“A Modest Proposal” was written by Jonathon Swift in 1729. The story describes the tough times that came upon Ireland and Swift offers his own solution. He came up with the idea that the unnourished and poor children should be fattened up and fed to the wealthy. He stated children as young as one could be sold to a meat market. Swift argues, “thus combating overpopulation and unemployment, sparing families the expense of child-bearing while providing them with a little extra income, improving the culinary experience of the wealthy, and contributing to the overall economic well-being of the nation” Swift tries to uses something as horrible as cannibalism to do good in society. The history of cannibalism is an interesting one, and while the concept seems crazy and bizarre in the 1700s, it wasn’t totally uncommon. The history and culture of cannibalism and Ireland will help better understand the text “A Modest Proposal”. 

Dictionary.com defines cannibalism as “the eating of human flesh by another human being”. But as horrible as this sounds, there is much more to it than that. The first recorded signs of cannibalism go back 600,000 years. While most people would think the reason is being barbarians, the real reason was food scarcity, which ties in to “A Modest Proposal”.  It shows that cannibalism may be necessary for survival. Jonathon Swift feels that eating the kids provides multiple benefits that outweigh the negatives. Even thousands of years later he believes it can be a successful tactic. There is a long list of groups who have practiced cannibalism throughout history. It includes humans in prehistoric Europe, South America, among Iroquoian peoples in North America, Maori in New Zealand, the Solomon Islands, parts of West Africa and Central Africa, some of the islands of Polynesia, New Guinea, Sumatra, and Fiji. There are 3 types of cannibalism that all these groups fall under, survival cannibalism, Endocannibalism, and Exocannibalism. Survival involves the consumption of human flesh in emergency situations, such as starvation. Endocannibalism is the consumption of human flesh from a member of one's own social group. They believe they will ingest the characteristics of the deceased. Exocannibalism is the consumption of flesh outside one's close social group. For example, eating one's enemy to show power and dominance. Some cultures use their skulls as trophies. (Donner 1). Swift believed his proposal was a matter of survival for his people, even if others didn’t see it his way. Understanding the history and culture of cannibalism is important in understanding Jonathon Swift’s views in “A Modest Proposal”.

Understanding Ireland at the time will also help give insight to Swift’s views. Even though this was before the great potato famine, Ireland was no paradise. The main cause of corruption was religious freedom. The majority of the population was Roman Catholic with protestant minorities. Due to England’s control of Ireland, the protestant minorities were able to unite with England to force discrimination laws against the Catholics, crippling them. “…effectively broke up large Catholic estates and put them at the mercy of rapidly consolidating Protestant landowners, with the result that the Catholics, who in 1641 had held 59% of the land, in 1703 held only 14%.” (Baker 1). Catholics went from being at the top of the social chain to the bottom. As a result poverty was common among Catholics, which is where “A Modest Proposal” begins. The economy was struggling, and even though it wasn’t considered a famine food supplies were limited. Due to these rough conditions, Swift came up with his pamphlet, titled "A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of Poor People from Being a Burthen to their Parents, or the Country, and for Making them Beneficial to the Publick." He believed the way to fix poverty and overpopulation was to rid the poor of their children. He believed this was a win-win for everybody. Population growth was limited, and the poor saved money on having to raise kids and even made money for selling them. The baby market also boosted the economy and provided a food source for the ones who could afford it. As inhumane as it is, knowing the history of Ireland provides a better understanding of the text and Swift’s proposal.

Jonathon Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” can provide more questions than answers for some people, but understanding the history and culture of Ireland and cannibalism can clear things up. As crazy as his proposal seems, cannibalism has many uses, and although out of date, provides a solution to Ireland’s problems. This cannot be appreciated without knowing the extent of the problems and corruption found in Ireland. Knowing the history provides greater insight for the reader and gives a greater understanding of the text.