Hello Everybody! Expanding on the class discussion today, Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal for preventing the children of poor people in Ireland, from being a burden on their parents or country, and for making them beneficial to the publick, Swift uses a juvenalian approach, and has low burlesque style.
Taking a low burlesque approach, the satire explores the problem of the many starving children in Ireland. Swift reasons that “… a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or broiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricasie, or a ragoust” (Swift). The Author’s funny yet awful approach is to sell babies to landlords, who will eat them (gross).
Additionally, Jonathan Swift uses writes with a juvenalian style to satirize society. “I grant this food will be somewhat dear, and therefore very proper for landlords, who, as they have already devoured most of the parents, seem to have the best title to the children”(Swift). Jonathan Swift uses a Juvenalian technique to satirize the landlords’ unfair treatment of their tenants. Swift also uses satire in the title of the work, A Modest proposal for preventing the children of poor people in Ireland, from being a burden on their parents or country, and for making them beneficial to the publick. Clearly, this is not a modest proposal. Swift’s conclusion of using children as a food source is far from modest. Also, I found the title harsh. Swift writes that children are a burden to their parents and country. Sad! The poor kids, it’s not their problem they were born into a poor society.
Within Jonathan Swifts’ satire, Swift uses low burlesque style, and a juvenalian approach to point out Ireland’s problem of underfed and poor children.
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Not only does Swift satirize the Irish society he also satirizes American society too because it was an American who told him "that a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, or boiled" and later he says that "my american acquaintance assured me from frequent experience, that their flesh was generally lean..." Do you think there was a reason he chose an American to be the one to suggest it to him instead of a different country?
ReplyDeleteI do not think there was a reason Swift chose an American. When "A Modest Proposal" was written in 1729, America was not even a country. I think Swift was just trying to show the Irish people that hey other countries do it so we should/can too. Another reason is the Irish society would more than likely know if the European countries ate their babies, while America unknown to the Irish. In Swift's mind, American was just probably more believable than any other country.
ReplyDeleteWell when I first read "A Modest Proposal" I was a little bit appauled. I had just gotten back from sunny Flordia and then to read and article about eating poor little Irish babies made me gag a little bit. Yes I realized that Swift was attempting to make a point with his Juvienlle Satire but it was disgusting and wrong. Even if it was meant to be funny, eating babies and all, it still gives me reason to doubt that he is sane, and gives me reason to doubt his point he's attempting to make. I think by using his low burlesque style of satire he ended up damaging his affect on people and his credability
ReplyDeleteThis unit of satire was probably my favorite yet! It was a decent change from the tragedies that we had to read.
ReplyDeleteAnyhow...I agree with the fact that this proposal was quite disturbing but you have to admit that it was a very reasonable proposal and actually would have made sense! Not saying that they should eat babies, but I defiantly saw the reason and fact behind it as to how and why it would work.