Jonathan Swift is hilariously twisted and clever in “A Modest Proposal.” To say that he is a proponent of irony is an understatement, but I suppose that became fairly obvious when he decidedly published an entire argument for the invention of a baby meat market to benefit society. There is no doubt that “A Modest Proposal” lies on a solid foundation of satirical remarks and sarcastic witticism at this bizarre proposition. Yet as disconcerting as the idea of a baby meat market can be, it is not what I ended up finding the most ironic part about Swift’s argument. Rather, I think the greatest irony lies in how, in order to even SUGGEST the idea of the baby market, Swift does not treat the Irish population like fellow human beings. He degrades them down to emotionless statistics who will have no problem selling their babies for the “welfare” of society. The welfare of society? If the Irish population were just numbers and statistics, why would Swift care about the “welfare” of the human race?
Let’s just take a look at some of the diction to see how he does
this, shall we?
“The number of souls in this kingdom being usually reckoned
one million and a half, of these I calculate there may be about two hundred
thousand couple whose wives are breeders” (222).
“I do therefore humbly offer it to public consideration that
of the hundred and twenty thousand children already computed, twenty shousand
may be reseved for breed, whereof only one-fourth part to be males” (223).
Breeders. Okay. Men and women have been reduced down to
breeders. But let’s be honest…he’s mostly saying this in reference to women, and this is not the last time we'll see him do so.
In reference to teenage boys and girls, he simply uses the
terms “male” and “female” when discussing what to do with “so great a number of
both sexes” and their place in the baby meat market (224).
“And, secondly, there being a round million of creatures in
human figure throughout this kingdom…” (227).
Creatures. The population is not comprised of fellow human
beings but “creatures” that merely look like humans. So of course it is okay to
execute Swift’s plan, because no one can feel remorse for hundreds of
creatures.
So on that note, I guess its okay to proceed with the baby
meat market. Seems logical enough, and after all its for the benefit of
society. Guess Swift has a heart after all.
Very funny! Yes, it does seem odd that Swift would reduce people to numbers...especially since he is an Irishman himself! Thinking back to the rhetorical triangle (audience, text, author), who do you think Swift's audience was for this piece? You and I (and hopefully the rest of the class!) can chuckle at his use of irony and his seemingly inappropriate use of statistics, but how do you think this was meant to be read? Who is Swift really addressing here?
ReplyDeleteAfter reading a modest proposal it seems to me that Swift effectively uses sarcasm, exaggeration, and insincerity to reveal his annoyance of politicians and overall the citizens of the poverty stricken Ireland. The piece was published in a political pamphlet that was then distributed throughout Ireland to promote ideas. However, just like nowadays most were just discarded and given little attention. For this reason I think Swift takes advantage of the insignificance of the pamphlet and utilizes these literary devices to discuss something completely ridiculous, while criticizing the general social and political system of Ireland. He illustrates how backwards and bad the state of Ireland and its people are. The fact that it was written in this way shows Swifts proposition is in no way supposed to be taken seriously. He is just showing how uninformed the public is.
ReplyDeleteActually, I think a lot of people at the time - particularly the English upper-classes - did take it seriously. According to my dad, who is a history buff, "A Modest Proposal" was not widely recognized as satire at the time. The English thought it went a bit far in suggesting that they actually eat the babies, but they agreed with the general suggestion that something had to be done about the Irish "overpopulation," not excluding recourse to killing. Or "culling," as Swift might say.
ReplyDeleteThe upper-class English and Anglo-Irish thought of the poor Irish in the very terms Swift uses - "breeders" and "creatures" - like cattle, only less useful. The Irish were dehumanized in the same way as African-American slaves were in the 19th century. Thus, that language was not shocking to Swift's readers - it was everyday terminology. The only thing that was shocking was the suggestion of cannibalism. But Swift asked, "Why not? If the Irish aren't really human, if they're just talking animals or monkeys, why not eat them?"
It's the reductio ad absurdum tactic - showing the flaws in an argument by taking it to its logical conclusion - which is absurd or horrifying. Swift was also putting the oppression of Ireland into more physical, bloody terms. "If we're metaphorically eating Ireland, driving its people to starvation by forbidding them to trade, forcing them to pay exorbitant rents and taxes to live on land that was theirs for centuries before we stole it - why is literally eating them any different? If it's not OK to dress babies "hot from the knife" and serve them for dinner, then how can it be all right to starve them and their parents to death?"
By masquerading as a conscienceless lunatic, Swift is forcing his readers to confront the Irish's humanity. When the readers shudder at his suggestion of eating Irish babies, they are implicitly acknowledging that Irish babies are worth something, and that there are some things it's not OK to do to them. Once they've taken that first step, thinking that it's horrible to eat an Irish baby, then it's only a small step up to admitting it's also horrible to kill one, whatever you do with the body. Swift is trying to open his readers' eyes, because once your eyes are opened, it's hard to go back.