One of the wiliest writers of his age and a master of
vitriolic satire, Jonathan Swift was both a defender and a critic of the Irish. In his
"A Modest Proposal," Swift defends the Irish economic interest against the
English.
When he suggests that the Irish babies be eaten
rather than let them starve, Swift implies that England is already figuratively "eating"
the Irish through economic starvation, so why not just go ahead and eat the Irish
literally? This "modest proposal" is, perhaps, the best of the imaginative excess of
his satire. It is, indeed, a savage mockery of the economic policies of England and the
English politics.
Yet, satire is always intensely moral in
its purpose, and Swift's is clearly that. While he criticizes England, Swift also
satirizes the wealth Irish landowners of his time. Listing a number of alternative
solutions to Ireland's problems, such as taxing absentees, leniency on the part of
landlords, and, most of all, Ireland's refusing to buy anything other than "native
goods," Swift also points to the indifference and neglect with which these social ills
have been regarded in Ireland.
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