Seminar Paper: A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift 1729

By Daniel Gilligan

Jonathan Swift was an Irish Essayist and poet born in1667. He is most notable for his piece ‘Gulliver’s Travels’. In his work ‘A Modest Proposal’, he outlines a seemingly outrageous and distasteful idea for controlling the expanding Irish population. He describes the current population controls as ‘utterly impossible’ to sustain.

                He introduces his ideas by criticising the ‘deplorable state of the kingdom’. He attributes culpability to poor and deprived, especially the younger generation; whom he believes show little future promise for the country as they are unable to learn any skilled work and their parents are unable to support them financially. He ascertains anybody who could determine a ‘fair, cheap and easy method of making these children sound and useful members of the commonwealth, would deserve so well of the publick’. Swift was a man of intellect and stature, he, similar to many others at the time showed a degree of contempt and derision for lower classes. Being a patriot, he attributed great importance to the social and economic tribulations blighting society.

                In ‘A Modest Proposal’ he outlines that children are inexpensive to maintain up until their first birthday, owing to their nourishment coming solely from breast milk.

                He breaks down that annually there are 120,000 unsustainable children throughout Ireland and asserts 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’. Consequently, children could be sold on to ‘persons of quality or fortune’ for consumption.

                Swift details different social occasions which children could be served as a central dish and the methods by which they could be cooked, seasoned, and prepared for consumption. He details, ‘Infant’s flesh will be in season throughout the year, but more plentiful in March’, due to Ireland’s high Catholic population and their tendency to breed more abundantly after Lent.

                Swift shows little compassion for the young carcasses when he suggests ‘the skin... will make admirable gloves for ladies, and summer boots for fine gentlemen’. This highlights Swift’s sarcastic side. Upon first read the text may seem authentic, Swift is being disingenuous.

                He underlines the focal advantages of his proposal in six key points. Firstly, it would reduce the number of ‘Papists’, a common derogatory term for Roman Catholics who were the ‘principal breeders’ in Ireland. He goes on to say it would apportion the poorer society with more money, to ‘pay their landlord’s rent’ and so on as well as ridding them of the burden of supporting a child after the first year. ‘Besides the profit of a new dish’, it would also give a boost to the nation’s economy, injecting a further £50,000. It would also increase trade to Taverns frequented by ‘Fine Gentlemen’. Lastly, it would improve marriages, as males would see their wives as ‘mares in foal’. Rather than seeing the unborn child as a liability, they will see it as a source of income. Swift also alleges his method will cut down on backstreet abortion, infanticide, and fathers physically inducing miscarriages.

                Although a satirical prose, his concept is well argued and may appear credulous to an undiscerning individual. If one was unaware Swift was a renowned satirist, the subtle sarcasm may appear genuine when intertwined with his articulate and well-reasoned prose.

                His arguments pertaining to the advantages of consuming infants do bear some substance. They could encourage greater economic stability and reduce crime and disease. However, from a conscientious perspective, it is blindingly obvious there are some significant moral issues to contend with, that render Swift’s ideas impractical and unashamedly evil.

                Swift’s autocratic concept is unenforceable in society because very few mothers would volunteer their child for consumption in exchange for money. He satirically examines his perspective of the participating mothers. Swift states they would be ‘avoiding such perpetual scenes of misfortune’; giving them the ability to be able to afford clothing, food and pay their landlords. He insinuates they should be grateful for such a lucrative opportunity. This demonstrates his morbid sarcasm; it is both derogatory and condescending to poorer classes. It clearly exemplifies class divisions, valuing the life of a poorer child less than that of a child born into the aristocracy. It is likely if this article was written about children from affluent families, there would have been a backlash.

                Swift acknowledges, ‘it is not improbable that some scrupulous people might be apt to censure such a practice, (although indeed very unjustly) as a little bordering upon cruelty’. I believe Swift deliberately utilises controversy to emphasise his sense of irony. He is endeavouring to provoke a public reaction using the core features of satire, such as sarcasm and irony. He does this to highlight the underlying issue troubling him; the current instability permeating Ireland, both socially and economically.

Points for Discussion

Are Swift’s proposals practical in today’s society, considering the current rate of population increase and the potential problems with overcrowding?  

Does Swift convey his underlying point effectively through this prose?

Is he concept revolutionary or just extreme and cannibalistic?

Considering Swift’s social class and the fact he has no eligible children, does this article lack substance if taken literally, due to his inability to empathise with mothers from a lower social class?