Throughout time, the definition of heroism has undergone a very great change. Where once heroes were seen as brave and fearless warriors who plunged into the danger of battle with swords and spears, now heroes are defined in many different ways and in much broader terms. However, even with the passage of time and societal advances, the basic underlying traits of a hero remain essentially the same. Heroes are those who have the courage to face dangerous situations and risk of harm; put the needs and wants of others above their own; and either defend or attack in order to preserve/obtain the collective good, as necessary. Although Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal is a satirical poke in the ribs to the 18th century government and people complaining about excessive numbers of poor people, it is also a rather heroic act. Swift uses his societal position and influence to courageously face the elite rich; he puts the needs and wants of the poor above his own at great risk to him; and he both attacks and defends to obtain and preserve beneficial results for the collective good.
In much earlier times of humankind, heroism was more traditionally defined as “a heroic act typically associated with some degree of danger or a martial act in performing the prosocial behavior to help others in need” (Stenstrom 1085). Since paintings were sprayed and brushed onto the walls of caves, there have been stories and legends of great men and women who rushed into battles, overthrew ruthless rulers and fought against invading enemies or sharp-toothed ferocious beasts. Stenstrom notes that the positive character traits of those heroes actually serve as teaching aids and the desired standard of what society expects as an idealistic utopian version of the cultural self (1085). However, this slash-and-burn definition of heroism is no longer sustainable in a modernized society that carefully provides a structure for uniformed protective services and personnel, a massive military organization and presence, as well as laws and rules to prevent vigilante actions and anarchy. Truly, it is much more difficult to be a “hero” today than ever before.
Even in modern times, the story of the ideal hero is splashed across movie marquees, video covers, magazines, comic books, and graphic novels. There are countless carefully-separated groups of fans and followers who loyally support fictional heroes like Batman, Wonder Woman, and more frequently the perplexing zombie-killer archetype. Fortunately, Stenstrom reminds that there is still “one commonality among the various definitionsthe concept of risk to the hero” (1086). Certainly, the risk of physical harm is what makes cape-wearing heroes so admirable, but nearly all of the superheroes have special powers, specialized gadgets and equipment, and usually a great deal of power, influence and income. Yet, the risk of harm to the hero may be found in many other forms. Further, Stenstrom states that changing the observer’s perception of harm is key to determining whether heroism will be found in the acts of those who do not have capes and flying cars (1086).
Alternative acts of heroism – those that do not involve facing physical harm such as bullets or fire – may include subtle, nearly unnoticeable things. These acts can include quiet deeds such as softly pulling a child back from the curb when he gets ahead of his mother (thus preventing a possible tragedy) or a defiant act against an employer whose criminally negligent acts could lead to groundwater contamination more than three decades from now (known as “whistleblowing”) (Stenstrom 1086).
In A Modest Proposal, Swift does not don a cape or fly down and rescue a child from a collapsed bridge, moments before death. But he does something almost as daring for the time, situation, and surrounding circumstances in which it occurs. Although Swift had great societal influence and position when he wrote the satirical piece, he courageously and purposely dared to figuratively rush headlong into the crowds of the rich, elite and powerful people who were frequently complaining about the overwhelming problem of what to do about all the dirty, starving, annoyingly present poor (children, in particular) swarming around their city. As Stenstrom discovered, “as risk increases, so do perceptions of heroism” (1087). Despite the risk not being physical harm to Swift, with his position and prestige in the 18th century community he lived in brought significant risk of harm to him financially, personally, and societally.
Further, by suggesting such an over-the-top satirical ‘solution’ for the complainers, Swift most definitely put the needs and wants of the poor above his own. There would be absolutely no reason for a respected author and societally respected man to write such an appalling, shocking story for any other reason. The horror and revulsion the elite experienced upon reading his proposal was undoubtedly his entire purpose: he knew that all of the physical feelings would be closely associated with the perspective he wanted his readers to have, that trying to get rid of all the poor, starving children in some drastic way would be impossible.
Essentially, with his satirical and revolting piece, Swift successfully attacked and defended the poor, starving children of the time and area in order to obtain the obviously lacking sympathy of those who had the power and influence to implement effective, realistic change. In this way, Swift was ensuring that the hundreds of thousands of poor people – many of whom were very small children, having done nothing to deserve their lowly station in life – could finally begin to feel the warmth of charity, compassion, and relief.
Although the definition of heroism has changed over the centuries and millennia, this is primarily due to the ever-expanding and changing demands of humankind. In the past, anyone could become heroic by just picking up a sword and charging into battle. Today, only certain groups of people are authorized to do such acts – with good reason – but acts of heroism continue, even if they are not as obvious as some might like. Swift’s proposal was a heroic act for his time because he courageously used his position and influence to face the elite rich and force them to change their skewed opinions; put the needs and wants of the poor above his own; and attacked/defended as necessary to both obtain and preserve beneficial results for the collective good of the poor. In these ways, Swift’s proposal was indeed an act of heroism, even if it was a bit gross. Then, again – maybe that was his point all along.
Works Cited
Stenstrom, D. M., & Curtis, M. (2012). Heroism and risk of harm. Psychology,3(12), 1085-1090. Web. 1 April 2016. <http://nclive.org/cgi-bin/nclsm?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1321119617?accountid=13217>
