"A Modest Proposal" Analysis

In the incredibly written satire A Modest Proposal, Jonathan Swift draws on emotion inducing imagery, black humor, and bizarre logos with the aim of writing an unorthodox solution to both overpopulation and widespread hunger.

Jonathan Swift paints a picture in the reader’s head of the disarray of his Ireland.  He vividly describes “the streets, the roads, and cabin-doors crowded by beggars of the female sex, followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags, and importuning for an alms”.  He uses these images to sell his point as the only solution to bring back “the publick good of [his] country”.  Swift wants the reader to picture this in their head so they can see how serious the issue is.  They need to know that his is the only possible solution and any other would not be as effective as they need to be.  If the reader is more easily able to picture these things, it will be much easier for them to be persuaded by Swift.  He clearly describes the methods of cooking babies and how they would “be very good boiled on the fourth day, especially in winter.”  Images are very helpful in Swift’s attempted persuasion.

Jonathan Swift also uses black humor to make the piece a clear satire.  By saying that “a child will make two dishes at an entertainment for friends”, he is trying to infuse rather grim humor into something that would otherwise be dismal and gross.  This change of expectations allows the reader to read the piece without immediately being put off by the grotesqueness of it all.  On the contrary, it may also cause the reader to stop reading!  They could be completely disgusted when he describes how an infant could make “a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled” and not finish the piece.  He infuses these unrealistic but surprisingly funny bits to make the piece even more ridiculous!

    Swift’s bizarre use of logos or statistical information is incredibly persuasive and attempts to rationalize his out of the ordinary proposal.  He brings up ‘facts’ like how, if they carried out his method, they could have “the addition of some thousand carcasses in [their] exportation of barrel’d beef” which he probably intended to sway any business that exports meat.  He, of course, knows that this entire proposal is entirely ridiculous but used particulars such as the latter to make it seem as though he was completely serious.  He even takes it to the point where he is arguing that people will gain “eight schillings per annum by the sale of children”, actually presuming that people would consider selling their children.  What makes this so incredibly humorous is that he goes about this Modest Proposal so seriously when he knows that no one would actually consider eating children.