“A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal is a masterful work of satire, using irony to criticize the British government’s neglect of the Irish poor. By calmly proposing that impoverished Irish families sell their infants as food to the rich, Swift highlights the inhumanity of contemporary attitudes toward poverty. His deadpan tone and grotesque suggestions expose the absurdity and cruelty of British policies. This essay examines how Swift’s use of irony and satire underscores the social and moral failures of his time.
References
Black, J., Connolly, L., Flint, K., Grundy, I., LePan, D., Liuzza, R., Prescott, A. L., Qualls, B., & Waters, C. (2012). The Broadview anthology of British literature: Volume 3, the restoration and the eighteenth century (2nd ed.). Broadview Press.
Reference
StudyCorgi. (2025, May 1). “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift. https://studycorgi.video/a-modest-proposal-by-jonathan-swift/