A Modest Proposal - Dear Mr. Smarmy

Dear Mr. Smarmy, On the behalf of the school board in Trinity, Idaho, I would like to thank you for your concerns about the assigned reading of Jonathan Swift’s “Modest Proposal”. It is apparent that you want Swift’s “Modest Proposal” to be removed from our school district because it contains “blatantly anti-human and sickening suggestions [that will] be read by young impressionable youth.” After a review of the essay, we have come to a unanimous conclusion. We, the school board, have decided that “A Modest Proposal” will not be removed from the curriculum. We believe that “A Modest Proposal” exhibits substantial evidence of irony, which is a literary device used to strengthen the satirical element in the essay. The purpose of the reading was to challenge the students’ minds on understanding satirical devices. Furthermore, scholars have found that Swift has an underlying meaning in his proposal. By realizing that Swift takes on two distinct roles, a speaker and a writer, it is evident that his purpose is to ridicule the British authority over the impoverished Irish. In order to understand the real intent of the essay, it is important to recognize the two distinct voices in “A Modest Proposal”, the speaker and the writer. The speaker is a cruel and calculative persona whom Swift developed in the essay. The proposal is suggested by the speaker. On the other hand, the writer, Swift himself, satirizes the hardship and mistreatment of the poor in Ireland through the speaker’s plan. It is difficult to distinguish between the two voices. But after a long discussion with the English scholars, we have concluded that the speaker’s voice can be identified by the proposal; while Swift’s own voice can be seemed through his descriptions of Ireland.
At first glance, it appears that the solution to the situation is to devour young children and breed them as economic commodities. The speaker provides mathematical statistics by calculating that “a child will make two dishes at an entertainment for friends; and when the family dines alone, the fore and hind quarter will make a reasonable dish” (410). Here the speaker shows the practicality of eating children to feed the rich and provide for the starving Irish families. But what is important to recognize are not these details proposed by the speaker, but rather the subtle remark that Swift, the writer, makes through the proposal. Swift reveals his real position by taking on the role of the writer. Swift is aware that British landlords have mistreated Irish parents by leaving them with the “impossibility of paying rent without money or trade… [and] neither house nor clothes to cover [their children] (416). Thus the landlords are the ones to blame for Ireland’s poverty. Furthermore, he comments that “this food will be somewhat dear and therefore very proper for landlords, who…have already devoured most of the parents” (410). The writer suggests that the landlords ought to eat the babies, as they have already “devoured” all their parents because the only thing left for the parents to give is their children. The writer here is implying that the landlords metaphorically “devour” the poor, achieving success largely at the expense of the lower classes, showing the economic inequality. Although the proposal may sound inhumane, Swift suggests is it actually the wealthy landlords who are inhumane for taking everything the lower classes have.
After laying the foundation of his proposal, Swift claims that his plan is “wholly new, so it has something solid and real, of which no expense and little trouble” (415). He sarcastically suggests his plan is realistic and is the only option available. Swift, the writer, implies the conditions in Ireland are unbearable. The irony in this remark is that although this plan seems unrealistic and inhumane, it is the only option for the Irish because all they have is their children. In addition, through the speaker, Swift challenges the “politicians who dislike [his] overture…[and] attempt an answer” (415) to solve the problems in Ireland. Swift criticizes the governmentl in Ireland because it did not do anything to solve the problems. Cannibalism may seem inhumane but ironically it is the Irish’s only option, it is their last resort.
Mr. Smarmy, I hope you are able to see that Swift’s purpose in writing “A Modest Proposal” is not to “destroy the moral development of our children” nor is it the intention of the School Board of Trinity. We acknowledge your concerns. As a member of the school board for the past fifteen years, I can assure you that we are dedicated to educate our students in the best manner possible. We believe that Swift’s “Modest Proposal” is an excellent example of how satire is used to help a writer to achieve his or her overall purpose.
My goal in writing this letter is to respond to the sensitivities that you have toward Swift’s essay. I hope that by specifically pinpointing Swift’s irony, I have eased your concerns about having “A Modest Proposal” to be in the English curriculum.

Sincerely,
Jonathan Smith
(School Board Member)