A Delicious Proposal

A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift is a solution to the poverty and economic problems that afflict Ireland in the 1700’s. In the essay Swift provides the government and citizens of Ireland a solution to the challenges they face. The target audience is the ruling class of Ireland, the landlords, wealthy land owners, and government officials. However, Swift is also targeting the common people of Ireland to take part in improving their own lives.

The solution Swift is proposing is that the poor people of Ireland that cannot afford to take care of their children sell them as food to the wealthy. Swift uses economic statistics and reasoning to explain his thoughts on the matter. He also provides a great deal of evidence that supports his case. Swift is very persuasive. He covers all the counter arguments that his proposal might face and provides evidence and logical reasoning for each one.

Swift’s proposal is a satire and is written to bring attention to the poverty the majority of the Irish face. By writing such an outrageous idea in such a serious, well though out manner, Swift is effectively calling attention to the issue he wants recognized. When the audience of this essay reads it Swift wants them to become aware of the seriousness of the poverty in Ireland, and to be so frustrated by his proposal that they come up with their own.

The target audience of this essay probably responded in a number of different ways. There was a probably a large part of the audience that did not “get” the message the essay was trying to convey and thought Swift was seriously promoting cannibalism or that he considered the poor to be no more than animals. Another portion of the audience, most likely the British and ruling class of Ireland, was probably still indifferent to the plight of the poor. However, the portion of the audience that understood the main idea of Swift’s essay was most likely touched by it and roused to conceder (at the very least) possible solutions to the problem.