I think the modest proposal was a great way to get a point across, being unique, and really drawing one's attention. At first, I was a tad confused, and quite repulsed, before I realized the sarcasm.He addresses the problems of the women having children they cannot take care of and describes the effects on the children, in an over exaggerative way. He's trying to convey that not only the English, but the Irish themselves are responsible for their struggling state. He uses satire to emphasize the negativeness of these situations.
He invokes the common sight of women and children begging for food. He describes that the children will become thieves due to their desperate want for work and makes it seem as though the children have no hope of becoming a contributing citizen due to their conditions. He claims that the children can be taken care of in their first year by breast milk and the money that they beg for, it's after that when they have the problems. He dehumanizes the irish people by comparing them to animals due to the amount of off spring they produce. He describes the women as cattle, who are solely breeders and nothing else. He compares the babies as roasted pigs, when he uses satire saying the solution to the problem is to just kill all the infants. His comparisons effect Swift's satire by revealing his outrageous sarcasm.
Swift uses really graphic descriptions in his essay. For example he says things like "infant's flesh will be in season throughout the year" and "those who are more thrifty may flea the carcass; the skin of which, artificially dresses, will make admirable gloves for ladies, and summer boots for fine gentlemen". The first quote I think is an over exaggeration, but is trying to portray the suffering the poor little child will go through when they are born into a home with lots of children, and cannot be given what an infant requires. The second quote is a sarcastic remark that is supposed to bring to attention how cruel the parents are to have so many children without enough money to feed them. He brings out his proposal that selling the children as food will make them more useful, making them a contribute to society, more useful. He also states that this will bring down the poplulation drastically, which may improve the economy. The purpose of his ironic solution is to attract the reader, bring their attention to the fact that his proposal is outrageous and brutal. His purpose is to bring attention to the issue and to trigger a better (more realistic) solution to the readers' brains. The purpose also draws attention to the nation's self-degradation.
Swift introduces the problems without actually saying them. His sarcasm reveals his exhaustion of the long-term issues that have yet to be fixed. It also reveals his disinterest of the problem because he is not effected and does not have children. He believes that one shouldn't take on the responsibility of another life if they can't be responsible for their own life. His proposal that cannibalism is the answer stating that some of these children would be better off dead, is to emphasize how bad things have gotten. He thinks that all parties are at fault for the disastrous conditions. He says he's open to other proposals. He wants to fix the two key issues, how the starving should be fed and clothed, and it has to fix the poverty. Realistically, Swift feels sorry for the Irish and the terrible conditions they have to live in. He especially feels sorry for the children, who don't get to live a nice childhood, and aren't brought up correctly due to the fact that they are desperately searching for work and money is the only thing on their mind in order for their lives.
His argument was very effective, making one think of other possible solutions to the problem. It emphasized the ridiculousness of the problem. It showed how bad poverty can be on children, and how many are not trying to fix the problem but are subconsciously contributing to the economic problems. I think that even though this essay did not discuss our time period, it was a good essay to read because it can draw our attention to the similar problems we have today.
No comments:
Post a Comment