3. a Modest Proposal - Presentation 1 (1)

A Very Quick
Overview of “A
Modest
Proposal”
Full Title: A Modest Proposal For
preventing the children of poor people in
Ireland, from being a burden on their
parents or country, and for making them
beneficial to the publick.
Author: Jonathan Swift
Year of Publication: 1729

Occasion &
Purpose
• Published in 1729 after years of drought, made
worse by crop failure, caused 1000’s of Irish to
starve to death.
• Suffering of poor & starving Irish ignored by
English landowners.
• This satirical essay was Swift’s response to the
tragedy.
• Purpose: to bring attention to the problem.
Historical background
Ireland was under the control of England for close

to 500 years and was denied union with England.
As a result, Ireland continued to suffer under trade
restrictions and lack of resources.
This situation led Swift to write this satirical essay.
Background/Context
• In the 12th Century Anglo-Norman (British) groups invaded Ireland.
• The English established their own laws and created a parliament.
• King Henry VII (ruled 1485-1509) established strict laws for Ireland.
• King Henry VIII (ruled 1509-1547) attempted to transform Ireland
•
from a Catholic country to an Anglican country.
• Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, and King James all forced the Anglican
religion on the Irish.
• Oliver Cromwell (Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England,
Scotland, and Ireland) invaded Ireland in 1649 with an army of 10,000
men. He executed 2,000 Irish and banished Catholic land owners .
English Laws
Several laws, explicitly designed to reduce Catholicism’s standing as the dominant religion in
Ireland, were introduced. A Sample of these laws:
• Catholics banned from Public Office or Parliament
• Catholics banned from intermarriage with Protestants
• Catholics were not allowed to vote
• Catholics banned from University entrance
• Catholic inheritances could be claimed by Protestants
• Catholics banned from owning a horse worth more than 5 pounds
• Catholic churches to be built from wood, not stone, and not on main roads
Genre
Satire
• A style of literature that uses humor to point out human folly (foolish
behavior) and vice (bad habits) in order to bring about social change.
• The satire is written in a form that IMITATES a legitimate political

proposal.
• It calls for a solution to the problem of overcrowding and starvation in

Ireland… EATING THE BABIES!
• Swift is using HUMOR to point out the folly of the wealthy doing nothing
to help the starving lower classes …so he makes the most LUDICROUS
solution possible!
• He suggests eating babies to make people stop and think about

what they REALLY should do… He does not actually want them to eat
the babies…
Reasons of Writing “A Modest
Proposal”
• What if you had good ideas for solving a terrible social problem, but
no one would listen to you? How would you get peoples attention?
• Jonathan Swift faced such a situation in the late 1720s, when
starvation was widespread in Ireland.
• He wrote this savage piece of satire in 1729 in
response to the starvation that was rampant in his
home country of Ireland.
- Irish harvests had been poor for years.
- Farmers could not pay the rents demanded by
their English landlords.
- Beggars and starving children filled the
streets.
- England’s policies kept the Irish poor.
• His famous suggestion states that “…a 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
The Main Points of the Satire
• There are too many hungry people in the primarily Catholic nation of
Ireland…
• The English landlords are charging too much rent for families to be able to
live comfortably…the landlords are in essence “devouring” or eating up the
livelihood of the struggling parents.
• Swift suggests that a one year old child will make a lovely meal cooked in a
variety of ways!
• He gets in a subtle “dig” at America by suggesting that is where he got this

unique idea!
• He suggests in addition to eating the babies:
• Reserving 20,000 children for breeding purposes

The Main Points of the Satire
• 1 male to every 3 females (lucky guys!) The rest of the babies will
be put up for sale – offered FIRST to the LANDLORDS – as they have
already “devoured” the parents One baby can create four different
meals…and if one is especially crafty the skin can be used for gloves,
etc…
• Another advantage – according to Swift – is that by eating the

babies of the “Papists” or Catholics …that their numbers would be
decreased …which would make the more Protestant English society
happy!
• Swift ends his argument by saying “I have not the least personal
interest in endeavoring to promote this necessary work…I have not
children by which I can propose to get a single penny.”
The Message
• His REAL MESSAGE: the upper classes need to

LOOK at this problem…and come up with a
legitimate solution to deal with the suffering and
starvation in Ireland! (to use REASON and
LOGIC!)
• So, Swift was just trying to point out the folly

and vice of the upper classes!... in a classic
work of SATIRE!
Style
A Modest Proposal is a classic example of persuasive
writing used for the purpose of satire. Watch for these
persuasive techniques:
• Logical appeals (Logos) use evidence such as facts

or statistics to support a position.
• Emotional appeals (Pathos) use words that arouse
strong feelings.
• Ethical appeals (Ethos) establish the writer's
sincerity and qualifications.
Swift makes his proposal all the
more outrageous and forceful by:
- assuming the voice of a practical economic
planner
- pretending to be objective, sensible, and

kind
- using a straightforward, sober style while
- presenting appalling content

Ultimately,
Swift is protesting against England’s lack of

compassion for the poor in Ireland. According to Swift,
a numerical or statistical view of poverty is unethical;
it reduces people to breeders and babies to meat.
Swift uses statistics in his proposal as a satirical

device.
He risks appearing as a monster himself in order to

expose the monstrous behavior of others.
Advantages of Swift’s
Proposal
I think the advantages by the proposal which I have
made are obvious and many, as well as of the highest
importance.
1. It would greatly lessen the number of Papists, with

whom we are yearly over-run, being the principal
breeders of the nation, as well as our most dangerous
enemies, and who stay at home on purpose with a
design to deliver the kingdom to the Pretender.
2. The poorer tenants will have something valuable of

their own, which … may … help to pay their landlord's
rent, their corn and cattle being already seized, and
money a thing unknown.
3. Whereas the maintenance of an hundred thousand children, from two
years old, and upwards, cannot be computed at less than ten shillings a piece
per annum, the nation's stock will be thereby increased fifty thousand pounds
per annum, besides the profit of a new dish, introduced to the tables of all
gentlemen of fortune in the kingdom, who have any refinement in taste. And
the money will circulate among our selves, the goods being entirely of our
own growth and manufacture.
4. The constant breeders, besides the gain of eight shillings sterling per
annum by the sale of their children, will be rid of the charge of maintaining
them after the first year.
5. This food would … bring great custom to taverns, where the tavern owners
will certainly be so prudent as to procure the best recipes for dressing it to
perfection; and consequently have their houses frequented by all the fine
gentlemen.
6. This would be a great inducement to marriage, which all wise nations have
either encouraged by rewards, or enforced by laws and penalties. It would
increase the care and tenderness of mothers towards their children … . We
should soon see an honest emulation among the married women, which of
them could bring the fattest child to the market. Men would become as fond
of their wives, during the time of their pregnancy … nor offer to beat or kick
them (as is too frequent a practice) for fear of a miscarriage.
Many other advantages might be enumerated. For instance, the
addition of some thousand carcasses in our exportation of
barreled beef: the propagation of swine's flesh, and improvement
in the art of making good bacon, so much wanted among us by
the great destruction of pigs, too frequent at our tables; which
are no way comparable in taste or magnificence to a well grown,
fat yearly child, which roasted whole will make a considerable
figure at a Lord Mayor's feast, or any other public entertainment.
But this, and many others, I omit, being studious of brevity.

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A Very Quick

Author: Jonathan Swift

Year of Publication: 1729

Ireland was under the control of England for close

• Catholics banned from intermarriage with Protestants

• Catholics were not allowed to vote

• Catholics banned from University entrance

• Catholic inheritances could be claimed by Protestants

• Catholics banned from owning a horse worth more than 5 pounds

• The satire is written in a form that IMITATES a legitimate political

• It calls for a solution to the problem of overcrowding and starvation in

• He suggests eating babies to make people stop and think about

• He gets in a subtle “dig” at America by suggesting that is where he got this

• He suggests in addition to eating the babies:

• Reserving 20,000 children for breeding purposes

• Another advantage – according to Swift – is that by eating the

• His REAL MESSAGE: the upper classes need to

• So, Swift was just trying to point out the folly

• Logical appeals (Logos) use evidence such as facts

- pretending to be objective, sensible, and

- using a straightforward, sober style while

- presenting appalling content

Swift is protesting against England’s lack of

Swift uses statistics in his proposal as a satirical

He risks appearing as a monster himself in order to

1. It would greatly lessen the number of Papists, with

2. The poorer tenants will have something valuable of

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