A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift: Political Connotations in Persuasive Writing Style - Book Report/Review Example

A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift – Political Connotations in Persuasive Writing Style Jonathan Swift was an Irish born in Dublin, Ireland in 1667, and was the author of the classic tale “Gulliver’s Travels.” Raised by his late father’s brother who was a prominent attorney, Swift earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Trinity College, and in later years became the dean at St. Patrick’s Cathedral (Damrosch 1). Swift (1667-1745) was well known for his political writings that often criticized political and social structures with sarcasm and ridicule. This is a predicament clearly identified in his 1729 political satire, “A Modest Proposal” that suggests various ways of solving societal ills, including feeding poor Irish children to the rich (Lee). Werner (42) traces out how Swift’s sermon ‘Causes o f the Wretched Condition o f Ireland’ resulted in the work A Modest Proposal, quoting Landa that “Swift was fully aware of the importance of both the trading and landed interests in the economy of a nation. His awareness of their relationship is evident throughout the Irish tracts,” (qtd. in Werner 42). As Swift’s past logical guidance from his sermons was not given a keen listening, he implied that an illogical solution, wrapped in enough logic and language behind his rhetorical mask, would be listened to and supported by the members of Parliament. “A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of Poor People in Ireland, from being a Burden on Their Parents or County, and for Making Them Beneficial to the Public” is an extremist political indictment against the English government who ruled Ireland during the time this literary work was published. Swift (1667-1745) was totally disgusted with the social conditions he believed were rooted in British policies that ignored the socioeconomic needs of Irish citizens (Lynch 1). In response, he wrote a proposal that scolded the apathetic politics while simultaneously offered a radical way of solving Irelands primary problems; poverty and overpopulation. His recommendation to fatten up poor Irish children, butcher them and allow their parents to sell them to England’s rich citizens (Swift, 1667-1745) to be used as a gourmet delicacy was in reality a profound condemnation of England’s political regime. Just as disturbing was the fact that this unorthodox proposal made perfect sense when one did the math. Swift’s political criticisms of Whig approach towards the problems of Irish people are grounded well in A Modest Proposal as he says to “let no Man talk to me of these and the like Expedients; till he hath, at least, a Glimpse of Hope, that there will ever be some hearty and sincere Attempt to put them in Practice” (qtd. in Werner 45). He attacks satirically the thinking of the Parliament besides the inhumane reasoning that has abused the Irish poor into such a pitiable condition. His seeming imitation of Whig ideology besides having an outwardly disdaining make-up permits Swift to hide his actual intentions via the use of his persona (Werner 45).  Jonathan Swift is not unlike today’s investigative journalists that use their writing skills and editorial columns to publicly call attention to social injustices and political leaderships they believe exploit people. While his proposed solution is extreme, it is offered as a result of total frustration and annoyance with present circumstances. Historical information details the conflict between England and Ireland in the late Seventeenth Century due to England’s confiscation of Ireland’s resources and forcing Irish citizens to pay heavy taxes (Atwan & McQuade 872). Swift uses this literary work to voice his resentment and vigorously challenge the Irish people to take a stand against these indignities. When he realizes this will not be the case, and social inequalities continue to exist, he offers an alternative way of resolving the problem that involves infanticide and cannibalism. Although “civilized” persons would probably frown upon Swift’s proposal, what he has proposed is not uncommon since human sacrifice has been a part of world cultures for centuries. A recent article in British Archaeology, discusses an archaeological dig on an island now connected to England that yielded what the author called “death pits” of early Scandinavian migrants believed to be the victims of ritualistic murders (Bradley, “Researching the Staffordshire Hoard,” par. 4). Swift’s proposal is ridiculous even satirical, but the underlined message aligns with the ancient philosophy of sacrificing a few for the greater good of all. In this case the greater good involved humorously referring to women as “breeders” and meticulously calculating the cost of raising children who would at some point be slaughtered like pigs (Swift). According to Swift, enacting these essential tasks would bring balance to a society plagued by overpopulation and poverty. Unique about Swift’s work, ‘A Modest Proposal’ is his distinct writing style; his pungent satire and use of argument as a tool when it happens between the projector and the opposition, in the opposing arguments. The type of debate requires here only the persona. The difference is that mostly, the right argument is that of the opposition. As debate needs an exchange of views but in this case there is only one persona from whose content of arguments, the opposing argument seems to be like the classical debate used to happen in the ancient Greek (Leadbetter 4). Swift has always been very successful in designing his different personae to express his mind. Swift “invariably [attacks] what he impersonates. In other words, his technique is to become the thing he attacks, which is normally not a message or a political doctrine but a style or a manner of discourse... The space between satirist and object satirized disappears” and the reason of his self-irony becomes visible when Swift’s political and moral objectives not only impress the reader, but himself too. In the case of A Modest Proposal, Swift carries the readers along with him through his rhetorical mask, as they can see the dreadful state in which the Irish people are living (Werner 46-47). Swift’s use of irony as a literary device is very effective in A Modest Proposal, for example, when arguing, the persona finding no logic in the opposing argument, states: “Therefore, let no man talk to me of other Expedients,” and he himself speaks about them. His so-called disagreeing of the listening of the opposition argument even is led by instant listing of their arguments. In literature, this is apophasis, an ironic tool used by Swift deftly in his writings (Leadbetter 4). Dialogue assists as a device in the satirical principles and practices. It is an integral part of the satirical writing. Swift’s use of the dialogue of argument provides the basis for studying his dialogue of satire. Swift’s satire leads to the element of humor, the difference between raillery and railing (Leadbetter 6). When it comes to proving the type of argument, syllogism is easily the leading premise to be assumed. Swift’s persona in A Modest Proposal could have taken for granted that economic betterment is a positive element for a country; however, he makes it clear at the beginning that betterment is a welcome sign whosoever initiates it. The central premise, the economic betterment is led by the secondary premise that butchered kids are the means of economic betterment. It is up to the reader to derive conclusions on the secondary premise and enforce or sidetrack the central premise. The readers’ explanation of the persona’s syllogism in A Modest Proposal must be chastened by the irony that envelopes the writing, to avoid the chaos (Leadbetter 126). The syllogism, open or delivered through arguments, the role of the narrator, and the element of irony, these are important in the dialogue of the argument. The element of irony forces the reader to see through the surface to find out secret meaning. These meanings advance from Swift to the projector. The projector designs his argument all the time, intending or even ironically stating his opposition. It is for the reader to find out the opposing argument and reach out via dialogues of irony to back the argument of the persona or reject it (Leadbetter 127). Generally, the opposing thought wins in an ironic dialogue. It speaks in favor of logical and ethical solutions. The reader traces down Swift’s choice although it is not possible to realize it because of the kind of human characters and organizations. The persuasive writing style of Swift compels all to affirm to his arguments – Swift himself, the reader, and the opposition. The projector and his argument mostly get revealed as the actual opposition or some part of it. A Modest Proposal provides a basis for discussing the dialogue of argument (Leadbetter 127). Long time back, George Wittkowsky showed convincingly the connection between early works relating Irish poverty and Swift’s destructive parody of those works in A Modest Proposal (1729). Swift has copied their argumentative style of pamphleteering to propagate inherent values of attaining economic efficiency at the cost of sacrificing humanity. The ironic mock pamphlet devises a new delectable for affording palates, generating a new source of earning from the sale of Irish babies. Irony lies in Swift’s proposer peacefully reinforcing his arguments with the tools of logical computing of costs and proportions, social figures and economic outcomes. As he furthers his concepts, cruel Irish living realities of social worries get exposed. Although his proposal is highly cynical and bad in taste yet it clarifies the time to countdown for taking drastic betterment measures for the social and economic welfare of the Irish people (Briggs 1). Richardson (404-405) quotes Claude Rawson in 1978 reacting to A Modest Proposal as ‘an explosive mixture…the complicated interplay of compassion and contempt’. Off late, he has remarked in ‘Swift’s conceit’ that it belongs to ‘a sphere of cruel play’ and ‘black humor’ which he defines as ‘an unmoralised surreal eruptiveness which transcends or exceeds, in a mode of unfettered ludic aggression, the borders of satiric or hortatory discourse’. The serious and limit-crossing humor of the pamphlet is that it is just some part of its nasty, unsettling ability. Equally important is the way in which the irony, by taking it for granted that the proposal will be read by large audiences, corners the reader towards agreeing. It is an irony of involvement, in which, as Thomas Lockwood has debated, the ‘putative audience’ is equally as shocked as the ‘putative author’. The major telling elements of this irony are the proposer’s conviction to the argument and his belief of the reader’s willingness to agree with it. It speaks volume of the forceful argumentative writing style of Swift; one can discern a strong shared responsibility and guilt as well by both. Swift and his contemporaries seem to be one of the stakeholders of not only the tragic economic and social crisis of Ireland but also part of the biggest atrocity of their time, transatlantic slavery. Swift sarcastically pleads his case; there is an element of dehumanization when he reduces the children to common goods. His suggestion that women sell their children for profit can be compared with selling merchandise for income. Swift also criticizes parents, and contemplates how his plan will relieve them of the parenting duties they fail to perform. He reinforces his argument by using the stereotypical societal views that poverty equates to criminal activity. He not only portrays the parents as being inept, but classifies the children as worthless and potential menaces to society; more reasons why his proposal is a sensible alternative. The reader will eventually come to understand Swift’s proposal is an endeavor to bring attention to the suffering and misery of the Irish people. Understanding the devastating effects of poverty and recognizing the greed of England and its treatment of the Irish, he offers what he considers a perfect solution. His suggestion that poor Irish children be fed to the wealthy citizens of England is not a genuine offer but rather a humorous attempt to highlight the serious problems of corrupt leadership and political abuses of power that contribute to social stratification, and create economic deprivation among segments of the population. His proposal, as preposterous as it may be, is a call for human dignity, compassion, justice and equality so the people of Ireland can have a better quality of life. Works Cited Bradley, Pippa. "Researching the Staffordshire Hoard." British Archaeology: The Voice of Archaeology in Britain and Beyond Issue 131. 07 Jun 2013: 14-23. . Briggs, Peter M. "John Graunt, Sir William Petty, and Swifts Modest Proposal." Eighteenth-Century Life 29.2 (2005): 3-24. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 Feb. 2014. Chowdhury, Ahsan. "Splenetic Ogres and Heroic Cannibals in Jonathan Swifts A Modest Proposal (1729)." English Studies in Canada 34.2 (2008): 131-57. ProQuest. Web. 19 Feb. 2014. Damrosch, Leo. Jonathan Swift: His Life and his World. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2013. 24. Print. Leadbetter, Raymond Merl. "JONATHAN SWIFT AND THE DIALOGUES OF SATIRE." Order No. 8029235 Indiana University, 1980. Ann Arbor: ProQuest. Web. 19 Feb. 2014. Lee, Jae. Swift and Scatological Satire. 1st ed. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1971. Print. Lynch, Jack. "A Modest Proposal." Rutgers University. N.p.. Web. 19 Feb 2014. . McQuade, Donald, and Robert Atwan. The Writers Presence: A Pool of Readings. 6th ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martins , 2009. 872. Print. Richardson, John. "Swift, A Modest Proposal and Slavery." Essays in Criticism 51.4 (2001): 404. Literary Reference Center Plus. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.   Read More