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. By Jonathan Swift - 1729

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.

A Modest Proposal• Jonathan Swift wrote this savage piece of

satire in 1729 in response to the starvation that was rampant in his home country of Ireland.

• 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 will equally serve in a fricasie or ragoust.”

Did he say “EAT THE BABIES!?”

RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!

Hold On! Get the facts first!

Jonathan Swift: 1667-1745 Suffered from frequent ill health – specifically

a disabilitating inner ear disease. Born in Dublin, Ireland to English parents Swift was well educated and wanted to pursue

a career in politics but had to settle on the church However, in Swift’s day religion and politics were

interwoven so he used his church position to try to influence politics…thus his satirical message of eating babies in “A Modest Proposal.”

Please, please don’t eat the babies!

Modest Details 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!

RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!

Patience! More Details! 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 doesn’t actually want them to eat the babies…

Are you sure they don’t eat the babies?

YES! 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!

Main Points of the Satire: He suggests in addition to eating the

babies: Reserving 20,000 children for breeding

purposes 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… BONUS!

Main Points of the Satire: Another bonus – 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.”

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… they didn’t eat the babies?

Nope…he was just trying to point out the folly and vice of the upper classes!... in a classic work of SATIRE!

So… Check it out…go to my website and read a copy!

Hooray for the babies!

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Silly Girl Productions