A Modest Proposal
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This article refers to a classic satirical pamphlet written by Jonathan Swift., entitled...
- "A Modest Proposal: For Preventing the Children of Poor People in Ireland from Being a Burden to Their Parents or Country, and for Making Them Beneficial to the Public" (1729).
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Theme[edit]
The author (who is not to be confused with Swift himself, but is merely a persona) argues, through economic reasoning as well as a self-righteous moral stance, for a way to turn the problem of squalor among the Catholics in Ireland into its own solution. His proposal is to fatten up the undernourished children and feed them to Ireland's rich land-owners. Children of the poor could be sold into a meat market at the age of one thus combating overpopulation and unemployment, sparing families the expense of child-rearing while providing them with a little extra income, improving the culinary experience of the wealthy, and contributing to the overall economic well-being of the nation.
He offers statistical support for his assertions and gives specific data about the number of children to be sold, their weight and price, and the projected consumption patterns. He suggests some recipes for preparing this delicious new meat, and he feels sure that innovative cooks will be quick to generate more. He also anticipates that the practice of selling and eating children will have positive effects on family morality: husbands will treat their wives with more respect, and parents will value their children in ways hitherto unknown. His conclusion is that the implementation of this project will do more to solve Ireland's complex social, political, and economic problems than any other measure that has been proposed.
This is widely believed to be the greatest example of sustained irony in the history of the English language.
Reactions[edit]
The satirical intent of A Modest Proposal was misunderstood by many of Swift's peers, and he was harshly criticized for writing prose in such exceptionally "bad taste". He came close to losing his patronage because of this essay. The misunderstanding of the intent of the satirical attack came about largely because of the disparity between the satirical intent of the cannibalistic proposal and the sincere tone of the narrative voice. However, something must be said about the capacities of the readers. The misunderstanding also arose due to an apparent relative lack of critical thinking capacities on the part of the outraged readers who could not surmise the satirical nature of the essay. If the sort of thinking (the entirety of imperialistic, capitalistic thinking) Swift was satirizing had been objectively noticed, the satirical nature of the essay would have been immediately apparent.
Modern usage[edit]
In modern usage, the phrase "modest proposal" has come to indicate a proposal that is anything but modest. Such a 'proposal' may serve to advance a cause or argument, by promoting discussion on the merits of the argument's opposite.
Other examples of "modest proposals"[edit]
- Modest Proposals and other literary hoaxes
- Report From Iron Mountain
- Sokal Affair
- Miscegenation (origin of the word)
- Dihydrogen monoxide
- Meeting Doctor Doom, University of Texas evolutionary ecologist Eric R. Pianka offers a modest proposal to urgently bring world population back under two billion before oil and other key resources are depleted. Citing AIDS as too slow a population-reduction mechanism, he advocates airborne Ebola as a suitable and worthy alternative.
- Jack Thompson, attorney, has been criticised for writing an open letter similar to Swift's piece.
