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How Does Swift Use Irony In A Modest Proposal

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How Does Swift Use Irony In A Modest Proposal
In an essay entitled “A Modest Proposal,” Irish oppression is satirized by author Jonathan Swift who uses an absurd idea to find solutions to a large problem. Swift appears to come up with an answer to the overpopulation that is present in Ireland. The dozens of children born into the poverty stricken families were seen to Swift as exotic merchandise. Upon reading the essay, readers realize that the entire piece is a satire when they discover the promised “modest” proposal is nowhere near being subtle. Through the use of satire, irony, and understatement, Swift criticized the oppression of the Irish by the British kingdom.
Swift’s first thought in his essay is that there is a large number of pregnant women and children in Ireland; he satirizes the excessive number of children …show more content…
Swift entitles his essay “A Modest Proposal,” yet nothing about the essay appears to be modest. The author elaborates on his suggestion to make children into food throughout his entire essay. Swift is not modest about his proposal; in fact he states line after line of research, numbers and statistics that he has come accross to support his proposal (Swift 35-44). The verbal irony makes Swift’s proposal stand out because the readers are expecting something that is moderate and simple but instead are given an unusual and ludicrous idea. In order to encourage Ireland to find a solution to the growing poverty, Swift suggests a proposal that is ironic to the situation. Swift proposes that the poor feed their children to the rich. It is ironic that Swift is suggesting that the poor feed the rich when the poor are being oppressed by wealthy British (Swift 79-81). This ironic solution is intended to force the Irish to find a better solution. Swift is conveying the message that Ireland is in trouble and it is not only Britain that is causing the trouble; the people of Ireland are capable of fixing their problem on their
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