Samuel Carignan

Comic Spirit: “A Modest Proposal Analysis”

How to Teach an Ignorant Country

In “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift, he uses situational irony, satirical humor and methods of convincing an audience to convey a solution that is not to be taken literally.  These tools are what help emphasize the meaning of the proposal.

                Situational irony is the first device used to convey the meaning of “A Modest Proposal” to the people of Ireland.  One example is how the author describes the town that he lives in.  “Who walk through this great town” is ironic because the town that he lives in is actually poverty ridden and overall disgusting, not great in even the slightest degree.  Also, Swift believes that if anyone is able to come up with a solution should “have his statue set up for a preserver of the nation”.  This is ironic because such a person that suggests eating babies should be punished not praised.  Finally, the author says that the consumption of infants will be beneficial.  He says that “it will prevent those voluntary abortions and that horrid practice of women murdering their bastard children.”  Ironically, this could not be ethnically beneficial despite what the author says. 

                Satirical humor is also present within the passage.  It is first shown when Swift says “they have already devoured most of the parents, so they seem to have the best title to the children”.  The previous quote describes the treatment of the landlords to their poorer countrymen.  This is satirical humor because it is meant to be funny, but is not found humorous because it is so disgusting that most people are shocked instead of humored by the author’s reference.