish, or wanting food
and raiment for the rest of their lives, they shall, on the contrary, contribute to the
feeding and partly to the clothing of many thousands. The persona justifies his proposal
with numerous reasons. Besides the prevention of voluntary abortions and infanticide, it
will also prevent the loss of money for maintenance of children and the abuse of women
and children. The number of Papists would be reduced and the children will not become
beggars, thieves, or prostitutes. The proposal will aid in the increase in the status of
the peasantry, promote love, and care from the mothers towards their children. However
the persona alone is inadequate to make the narrator seem too plausible. The persona must
utilize irony and wit in order for his essay to be more efficacious.
A Modest Proposal is so effective and appealing because of the authors' copious uses of
irony throughout his essay. The title itself is definitely ironic. It provides the reader
with false expectations of decency and sensibility on the part of the writer. The
butchery of innocent babies and the use of their skin for clothing is way beyond being
modest. It is brutal and insane. The proposal is intended to shock and throw the reader
off balance. The narrator also ridicules the Irish. His proposal would be a great
incentive for marriage, not because the Irish will marry for the expected reasons, of
love and happiness. Instead they will marry for money. As the persona pronounces, this
would be a great inducement to marriage, which all wise nations have either encouraged by
rewards or enforced by laws and penalties. Moreover, this proposal if put into effect
would aid in establishing love and care in families, between spouses and towards the
children. The mother would provide her babies with better nourishment. Since, plump, fat,
and juicy babies are worth more than the lean and abused ones. The husbands will become
fond of their wives and refrain from abusing them, to avoid a possible miscarriage.
Furthermore, normally the child is introduced to Christianity to celebrate his or her
birth and introduction to Christianity. However, ironically Christenings will celebrate a
baby's impending death. The baby must be murdered in order for the parents to profit.
Thus, the primary motive of the Irish is money. The persona's ingenious display of irony
serves a purpose for attacking, scorning, and exposing the vices of the Irish people. 
The narrator's brilliant and clever use of wit is definitely noteworthy throughout A
Modest Proposal. In order to make cannibalism sound like the most practicable solution,
the author wisely uses his wit. He is implying that cannibalism cannot possibly be more
barbaric and unethical than what the Irish are already doing to themselves. Swift is
reproaching the Irish for their indolence and pride. The people of Ireland are being
reviled and scorned for their lack of action in order to mitigate the current
circumstances. The narrator proclaims,  for we can neither employ them in handicraft or
agriculture; we neither build houses, nor cultivate land. The responsibility of being
oppressed is blamed on the Irish more than on the oppressors, the English. Incredibly,
the narrator is able to enthrall the readers' attention through his accurate use of
sarcasm and mockery.
What makes the persona so credible is the precise and skillful use of diction and wit.
The author characterizes the mothers as breeders, swine, and cattle. The children are
described as numbers, statistics, and debased to mathematical computations. The author
does so shrewdly, because statistics are facts and the truth in peoples' minds. The
narrator writes, the number of souls in Ireland being usually reckoned one million and a
half. Then further goes on, the question is how this number shall be reared, and provided
for. People are living like animals and are dehumanized. The persona is also plausible
because he appears to have everything planned and well researched. He even goes into
specific details. The narrator's states, a young healthy child well nursed is at a year
old a most delicious, nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or
boiled, and I make no doubt that it will serve in a fricassee, or a ragout. The
brilliance in the use of witticism and sarcasm by the persona play a critical role in
awakening the Irish to the physical existence of their debauched environment.
By convincing the people of Ireland to reform, Jonathan Swift proved his satire A Modest
Proposal to be an effective means for accomplishing his intent. The people of Ireland
went through a stage of awakening due to Swifts' scintillating portrayal of their
corrupted, exploited, and dehumanized lives. The satire gave the Irish a better scope on
the reality. They were able to see the severity of their crisis and that they were
complicit on their oppression. Jonathan Swift fabricated a fictional character in order
to persuade the readers to approach his essay and his proposal with endmost seriousness.
However once Swift took off his mask, the readers finally realized that they were being
derided and scolded. Once Swift took off his mask he stopped his criticism and presented
the Irish with applicable solutions. All he wants the Irish people to do is tax their
absentees, purchase only Irish goods, become more wise and thrifty with money, and be
less haughty, futile, and indolent. Also, Swift asked the landlords to be more lenient on
their people. Furthermore, Swift impelled and inspired the Irish into rebelling by
presenting them with feasible solutions to cease the anguish of Ireland's people.