A Modest Proposal Response Essay
Guy, Tiffany
Comp 1
19 May 2015
My Response to
“A Modest Proposal”
By Jonathan Swift
When I begin reading Jonathan Swifts, A Modest Proposal, I was confused as to why any human being would even think about offering others’ children to eat in an effort to reduce poverty, as a suggestion. Though I disagreed and was a bit confused, his argument had some very persuasive points that held truth. Jonathan Swift was born to an affluent Irish family; he was an ordained minister, very well educated, and became increasingly involved with politics in his homeland as well as England in 1713. People have overlooked the epidemic threats in Ireland for many centuries. So a simple solution to the economic problems of Ireland’s poverty would not suffice. Swift needed something that would grasp a certain audience, something that would open ears of all the wealthy and rich. Desperate times often call for desperate measures, and proposals of desperate measures are often met with immediate criticism if they are found to be irrational and unorthodox. He emphasizes the financial, and economical benefits it would provide nevertheless cutting down on the common beggars and thieves.
I don’t believe that anyone in their right mind would consider the proposal of nurturing children or raising them for a year or so as food to help lessen poverty stricken Ireland. There has never been much argument about herding cattle and raising them to be slaughtered and sold as food. So why not use the same method for the lower class to help rid the country of thieves and beggars and help bring in income and food for the poor. The author’s suggestions in “A Modest Proposal” was ironically brilliant, and it was a modest proposal for revealing the cause of Ireland’s economic distress. I do agree with the methods used to gain his audiences attention. It wasn’t a simple suggestion, it was completely unexpected and very convincing. You would think it would be easy to just simply use birth control to prevent
Comp 1
19 May 2015
My Response to
“A Modest Proposal”
By Jonathan Swift
When I begin reading Jonathan Swifts, A Modest Proposal, I was confused as to why any human being would even think about offering others’ children to eat in an effort to reduce poverty, as a suggestion. Though I disagreed and was a bit confused, his argument had some very persuasive points that held truth. Jonathan Swift was born to an affluent Irish family; he was an ordained minister, very well educated, and became increasingly involved with politics in his homeland as well as England in 1713. People have overlooked the epidemic threats in Ireland for many centuries. So a simple solution to the economic problems of Ireland’s poverty would not suffice. Swift needed something that would grasp a certain audience, something that would open ears of all the wealthy and rich. Desperate times often call for desperate measures, and proposals of desperate measures are often met with immediate criticism if they are found to be irrational and unorthodox. He emphasizes the financial, and economical benefits it would provide nevertheless cutting down on the common beggars and thieves.
I don’t believe that anyone in their right mind would consider the proposal of nurturing children or raising them for a year or so as food to help lessen poverty stricken Ireland. There has never been much argument about herding cattle and raising them to be slaughtered and sold as food. So why not use the same method for the lower class to help rid the country of thieves and beggars and help bring in income and food for the poor. The author’s suggestions in “A Modest Proposal” was ironically brilliant, and it was a modest proposal for revealing the cause of Ireland’s economic distress. I do agree with the methods used to gain his audiences attention. It wasn’t a simple suggestion, it was completely unexpected and very convincing. You would think it would be easy to just simply use birth control to prevent