“A modest Proposal” was written in 1729 by the Irish intellectual Jonathan Swift who is coined with developing the Swiftian style of satire writing. Swift penned the letter to the pope in an attempt to direct the pope’s attention to the socio-economic issues in Ireland. In the 17th and 18th centuries Ireland was a property of the English crown and its resources were extracted by the crown in order to pay for the wars and costs associated with maintaining the enormous British empire. As a consequence, many Irish families starved to death or were forced to fight as mercenaries in foreign lands for foreign leaders. Swift’s point of contention is that limiting the population will increase revenues individual families attain simply by allowing wealth to be redistributed to a smaller population. What is unique about Swift’s argument, is that is clearly satire, yet he disguises it utilizing statistics which actually support the claim which he is presenting. A joke written to the world’s most powerful figure, the pope of Rome.
To pen a work of satire to the most powerful man in the world requires a bit skill and cunning. To do so, Swift uses raw data and economic statistics in an attempt to veil his true motive under the cover of a genuine proposition. This form of satire is referred to as Juvenalian named after a Roman satirist of the same name. (Britannica 1998) The author of a Juvenalian style piece utilizes pessimism, moral indignation, and anger to critique an idea or establishment. In Swift’s work, he is secretly attacking the landlords and nobles whom he feels are the causes behind the mass poverty and depravity of his homeland. The Irish people he feels are being trampled underfoot by taxes and the exportation of the nation’s wealth to its overbearing overlord in England. Swift coyly inserts that a perfect way to fix the poverty and population problems is to nurse young babies till their first year and then feed them to the nobles. He argues that only children born out of wedlock should be eaten as they are already detestable to a catholic society that stresses marriage before sexual intercourse. Swift also argues that nobles being of finer taste would enjoy the nutritious and tasteful meat of the babies rather than the constant flow of pork and beef that they have survived on. Additionally, as the famine had drawn on the populations of these animals had been dramatically reduced. Replacing these meals with bastard children would help rebuild their populations while also decreasing the cost to the state of orphaned or poor children. (Swift 1729) Such satire helps the author stress the point that the nobles holier than thou attitude is of grave detriment to the nation, while also defending him from backlash as he can simply play off his letter as if it were a sincere argument.
Swift’s call for aid from the Pope is likely an appeal to the humanity of the man himself. The Pope is the leader of the Catholic faith, a faith that stresses charity and mercy. By going to one of the most extreme positions imaginable, that being the cannibalism of children Swift creates an image of the truly dire circumstances of the nation. Swift is combining satirical writing with imagery to form a persuasive argument at an intended target, ae the Pope and leader of his religion. When a writer uses imagery he is attempting to paint a picture that will appeal to his or hers desired audience. For example, if one was attempting to write to a politician in regards to a proposal they wished to see passed, they might argue how it would benefit his constituents and illustrate how the proposal would fix a known problem in his district; such as homeless shelters in New York by describing the rows of homeless people lining 5th avenue. (Lumen ENG Dep) A powerful image provokes a powerful response. Swift uses the image of poor starving children, mothers, and families as a plea to the Pope’s humanity. He also cleverly adds in elements of crime and taboo Catholic practices such as rearing children out of wedlock in an attempt to call attention to ungodly acts. Since it is the role of the Pope to guide the catholic church it makes sense that he would want to cull this uprising against the faiths traditions and lessons. However, this argument comes with a cost. Swift must insult the nobility to make his case, and in the 18th century the core belief that royals were divinely selected to rule still lingered in the core beliefs of the populace. By insulting them and their noble servant’s Swift risks insulting the Pope and God himself. A dangerous idea in an era where the Pope still maintained the power to imprison and execute heretics or in this case potentially dangerous political pundits.
The impact of “A modest Proposal” can be viewed in two ways, first historically being what the letter actually accomplished. Secondly it can be viewed as a work of literature that has survived for 300 years and is still used to educate students all over the world. One must take into account that Swift’s work was mostly ignored for the first few centuries only being recognized as a true work of brilliance in the latter part of the 20th century. Additionally, the Pope made no effort to aid the Irish upon his receipt of the letter and the Irish farmer would continue to live in object poverty for a further century and a half. Thus it would be fair for one to argue that his letter ultimately failed. In fact, in the very year that he penned his letter, England enhanced restrictions on wool trading which at the time was Ireland’s greatest industrial good. By not allowing Ireland to trade, poverty was the only option for those in the trade. The cattle act of the late 17th century also negatively impacted the Irish who had become pig and cow farmers and relied on the export of these foods to England and the America’s to earn income. (Baker 1999) Ignoring the historical failure of the piece to incite change in Ireland and provoke a response from the Pope, the impact of the piece from a literary perspective has been remarkable. The Swiftian style of satire has been used numerous times in order to provoke responses from political and economic pundits. The greater impact foundation combats climate change and attempts to increase awareness of the dangers that it presents to our world especially those living on the coast. Ken Lewis of Greater impact made an analogy in the style of Swift stating that peoples opinion of climate change would forever be altered if the rich living on the coasts were all washed into the sea. Their resources could be seized and distributed to the poor reducing poverty across the United States. (Lewis 2015) This extreme form of satirical writing forces its intended argument to respond or risk looking weak or uncommitted. In the era of 24-hour news cycles and massive online websites that transfer information in the blink of an eye a pundit cannot risk such a move.
In the final stanza of the letter Swift breaks from his satire and makes a rational call to the Pope’s humanity by breaking down the situation into two points. If they do not find a way to fix the population growth and mass poverty, Ireland will be faced with an economic crisis that will cost the lives of countless numbers of men, women, and children. “First, as things now stand, how they will be able to find Food and Raiment for a hundred thousand useless Mouths and Backs.” (Swift 1729) Here Swift lays out the issue. The nobles are responsible for the mass depravity, and as the stewards of the land are responsible for the safety and prosperity of the populace. He shifts from calling for an extreme and depraved method of solving the crisis to speaking plainly about the problem. His desire for help is clear and knowing his audience appeals to that man’s humanity. “I Profess in the sincerity of my Heart that I have not the least personal Interest in endeavoring to promote this necessary Work having no other Motive than the public Good of my Country, by advancing our Trade, providing for Infants, relieving the Poor, and giving some Pleasure to the Rich. I have no Children, by which I can propose to get a single Penny; the youngest being nine Years old, and my Wife past Child-bearing.” (Swift 1729) Here he returns to satire to make mention that he does not wish to profit off this endeavor stating his own child is too old for his plan and that his wife is past child bearing age and thus would not be able to produce children for him to sell. The audacity of the statement itself is the argument, it is so reprehensible that the pope must surely believe in finding another way. Overall it was the tone of the letter and the nominal impact that his proposed measure would have had on society that drives the message home. As the head priest, what would it mean for his reign if an entire nation of Catholics resorted to cannibalism just to survive the oppression of nobles the pope himself has helped appoint? That is the central theme of the argument and why at its heart it has been so effective in the modern era. Everyone has become concerned over image, and to see it tarnished can cost you everything in today’s global market.
Creating moral outrage is one of the most powerful political tools in world history. When Hitler rose to power in Germany he selected a cast of workers that on average performed better than the rest of the populace. He made them the bad guy and focused the nations collective rage upon them. This had the net effect of giving him unlimited power that he would use to start the second World War. When Cesar challenged the senate for the power to rule Rome he used popular opinion and his god like status as a conquering war hero to rally the peasantry to his cause. While not about a quest for power or personal gain Swift uses moral outrage and an even more outrageous solution to inspire an act of change for his homeland. And while ultimately It was not successful and Ireland’s plight would last a few more centuries, it is a method that is utilized effectively over and over again today and in the past.