Poverty in “A Modest Proposal” by Swift Essay

Introduction

The high number of children born to poor families presents significant problems for a country. “A Modest Proposal” is a satirical essay by Jonathan Swift that proposes a solution to the challenge facing the kingdom. Swift was born and raised in Ireland; which allowed him to learn about the gap between the rich and poor, the papists, and Christians. It enabled him to figure out how the number of fatherless, poor children could be reduced to benefit everyone in the country. His proposal suggests that poor children should be well-fed and then sold to be eaten at the age of one year. This essay shows that Swift, being in the line of Anglo-Irish rulers who exercised power in Ireland, uses satire to convince the audience and demonstrate his logic towards eliminating poverty, though ironic.

The credibility of the Author

Swift is presented as a credible author who has a wide knowledge of the problem and is in a good position to propose a solution. First, he was born in Dubin, Ireland, one of the country’s largest cities (Swift 207). His birth is significant because being a citizen of the country, he has the heart for change and wishes to improve the living conditions in his country. It would be expected that only a child born in the land would be interested in altering the conditions in their homeland to develop solutions beneficial to all.

Second, the author is well-informed and therefore in a position to provide the proposal. According to Swift (208), he has “turned my thoughts for many years, upon this important subject”, implying that he is not giving a hasty or generalized solution. He also appears to have carefully calculated the cost and implications of his proposal. He argues that before a child is one year old, they may only need milk from their mothers, which may not cost above two shillings (Swift 208). He, therefore, believes that only after one year is a child expected to become a burden to their parents and the country. He proposes to turn those children into profitable use before they worsen the country’s economic situation and continue the cycle of poverty in their generations.

Third, Swift’s proposal is guided by advice given by experienced professionals. For instance, he has been informed by “a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London” that a child’s meat is wholesome and delicious (Swift 209). From the information given by his expert friend, Swift believes that the meat from a one-year-old will be sufficient and acceptable to serve the “landlords” (Swift 209). Again, he has gathered information from merchants who confirm that a child cannot yield enough money when sold before the age of twelve (Swift 209). His proposal is a consolidation of all the points noted from his observations and calculations, and advice from experts, proving his credibility as an author of the proposal.

Appeal to Audience

Every author aims to communicate their ideas to an audience and prompt them to agree or constructively critique the arguments raised. In “A modest proposal” Swift uses several techniques to appeal to his audience. One, he uses satire extensively in his article, from the beginning to the end. He starts by appealing to the readers’ emotions by reminding them of the great city that was before the streets were filled with “beggars of the female sex” (Swift 207). He wants to show the readers how his proposal would solve their problems by showing them how abortions could be reduced while benefiting the whole society. His appeal is based on creating a picture of the bad situation presently and the beautiful society that would be created by his proposal.

Second, he uses satire when describing the benefits of a child’s meat. Although no parent would wish to offer their children food, Swift shows them how they would solve the biggest challenge in society by feeding themselves and the community. He claims that his proposal would reduce the pain and shame of women “sacrificing their innocent babies” (Swift 208). However, the solution he is suggesting is not in any way different from the child sacrifices already done by mothers. In his words, children’s meat will be “somewhat dear”, implying that the parents are bound to enjoy feeding their children (Swift 208). This is satirical and an effective strategy for attracting the audience’s attention.

Validity of Logic

In literature, an author’s logic can be declared valid or invalid depending on its connection to the result. A valid logic is characterized by a sound claim that leads to a sound conclusion. In essence, for valid logic, a true premise guarantees a true conclusion. In Swift’s article, the logic is valid as it supports and enforces a true conclusion. His logic is that children above one year can be profitably used as meat. Aside from the social and moral implications of the act, his logic is valid since a child’s meat according to him, could be used to serve the population, alleviating one of the biggest challenges.

The validity of his logic is founded on the research done on the prevalence of bastard children, theft, abortions, and the need for meat and financial support. First, he shows that the streets have been filled with beggars who, in his words, are a continuation of the poverty cycle plaguing the nation (Swift 207). Second, he uses mathematical proof to show that the amount of money used to raise a bastard child for up to one year is minimal compared to the benefits derived from selling them for meat (Swift 208). Lastly, he concludes that since after one year the child would be good meat, yet unprofitable for sale before twelve years, converting them to meat would be in the best interest of society.

Quality of Evidence

Every author depends on several sources for proof of their arguments. While some may solely depend on personal experiences, others reinforce their ideas with data and concrete evidence from outside sources. In this case, swift’s evidence is based on his personal experiences, advice from the merchant, and a friend dealing in the meat business (Swift 210). As a child born and raised in Ireland, Swift knows the country’s population and the challenges faced by the poor and the rich. Therefore, using his experiences as evidence for the need to eliminate the problem of bastard children, street families and papists is a good source of evidence.

Swift mentions that eating the poor children would be financially beneficial because he has received information from the merchants. According to him, selling the children for slavery is not viable till they react twelve years (Swift 209). The information given by merchants is based on their experiences in human trafficking and therefore it provides a good source of information. Lastly, he shows that children meet will provide a continuous source of income all year round from the information given by his friend in London. Further, the month of March would be most profitable as that is the period in which most papists’ births are witnessed (Swift 209). Since the information is based on research from experts in the meat business, his evidence is of high quality and suitable for making valid conclusions.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Swift is one of the most talented authors who apply literary devices and stylistic appeals to woe the audience. His work is based on a rather obscene subject; eating children. Swift’s article uses satire, irony, and appeals to emotions to show the readers that there is an imminent challenge in their society that needs an urgent solution. The title of the work, “A Modest Proposal” is ironic since the suggestions given are far from modest.

However, Swift uses evidence from his observations and expert advice from friends in the trafficking and meat business to prove the validity of his argument. Although the work is satirical and probably impractical in real life, Swift’s proposal is appealing, valid, and based on high-quality evidence. He claims to reduce the sacrificial murder of children through abortion while leading them to death by being slaughtered for meat. It highlights how problems can be solved through means that may not be moral or sound in the society’s standards but can prove profitable to society.

Work Cited

Swift, Jonathan. “A modest proposal.” Edited by Patrick Madden, Quotidiana, 2007, pp. 207-215.