Thieves,
beggars, and joblessness abound. An economic crisis is happening.
What else can you do? A child under the age of six is useless.
They cost more to feed than they are worth. Why not cut them off at
the pass. Swift uses the evidence: " the charge of nursing a beggars
child... will be about two shillings per annum, rags included; and I believe no
gentlemen would repine to give ten shillings for the carcass of a good fat
child..."(Swift). That's a profit of 8 shillings off the bat.
That's the definition of capitalist incentives. You may think this
is crazy, but any economics professor would say the argument is logical.
Although his
argument is obviously satire, he poses a good one. His evidence isn't
exactly solid, but it makes sense. The economics he uses and his delivery
are spot on. He uses snide comments and veiled offensive comments to take
shots at the rich. The essay really brings the plight of the poor to the
surface.
Rather
than see them as a nuisance, he tries to make them seem like objects for the
taking. This proves his point that the rich are taking advantage of the
poor. Why not eat the kids. I think with a little lemon and
rosemary, they will be quite delicious.
Swift, Jonathan. "A Modest Proposal." Project Gutenberg. Project Gutenberg, 2008. Web.
3 Feb 2012. <http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1080/1080-h/1080-h.htm>.
Image taken from: http://mrtopp.com/2010/06/16/feeding-baby/
Image taken from: http://mrtopp.com/2010/06/16/feeding-baby/
That is easily the best photo for this essay! Congrats on finding that thing, mate.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, too: he uses a logical argument to propose an illogical solution. He uses the language of scientific inquiry to underscore his satire.
I truly wish we could see the faces of the authorities that had ignored Swift's earlier, and more reasonable, proposals. I'd imagine a little chagrin was in order...
James Carr
You forgot the cracked pepper.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you mentioned the essay really brings the poor to light and points out how the rich take advantage. Even when the humor was a bit confusing and so was the language it was written in. I kept thinking there was a typo when he wrote publick instead of public....
I like how you put it that Swift brought to light how the poor people in his country were suffering. Yes, it was a crazy proposal but I think Swift spent a lot of time preparing his proposal. He seemed to be so serious in helping the people that he would go about it at any cost. Rather it seemed ludicrous or not, I must say that at first I thought Swift to be a maniac. Who in their right mind would sell a baby, little lone eat one! Love the picture.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree with you more. This was obviously a satire and Swift's somewhat humorous attempt at pointing out the plight of the poor and the ecomonic problems Ireland faced. His obvious mocking of the rich sends a clear message, like you said, that they are taking advantage of the poor. Although the sensitive subject he uses to make a point is pretty morbid, he does make a valid argument. Sometimes extreme ideas make solid points. Swift does not really want babies to be eaten. Swift wants to make a statement by bringing up an idea so heinous. Great post, I really enjoyed reading it!
ReplyDelete-Kyle Audis
Thank you, that was short and sweet and to the point. Swift uses some literary genius and sassyness to get his point across. We agree, the economic and logic behind the argument is solid. When you said "He uses snide comments and veiled offensive comments to take shots at the rich." I was wondering what examples you had. Other then that well done. Easy and simplified and enjoyable post to read.
ReplyDeleteLook forward to your next one.
Kate
The rich in this situation is the English and the poor is the Irish. The English was so unfair to the Irish due to the fact they were Catholic. English made it so that they couldn't afford their food, land, and other things making it hard for the Irish to live. Swift made this proposal showing that the Irish will have to take extremes to even survive. He even said he found the solution to abortions, and it was to let the child grow till it was one and THEN kill it... that isn't really a solution, haha.
ReplyDelete