Essay On The Usage Of Irony And Satire In “A Modest Proposal” By Jonathan Swift

I think that “A modest proposal” is really outstanding pamphlet of the later works of famous Irish writer Jonathan Swift. It shows us that Swift was not only a writer but an outspoken defender of Irish people and their welfare.
At first sight this essay is about women-beggars who beg for money to feed and dress their numerous children. Their kids had no good life because their parents were poor, and the British government didn’t care for them at all. In addition at that time the harvest was poor so the most possible way to get food was not possible for ordinary farmers.
In order to attract attention to problems of Irish poor people Jonathan Swift uses his favorite literature tools irony and satire to highlight their difficult situation: “I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled ”1 The writer uses satire to give a boost to government and aristocracy so that they turned their attention to numerous homeless kids and their urgent problems. And he uses irony by giving some culinary advices without any gentleness or sympathy to those children.
In my opinion using the power of satire and irony Swift tries to attract government’s attention to poor parents and their children who had no good life and no one wanted to help them. This is a really good and wise pamphlet as it shows the real state of things in Ireland of the time when Jonathan Swift lived.
1 Swift, J. “A modest proposal.” 1729. Online. 27 July 2016. < www.art-bin.com/art/omodest.html>