The Social Frustrations of Jonathan Swift in “A Modest Proposal” Anonymous 12th Grade

Eating babies would be the last resort of a country in turmoil. Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” outlines the plans of a solution to resolve Ireland’s current deplorable state, which is to eat the children that can’t be supported by their parents. Swift begins by introducing all of the problems of the country, and the specific goals that his plan will achieve. He doesn’t introduce his plan until almost halfway through the text, and after doing so he continues to give reasons and evidence as to why his plan would work. While Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” is generally seen as a satire on political legislation, the text also serves as an outlet from which Swift vents many of his frustrations on societal issues in Ireland, such as the dominance of the rich, the liabilities of children, the lowly regard of marriage, and the religious tensions in the country.

In the paragraph where his proposal is revealed, Swift criticizes society by comparing children to animals, and drawing a distinction between the rich and the poor. Swift says that the “savages” of his country do not highly regard marriage, and thus most of the children will be bastards rather than “fruits of marriage” (1115). This is used to justify having just one...