a modest proposal

[fxf]

what is the meaning of Swift's "A modest proposal"?

[janshep]

It's the title of an essay written by Swift in which he proposed that poverty in Ireland be relieved by the Irish poor eating their own children. Revolting man.

[jbeputnam]

Jonathan Swift's Modest Proposal was his attempt at writing satire. He was quite surprised when he wrote it, because he found that many people thought it was a good idea! The idea of his Modest Proposal was to write something totally ridiculous and unheard of, but in a very serious and logical way, to make it seem quite believable. I am now writing my own Modest Proposal for my A-level coursework, and it is easy to see how one is written. First you outline the problem, offer statistics to support it, then suggest completely stupid solutions. Hope that helps.

[allen ives]

The full title of his essay was A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of poor People in Ireland, from being a Burden to their Parents or Country; and for making them beneficial to the Publick, which in itself should have told most mildly intelligent people that he was less than serious.
I must say that I have never heard of anyone in the 18th Century taking the line that Swift seriously.

In an advertisement for the essay, published in the Dublin Intelligence in 1729, Swift penned the following comment on his own work: '... wherein the author ... ingeniously advises that one fourth part of the infants under two years old be forthwith fattened, brought to market, and sold for food, reasoning that they will be dainty bits for landlords, who, as they have already devoured most of the parents, seem to have best right to eat up the children.'

[allen ives]

Contrary to what janshep says, above, Swift was far from being a 'revolting man'. Although English, he cared deeply for the problems of the Irish (he lived mostly in Dublin). He was a free-thinker, a liberal, a supporter of Irish nationalism and a satirist of prolific output. He had little time for the worst aspects of humanity, and said so.