Modest Proposal Analysis

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Modest Proposal Analysis

The "butt" of this anything but modest proposal are the three countries that have helped Ireland become the country it is today, Northern Ireland, England, and America. In "A Modest Proposal", Swift vents his mounting aggravation at the ineptude of Ireland's politicians, the hypocrisy of the wealthy, the tyranny of the English, and the squalor and degredation in which so many Irish people are living in. Ireland slowly sank into degradation and squalor when "those who walk through this great town, or travel in the country when they see the streets, the roads, and cabin doors crowded with beggars of the female sex, followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags and importuning every passenger for an alms" (Swift 801). As Northern Ireland chose to remain under the control of British rule, its economical and financial stability slowly disintegrated, while Southern Ireland, with change of government, slowly prospered. Swift seems to express his utter disgust at the Irish people's seeming inability to mobilize on their on behalf when he says, ".......................................". Swift critiques the incompetence of Ireland in dealing with their own problems. Swift's Ireland was a country that had been effectively controlled by England for nearly 500 years. England is known for their colonizations and their imperialistic dominance over small countries becoming the reason for oppressed and conformed people. In the case of Ireland, the British destroyed the Irish culture, conforming them to the British way. With the heavy taxing that England forced on Ireland, the country slowly drifted to poverty. America is also the "butt" of this proposal for their lack of intervention and funds that could have helped Ireland be prosperous and independent.
Swift's comparison of the Irish people to animals assists the overall satire because it shows how the Irish people are acting like animals. He describes a newborn ...