Research the economic and
political situation in Ireland when "A Modest Proposal" was written
(you may use any sites you deem worthy) and then compose a blog entry in which
you explain how the humor in "A Modest Proposal" relates to the facts
of the historical situation at the time. The point here is not to write a comprehensive history of English-Irish relations, but rather, to discover what the salient social and political issues at the time were when Swift composed his satire.
Although Ireland did have a government system (governor and Irish Parliament). It was essentially powerless and limited because it could not pass new legislation unless proposed and passed by the British Parliament (Poyning’s Law). English upper-class landlords exploited Irish tenant farmers and laborers. The landlords would not only treat these Irishmen as if they were slaves, but also as if they were disposable farm animals. Since there were so many impoverished non-English people ready to take up the job upon availability, the upper-class English created a very corrupt and unhealthy system. With better knowledge of the economic and political system, Swift’s “Modest Proposal” is even more clearly a satire. Swift himself, being the in-between Irish-British, shows his disgust toward both the passive, powerless Irish people and the overly manipulative, corrupt British people.
ReplyDeleteJonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” was born out of many things. Swift felt as though he was an Englishman at hear that had been exiled to the British colony of Ireland. His distain towards England not only stemmed from his frustration that he was not accepted into their country, but also from the atrocities to which the country confined Ireland. Although Swift was a member of the Church of Ireland and a prosperous Anglo-Irish citizen, he was surrounded by poverty stricken people that were regularly suffering from famine, heavy taxes, a most notably, the overpopulation Swift described.
ReplyDeleteAt the time of Swifts writing, Ireland was politically, economically, and militaristically dependent upon England. England, not wanting any competition with their power or industrial growth, aimed to keep Ireland trapped in inferiority. Thus, England provided no welfare for the starving and impoverished people, controlled the Irish legislature, and gave all the fertile land to English Lords. England aimed to create circumstances that kept Irish labor cheap and the country dependent dependent, ultimately crippling the country to the point that they were to eat their young.
Ireland during the first half of the 18th century was completely dominated by England. Although it was its own nation, Ireland could not make any laws without the British's approval and its citizens were seen as animals in the eyes of the British. Poyning's Law made it impossible for the Irish parliament to pass legislation that the British did not agree with. Ireland was also struck with famine and poverty. British landlords paid their Irish workers the least amount of money possible, and most poor Irish families found themselves on the streets begging for money. Children were starving and parents could not support their children because of a lack of money. Living in Ireland, Swift was exposed to the harsh treatment of the Irish by the British and also received a first hand account of the starving and impoverished people of Ireland. Swift composed "A Modest Proposal" in order to criticize England's treatment of the Irish. A satirical piece, Swift does not seriously believe that cannibalism and infanticide are the solutions to Irelands poverty. He is instead proposing such ludicrous ideas and backing them up with solid arguments to show the problem at hand.
ReplyDeleteBuilding off from what others have said, the practice of mercantilism in early 18th century Ireland placed many of the Catholics (a demographic that made up 70% of Ireland’s population) under the foot of wealthy English Protestants. The motto of the economic model used during that time was essentially ‘more workers, longer hours, and lower wages brings more economic growth.’ Yet, this line of thinking resulted in the relentless oppression of the Catholics. They experienced frequent food shortages and, as a demographic aggregate, owned less than 5% of Ireland’s land. Swift uses his satirical essay to comment on blatant wealth and greed of the upper-class citizens—namely, that they were wholeheartedly unwilling to help the poor or change the economic model entirely, that is, unless they had something to gain for themselves. And that ‘communal gain’ is what he jokingly wraps his proposal around. Kill the children of Ireland, and both parties will ultimately benefit. The rich get their food, and the poor have less mouths to feed.
ReplyDeleteSurely, if you are an occupant (and even more --colonizer) you would try to rule the oppressed ones with harshness and oppression. British foreboded Irish from any valuable possession (manufacture equipment, guns, even horses could be requested by English in case of necessity). Local government that was set up by british was nothing less than the jewish police that was created by Germans in Ghettos during Holocaust; it was just an instrument to deal with locals. In the same time we have all these british liberal economists like Adam Smith, who were trying to come up with solutions to the problem. Swift satire shows, how British first diminished Irish to the status o subhuman and now they try to come up with something, so he tells that if british chose the path oppression, they should go all the way.
ReplyDeleteAfter having their last great leader (King James II) squashed after the Glorious Revolution and its ensuing war, Irish Catholics, as others have already said, faced vicious and relentless oppression under new, unquestionable Protestant rule. Not only did the peasantry suffer deplorable economic conditions (exorbitant rents, evictions, food shortages and price abuse), but they were robbed of nearly all their political power. In what is known as the Protestant Ascendancy, power was transferred from the Catholic majority to the new ruling class by way of the Penal Laws, which barred Catholics from all manner of things. Under the laws, Catholics could no longer hold political office (in the Irish or English Parliaments), join the military, marry Protestants, or even vote after the Disenfranchising Act of 1728. Suffice it to say that there was a lot of anger in Ireland when Swift wrote his "Modest Proposal." And it is this anger that Swift channels when he writes this satire. Since the poor in Ireland are so very poor, with no way to improve their lot in life, he invents a way so grotesque and intentionally jarring that readers had no choice but to pay attention. This is not to mention the fact that he is mocking all of the other "cure-all" solutions to Irish poverty being debated at the time. His "Proposal" has been described as a "burlesque" of the ideas other minds had been throwing around, and is notable for the way it treats the poor without empathy or compassion, as did the men crafting other such solutions at the time. Swift wrote "The Modest Proposal" as a way to show the ruling class that there was no simple solution, no trickety trick that was going to fix everything in a flash. At least, no such solution exists without getting your hands dirty. Boiled baby, anyone?
ReplyDeleteAs has been briefly mentioned, one specific aspect of Irish life in the 1700s that motivated Swift to write “A Modest Proposal” besides his personal experiences with poverty and overpopulation in Ireland was the abusiveness of landlords. In fact, English absentee landlords owned most of the valuable land in Ireland, and in certain parts of the piece he singles out landlords, criticizing them for exploiting tenants, usually parents: “I grant this food will be somewhat dear, and therefore very proper for landlords, who, as they have already devoured most of the parents, seem to have the best title to the children.” In his typical serious, rational tone of voice used as a method of satire, he implies that his proposal to consume babies and use them as a source of clothing would only retain the status quo of landlords as exploiters of the Irish. Swift therefore uses his analytical writing style and tone to once again call attention to landlords’ abuse of power.
ReplyDeleteBritish-Irish relations in the 1700s weren't exactly pretty. The British commanded great control over the Irish people and their way of life. No law was passed without Parliamentary consent, and Irish peasants were consistently oppressed by British landlords. Within the country of Ireland itself, the Catholics bore the brunt of the abuse and discrimination. As Calvin mentioned, Catholics were banned from holding public office and from serving in the military. Here we see the connection to Swift's mentioning of the Papists, "with whom we are yearly over-run, being...our most dangerous enemies". Like several people have said before me, there is certainly a commentary on the subhuman way in which the British elite viewed the Irish people (much like slaves in the deep south were portrayed) as ape-like, foolish, deceitful, dumb, and drunk. The conditions of severe famine and poverty in Ireland were due in part to a stratified hierarchy topped by wealthy and powerful landlords; so perhaps Swift used satire to "rationalize" the selling of children for food as a continuation and reinforcement of the abuse of power and monopolization of wealth?
ReplyDeleteOne big thing about the British-Iriish relations at the time was the fact that most Irish land was owned by landlords, and the Irish were only tenant farmers. Most of the food they produced was shipped over to England. This, I think, makes for some of the best zingers in Swift's writing: “They shall, on the contrary, contribute to the feeding, and partly to the cloathing of many thousands.” He's speaking about the Irish here, and the fact is that the Irish are already contributing to the feeding and the clothing of many thousands. But as is the case today, the poor are instead thought to be lazy and a burden to "their parents, or the parish," when in fact, they're forced to work the hardest and receive the least. Such an economic system, where the exploitation of the Irish serves as an economic backbone for the British, is not too different from an economic system where we eat Irish babies. Which leads to one of my favorite quotes: “I grant this food will be somewhat dear, and therefore very proper for landlords, who, as they have already devoured most of the parents, seem to have the best title to the children." I mean come on, that's so good. So sharp. Favorite quote, I swear. Politically, I also believe there were many followers of Petty and Bacon, who sought to solve these issues by social engineering, making proposals like Swift's, (though not about babies) that sought to to resolve all the social and economic issues with a single cure-all, ignoring the true complexities and the difficulties of the socio-economic problems between Ireland and Britain.
ReplyDeleteIn the fascinating piece, "A Modest Proposal", the luxurious language of the 1700s takes on a dark humor that could easily be native to our current day and age. During the period in which Swift crafted the ridiculous proposition, there was indeed an overpopulation issue in Ireland. As is usually the case, the demographic that was perpetuating the worst effects of the overpopulation problem was not one of the wealthy, healthy upper classes. It was the little Irish gremlins that padded the under shelves of society. Reflecting on that fact, the suggestion that Swift makes is reasonable...when it comes to practicality.
ReplyDeleteThe relationship between the British and Irish during the 18th century was basically the British taking advantage of the Irish. They did this by making sure the Irish couldn't gain any power by not allowing them to pass laws without the consent of the English parliament, and the high taxes which crippled the Irish citizen's ability to support himself. This was the cause of the high poverty rate in Ireland. As if it weren't bad enough the Irish there was no welfare provided to them. "Modest Proposal" was Swift's way of saying that if you (british) are going to treat us(irish) like shit then you might as well just get to the point and start butchering us like animals. Because that's how the Irish felt. Irishmen were worthless in the eyes of the British... Why not kill two birds with one stone? The British can solve the issue of overpopulation and fill their bellies at the same time!
ReplyDeleteSwift's proposal , when one sees through the humorous distractions was a comic solution for particularly acute problems. In fact , the cruel joke to devour children is an implicit demonstration of Swift's frustration to effect change in his country. Despite the ridiculous implication of his proposal ,it is not lost on the reader that the Irish genuinely lived in abject poverty and was like a stray dog besides its ill tempered master -England. In fact , understanding the relationship between these two countries is fundamental to appreciating the weight of Swift's words in spite of the humor.Swift perhaps felt like a caricature attempting to implement change and decide he might as well be the clown and still try to communicate his sentiments. The improbability of his proposal taking effect is perhaps indicative of his feelings about how slow the tide of change was in Ireland. Satire can be serious,murderously and fatally serious.
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