Swift clearly states that he sympathizes with the Catholics in calling Ireland one of the “Roman Catholic countries” and by saying that one of the advantages of his plan would be “lessening the number of Papists”(633). Swift sympathising with the Catholics is significant because if he had not sympathised with them, he would not have written “A Modest Proposal” in opposition to the cruel laws imposed by the English. Swift did not write this because he particularly liked the Irish, but because he despised the inhumanity of the English. Swift’s unique view of the situation explains why he uses his satire not only to criticize the English but also the Irish.
At the time that “A Modest Proposal” was written people of English descent had control over Ireland. England used its power over Ireland for the profit of the English with disregard for the effects upon the Irish. Lyman Baker called the conditions in Ireland at the time a “tangle of frustrations which nearly strangle that country”(Baker). The frustrations came about because the “ Protestant minorities had united with the English to force through Parliament a series of discriminatory inheritance laws which effectively broke up large Catholic estates and put them at the mercy of rapidly consolidating Protestant landowners”(Baker). The partnership between the English and the Protestants were forcing the Catholics to farm small plots of land, thus forcing them into the hardships of poverty. Lyman Baker sums up the condition of Ireland by saying “ by 1729 England had contrived, with the help of Irish venality, to wreck Ireland 's merchant marine, her agriculture and her growing woolen industry” (Baker). Jonathan Swift’s satire was written to an audience consisting of both the Irish and the English to bring attention to the substandard condition of the poverty-stricken lower class Catholics in Ireland. In general society looks upon cannibalism as a taboo. …show more content…
Cannibalism is often seen as an uncivilized and animalistic practice, so it is not something that the wealthy would like to be associated with. For this reason, Jonathan Swift makes many remarks about the wealthy such as “I grant this food will be somewhat dear, and therefore very proper for landlords”(633). Swift also alludes to the wealthy saying the food would “bring great custom to taverns” that would be “frequented by all the fine gentlemen”(636). Swift even mentions them in his conclusion, saying that his proposal would give “some pleasure to the rich”(638). Swift mentioned the wealthy in this manner in order to offend them; offending someone is often the best way to grab their attention. Swift wanted their attention in order to set them into motion; at this point, no one was working to fix the many problems in Ireland. The fact that Swift targets the wealthy so openly also shows that he is trying to criticize the vast difference between economic classes; The poor are uncommonly poor, and the rich are exceedingly rich. His criticism of how the upper class treats the lower classes is implied throughout when he suggests that the upper class should eat the children of the lower class. However, his criticisms are most openly stated when Swift says that the food is dear and proper “for landlords, who, as they have already devoured most of the parents, seem to have the best title to the children” (633). Swift says that in reaction to the landlords disregard for the well being of their tenants. The landlords treatment of their tenants was included to show the suffering in Ireland. Swift says “it is a melancholy object to those who walk through this great town or travel in the country, when they see the streets, the roads, and cabin doors, crowded with beggars of the female sex, followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags and importuning every passenger for an alms” (631). Swift made sure to include these scenes of suffering specifically for the wealthy to read. Since the poor didn’t usually have the time to learn to read at the time, most of Swift’s writing was directed at the wealthy. The scenes of suffering were included to let the wealthy in both England and Ireland know exactly what was happening in Ireland. Swift also uses his satire to criticize the relationship between
At the time that “A Modest Proposal” was written people of English descent had control over Ireland. England used its power over Ireland for the profit of the English with disregard for the effects upon the Irish. Lyman Baker called the conditions in Ireland at the time a “tangle of frustrations which nearly strangle that country”(Baker). The frustrations came about because the “ Protestant minorities had united with the English to force through Parliament a series of discriminatory inheritance laws which effectively broke up large Catholic estates and put them at the mercy of rapidly consolidating Protestant landowners”(Baker). The partnership between the English and the Protestants were forcing the Catholics to farm small plots of land, thus forcing them into the hardships of poverty. Lyman Baker sums up the condition of Ireland by saying “ by 1729 England had contrived, with the help of Irish venality, to wreck Ireland 's merchant marine, her agriculture and her growing woolen industry” (Baker). Jonathan Swift’s satire was written to an audience consisting of both the Irish and the English to bring attention to the substandard condition of the poverty-stricken lower class Catholics in Ireland. In general society looks upon cannibalism as a taboo. …show more content…
Cannibalism is often seen as an uncivilized and animalistic practice, so it is not something that the wealthy would like to be associated with. For this reason, Jonathan Swift makes many remarks about the wealthy such as “I grant this food will be somewhat dear, and therefore very proper for landlords”(633). Swift also alludes to the wealthy saying the food would “bring great custom to taverns” that would be “frequented by all the fine gentlemen”(636). Swift even mentions them in his conclusion, saying that his proposal would give “some pleasure to the rich”(638). Swift mentioned the wealthy in this manner in order to offend them; offending someone is often the best way to grab their attention. Swift wanted their attention in order to set them into motion; at this point, no one was working to fix the many problems in Ireland. The fact that Swift targets the wealthy so openly also shows that he is trying to criticize the vast difference between economic classes; The poor are uncommonly poor, and the rich are exceedingly rich. His criticism of how the upper class treats the lower classes is implied throughout when he suggests that the upper class should eat the children of the lower class. However, his criticisms are most openly stated when Swift says that the food is dear and proper “for landlords, who, as they have already devoured most of the parents, seem to have the best title to the children” (633). Swift says that in reaction to the landlords disregard for the well being of their tenants. The landlords treatment of their tenants was included to show the suffering in Ireland. Swift says “it is a melancholy object to those who walk through this great town or travel in the country, when they see the streets, the roads, and cabin doors, crowded with beggars of the female sex, followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags and importuning every passenger for an alms” (631). Swift made sure to include these scenes of suffering specifically for the wealthy to read. Since the poor didn’t usually have the time to learn to read at the time, most of Swift’s writing was directed at the wealthy. The scenes of suffering were included to let the wealthy in both England and Ireland know exactly what was happening in Ireland. Swift also uses his satire to criticize the relationship between