"A Modest Proposal"

Throughout my writing career, my absolute, without-a-doubt favorite assignment I ever had to do was writing a satire. What I wrote was the piece of writing I would say I am most proud of, not because of the advanced level at which it was written (I did, after all, write it during my junior or senior year of high school) but because I was able to write about something I was passionate about, and was able to use my own sense of humor and wit to compile the text. Because I will never forget this writing assignment, I will also never forget the piece that first introduced me to the genre, “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift. If you have not read this piece, it is truly a classic and I highly recommend it.

Swift uses several literary devices in order to portray his message, the most obvious being his combinations of understatements, hyperboles and tone. It is also important to note that the entire piece, since it is a satire, can also be considered a parody of a true proposal, but I digress.

Swift uses many understatements, such as, “I shall now therefore humbly propose my own thoughts, which I hope will not be liable to the least objection,” (page 2). The point of this understatement is really to play into the satire, to come across as if he honestly believes his proposal has merit and should be considered for the good of the people when, in reality, he is using his outrageous proposal to comment on society’s treatment of his subject: the poor. These kinds of understatements work well with Swift’s clinical tone to do what he really wants, to make people of higher class reconsider their attitude toward the poor by using an exaggerated example of the indifference they have.

The entire piece is an exaggeration, a hyperbole, and it is important for the audience to pick up on this so they are not as easily offended by the material. A specific example of hyperbole within the text falls on page 4 where Swift says,
“Then as to the females, it would, I think, with humble submission, be a loss to the publick, because they soon would become breeders themselves: And besides, it is not improbable that some scrupulous people might be apt to censure such a practice, (although indeed very unjustly) as a little bordering upon cruelty, which, I confess, hath always been with me the strongest objection against any project, how well soever intended.”

Murdering children for food and ladies gloves is beyond “a little bordering upon cruelty,” as is the rest of Swift’s suggestions, and as such Swift runs the risk of offending the masses with this proposal; but, as this text is meant to be political and social commentary, being so obtrusive could inspire more attention to the topic than kind, traditional literature that would be easily ignored. So by offending with his use of hyperboles, Swift is actually adding a level of significance to his writing by making it more “in your face.”

Another common device that occurs in “A Modest Proposal” is defamiliarization. This device is used in reference to the children who are unable to be supported by their parents. For example, on page 2, Swift says,

“I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricasie, or a ragoust.”

He later continues, “butchers we may be assured will not be wanting; although I rather recommend buying the children alive, and dressing them hot from the knife, as we do roasting pigs.”

By making the subject, children, sound defamiliarized and comparable to “sheep, black cattle, or swine,” (page 3) Swift adds to his clinical tone, making the overall piece sound as if it could be logical until the audience remembers what he is actually saying.

Overall, Swift is rather successful at portraying what he is trying to say to his audience IF they catch on the sarcastic undertone of the text. If this undertone is missed, or if his clinical tone is taken as serious, the text will fail to do anything other than enrage citizens against Swift. He is riding a fine line, but this genre suits his writing well and it would not have been successful any other way.