The 18th century in Ireland was a time of major issues. Ireland was overpopulated with hundreds of thousands of homeless people inhabiting the country. The nation was also oppressed by England who had controlled them for 800 years. Jonathan Swift, an English clergyman during this time, wrote A Modest Proposal to shame England and bring public attention to the issues concerning the nation. By looking at A Modest Proposal, the reader can see how it affected the Irish society; this is important because Swift was a voice for the individuals underrepresented within the oppression of the Irish. The text at the time was entertaining, political, and touched the public’s moral.

First, Jonathan Swift used satire and an extreme proposal for a pressing political issue, and the use of this was interpreted as entertaining to the Irish people. In the story, Swift introduces the issues, and he proposes that the Irish make food from the hundred thousand babies of homeless people. The result of his suggestion would give the poor mothers opportunity because as it stands they do everything in their power to feed their children, which ultimately holds them down. He continues to give reason and even provides calculations for how to execute his sadistic solution to the problem. The audacity of his proposal struck many people as a little odd and even comical. Swift’s official proposal straight from the text was “…And it is exactly at one year old that I propose to provide for them in such a manner instead of being a charge upon their parents or the parish, or wanting food and raiment for the rest of their lives, they shall on the contrary contribute to the feeding, and partly to the clothing, of many thousands” (Swift). Of course, Swift was not serious about carrying out the proposal to eat homeless babies, but there was a meaning that was under the surface of the text. Making his piece was satire driven by his exasperation with England walking all over the people of Ireland. Satirical writing was first introduced in 16th century Europe and by the 18th century it was still very uncommon, and even unheard of by many people. The proposal became popular for its outrageousness and because of Swift’s political status, which introduced many people to the satirical style and ended up being very entertaining to the public. Swift’s use of satire in his writing affected the society by making that style of writing more known and entertaining its readers.

Secondly, “A Modest Proposal” reveals the importance of the time’s political issues because it exposed the way England treated Ireland. England stole the Irish citizen’s incomes, increased taxes, did not allow for businesses to grow, and they would not trade with Ireland. The opening line of the text states, “It is a melancholy object to those who walk through this great town or travel in the country, when they see the streets, the roads, and cabin door, crowded with beggars of the female sex, followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags and importuning every passenger for an alms” (Swift). This quote helps the reader visualize how poor some families were in Ireland. They had mothers with many children who weren’t well clothed, and they were begging every person walking by to help themselves and their mother. England’s control over Ireland was very oppressive and the Irish people were doing nothing to change it or try and be liberated from them. Swift in the final paragraph summarizes his purpose for writing the proposal, “I profess, in the sincerity of my heart, that I have not the least personal interest in the endeavoring to promote this necessary work, having no other motive than the public good of my country, by advancing our trade, providing for infants, relieving the poor, and giving some pleasure to the rich” (Swift). After Swift exposes these principles in the quote, he hoped for the citizens to make a change to better their nation politically against England. The people who had previously not taken the oppression seriously were taken aback by the nerve of the piece and began to see how important it was to find a realistic solution. This text is very important because it also brought the issues to the uneducated commonwealth. The growing population of homeless people was damaging to the economy and to the appeal of Ireland because their desperation to give their children nourishment and a good life caused begging, and uneducated people roamed the street asking for handouts and not contributing to the society. Some of the wealthier residents of the region simply wanted the homeless people out without thinking about how to do it. When Swift released the proposal, it made people realize that it was indeed a serious political issue, and fixing the homeless overpopulation grew beyond their own personal preferences. Overall, “A Modest Proposal” gave light to the issues in Ireland and affected the society by being a political influence for its readers.

Finally, the piece was first seen by many as a joke of the political issues at hand. Since the write was satirical and humorous, the public interpreted the proposal as a mockery and didn’t see importance behind it at first. Some of Swift’s statements were outrageous, like this one “A child will make two dishes at an entertainment for friends; and when the family dines alone, the fore or hind quarter will make a reasonable dish, and seasoned with a little pepper or salt will be very good boiled on the fourth day, especially in winter” (Swift). When people read this text, they cannot take it seriously. Swift used satire to get the attention of Irish citizens, and hoped that they would understand the message that he tries to portray. Although it got their attention, it was not how Swift intended. Swift wanted to spark some nationalism in the country. He makes the issues sound simple by providing calculations to his ideas. The way he simplifies the issues results in the citizens being hopeful for a change. One of Swift’s calculations are as follows “I have already computed the charge of nursing a beggar’s child (in which list I reckon all cottagers, laborers, and four-fifths of the farmers) to be about two shillings per annum, and rags included; and I believe no gentleman would repine to give ten shillings for the carcass of a good fat child…” (Swift). This quote was important for the public because it gives an example of how they can approach their issues with England. Overall this improves the morale of the Irish citizens because it shows that freedom is possible with a suggestion and well thought out calculations. 

Jonathan Swift wrote “A Modest Proposal” as political satire, giving an outrageous solution for Ireland’s homeless overpopulation problem. Given Swift’s clergyman status, the proposal gained popularity among its readers and entertained them with its audacity. During the 18th century, Ireland also had the problem of being politically oppressed by England. Swift wanted to encourage the people to stand up for themselves so he attempted to raise their morale by stating the issues and suggesting a fix.  The publishing of the piece affected society by entertainment, political views, and morality and ethics.  Swift wrote “A Modest Proposal” in 1729, which had great impact on his home country of Ireland, and the text still has an impact on people today.
