Monday, March 1, 2010
Guest Blogger - Tom F.
Swift’s “A Modest Proposal”, is in no way modest. The actual title of Swift’s work is “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” which right away just seems ridiculous. Swift pretended to be a politician and published his work in the newspaper right next to all the other government articles. Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” can be seen as a satire because he pretended to be a politician but at the same time he was making fun of the other politicians for not seeing the obvious solution that Ireland can just eat their new born babies and everything will be solved. Swift even did the numbers to support his solution to Ireland’s poverty “there may be about two hundred thousand couple whose wives are breeders; from which number I subtract thirty thousand couple, who are able to maintain their own children, but this being granted there will remain an hundred and seventy thousand breeders. I again subtract fifty thousand for those women who miscarry,” (Swift paragraph 6). Swift takes an absolutely disgusting idea and actually does the math for it. It just makes his solution seem that much more credible. These numbers almost seem as if they are facts. Swift took the time to think of all the positives that will come from eating Ireland’s infants, “the skin of which, artificially dressed, will make admirable gloves for ladies, and summer boots for fine gentlemen” (Swift paragraph 16) and “supposing that one thousand families in this city, would be constant customers for infants flesh, besides others who might have it at merry meetings, particularly at weddings and christenings” (Swift paragraph 29). In Swift’s eyes eating babies could become a celebration meal for Baptists which is completely ironic. Celebrating the birth of a child, then an hour later eating a child to celebrate. In my eyes Swift almost over did this whole proposal, it is too well done to seem true.
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I agree with what Tom has said about The Modest Proposal.. I feel that it was very well done, though, and a perfect way to get the public's attention. He did the research on information about the subject, and even though it was an unbelievably horrible idea, he truly conveyed the thought that he was serious. First he started off with statistics and information about the subject, which got his audience's interest, then he introduced the idea of eating babies, which was a big surprise but yet kept the reader's attention. As he contined with his "proposal", he began to make the readers realize how horribly rediculous the government was being. It was, in fact, over the top and a major exaggeration, but it was a perfect way to get the attention of the public without directly insulting anybody.
ReplyDeleteOut of all the short stories that we read this year, I have to say that 'A Modest Proposal' was by far my favorite short story we read. I really enjoyed it and found it hilarious and well worth reading. I also think that Swift was a genious. He placed his article right next all of the other political celebrities articles and he really researched his topic well. Swift made an extremely logical argument about the potato famine that had swept the land, and what would be better than eating babies. I agree with Maddy as well, about Swift not directly insulting people, which I really enjoyed. I loved how, if you read carefully you can see all of his slams at other countries (United States is in there as well!) and he makes his insults almost see like praise, saying that a well learned scholar from America, told me they do it all of the time, (In reference to the eating of children.) Swift makes the story enjoyable and makes an excellent arguement that is so logical it is funny.
ReplyDeleteI agree Tom, I do not think that Swift's Modest Proposal was in any way at all, modest. I think he over exaggerated this paper though to get his point across. Many people would think that this proposal is insane, I think that Swift wanted people to think his idea was crazy. Swift did a very good job of getting his point across, especially when he began throwing the idea out there about eating babies. No one would actually try and use this proposal in real life. As many people during the time may have thought he was serious, in modern days no one would have taken him serious. Even though Swift backed up all of his ideas with reasoning, maybe not reasoning today, but back then it may have seemed reasonable. As Swifts proposal progressed, he kept introducing new crazier ideas that really kept the reader involved and interested. I like this short story that we read, it was one of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteDuncan G
ReplyDeleteThe modest proposal was definitely not modest, but very logical. Swift's not so modest proposal tried to satirize politicians who had to find the most logical solution before acting. He does this by going on the extreme of logic, exaggerating the "child problem" and ignores all ethics (Use them as a resource). He tried to show how ridiculous the politicians were and tried to change Ireland.
I think responses like Tom's are exactly why Swift wrote a modest proposal. As you read it there is no reason to be disgusted at the proposal other than the moral and ethical issue. If they're not careful, the reader will find themselves getting comfortable with the whole idea. This is was Swift wanted, an eye opening experience for the reader. It provokes relization of reality.
ReplyDelete