Jonathan Swift : A Modest Proposal

Many students encounter Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal in a high school English class. The essay is a startling cry against the poverty of eighteenth century Ireland under tyrannical British rule. It incorporates both satire and shock-value as a means of engaging Ireland in social change. The first time I encountered Jonathan Swift's essay, A Modest Proposal was in my first English Composition class during my first semester of college. With no words of explanation, the instructor assigned us the piece, wrote the assignment on the board, and dismissed the class. I remember the reactions of my classmates the during following class period. Most of the class was in shock at the brutal and seemingly casual suggestions that the author made throughout the essay.

"Swift ironically suggests that a growing population and widespread starvation could both be alleviated if the poor began eating their children. Considered one of the greatest satirical essays in world literature, Swift's piece attacks complacency in the face of misery and the coldly rational schemes of social planners who fail to perceive the pain resulting from their action or inaction." (Gale) The students who expressed shock couldn't wrap their minds around the idea of eating children, much less making clothing items out of their remains. There were a few, however (to the instructor's surprise) that came to class with smiles on their faces. These students were the ones that truly understood the author's angle.