Although something seems one way to the narrator, Jonathan Swift wants the reader to see it in an opposite light. Swift's opposition is indirectly presented. The author uses 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 deprivation.
Firstly, the narrative voice begins the essay by describing the horrible conditions in which the Irish peasants are living. He demonstrates there is a serious problem with a great need for a solution. He then suggests a solution and then lists a whole list of advantages. His proposal of eating the Irish babies is followed by advantages such as "by the sale of their children, [the parents would] be rid of the charge of maintaining them after the first year". To a poverty stricken person this would take a huge load off of their shoulders by not having to raise a child, while at the same time making money off of them to better support themselves and lifestyle.
“I grant this food will be somewhat dear, and therefore very proper for landlords, who, as they have already devoured most of the parents, seem to have the best title to the kitchen” is a quote that shows a prime example of Swift’s sarcasm. This line is trying to show the upper-class that since good living conditions have not been provided for people to live in and the children that are born of this poverty stricken people will only live to be as poor, or worse, than their parents. This line also suggests that the children will be very expensive if the upper-class chooses to buy them, which in a way is getting back at the upper class and rulers for neglecting the homeless and poverty stricken.
Towards the end of Swift’s essay, the reader begins to see his true ulterior motives behind writing such an inhumane proposal. “Therefore I repeat, let no man talk to me of these and the expedients, till he hath at least some glimpse of hope that there will ever be some hearty and sincere attempts to put them in practice.” This is a brilliant choice of words by Swift. It is not until then that the reader can really realize that the narrator is not serious about eating and selling children. Here we see that he is trying to point out the things that need to change to make Ireland a better place. He is using sarcasm and wit throughout the whole proposal, up until this point.
Economic advisors to governments ought to be tied down and made to read Swift's proposal. His blackly intelligent satire is as sharp today as the day it was when it first published. Just imagine how it would go over in today’s world if during the next presidential election this was one of the proposals of the candidates.
Picture this. The next presidential candidate for the United States presidency asks welfare citizens to eat their children so they can escape poverty. Not only would the opponent win a landslide victory, but the candidate that suggested such an awful and anomalistic act would probably be hounded and hunted by the rich and poor alike. Jonathan Swift disgusted and humored many people from his time when he wrote this essay. For goodness sake, he asks parents in Ireland to eat their children for they are high in nutrition and by eating them, the parents will help hinder the threat of overpopulation. It appears to be gruesome and make a mockery of the Irish people. Only until we dig deeper into the satirical piece to see that Swift was trying to convey the starvation and oppression of the Irish people by writing the piece in an English publication.
Swift's humorous outlook is really an expression of disgust to the circumstances that surrounded the Irish under a harsh toleration English rule. It took me too long to figure that out while reading this. It was until the third time I read it that I truly grasped every meaning that was meant for the readers. He successfully engages the reader through humor as well as a fascinating argument where he encourages the reader to agree with his argument. I enjoyed "A Modest Proposal" because it had elements that other satires I have read lacked, humor. Swift is successful at what he does because he does not tell the readers outright the conditions of the Irish people, but he weaves it skillfully into the essay, creating a fascinating, funny, and sharp essay.
