The time period was the early 1700’s. Colonial England was a dominating force reaching vast expanses of territory throughout the world, exploiting and pillaging various cultures and societies for it’s own gain. During this time of territorial expansion, Ireland, England’s neighbor to the north, was oppressively governed by British rule. Centuries of invasions from the ruling Normans of England had severely crippled Irish economy. English rule strong-handedly imposed tight governance over Irish citizens, forcing them to abandon their lands, pay heavy taxes, and give revenues to the English. Alongside these economic hardships, many Irish were also marginalized due to their religious affiliation as Roman Catholics. English were predominately Protestant and forced many Irish to convert to Catholicism; as a result of this, many Irish fearfully converted in order to avoid harsh treatment and economic penalties. Due to their treatment as second-rate citizens, most Irish were unable to ascend to high social ranks. This lack of upward mobility created a system in which the majority of Irish peasants were subjected to rule by a few Irish landlord classes who were fiercely loyal to England. This created a governance system which largely benefited the English while the Irish peasants slowly bled to death. The Irish were not the benefactors of the crops they were laboriously producing in fields. These crops, rather, were exported to England to feed their own population. This  cruel misappropriation of food and basic resources led to severe famines. These famines were further aggravated by poor weather conditions that led to even greater losses of human life. Johnathan Swift’s raw and unadulterated glimpse of these conditions gives a horrifying glimpse into the stark poverty and desperation of this time period. Through the use of satire, sardonic tone, and grotesque and vivid imagery, Johnathan Swift awakens the reader to the devastation of this time period.          

After reading this essay, the reader is left with a strong level of contempt at disgust for the writer. Swift’s solutions to the famine crisis are seen as incredibly insensible and inhumane. The reader may feel as if the writer is a callous monster with no regard for human life or decency.  Without a proper grasp of Swift’s actual intent or the historical context of this essay, most readers will find his solutions to the famine crisis as absurd. Although Swift’s essay is nothing short of a disgusting parody , it is powerful and grabs the reader’s interest through the very end. Swift’s proposal of cannibalism is so appalling the reader can’t help but continue to read through the bizarre suggestions. Swift makes disturbing correlations between the weight of a human, particularly infant, and the taste and quality of the meat when cooked.  In order to control overpopulation, he mentions a twisted two-fold method: killing humans to reduce the population and subsequently using their bodies to sustain the remainder of the population. His attitude towards these helpless humans is devoid of any of emotion or empathy. The disadvantaged peasants are seen purely as utility in the time of crisis. This is exemplified by his mention of using an infant’s skin to produce gloves for women.  He attempts to rationalize his proposal by making note of all benefits it will provide, including: lessening number of  “dangerous Catholics”,  providing the poor with property,  improving the overall economy,  bringing new culinary varieties into local restaurants and tarverns, and providing incentives for couples to work together in order to produce viable healthy  children that can be commoditized for this bizarre proposal. 

Swift’s message is delivered in a very layered and nuanced satire. The reader must be able to discern his humor right away, otherwise the response may strongly deviate from the author’s intent. 