Themes: The Narrowness of Reason
Swift’s narrator focuses minutely on facts and figures about the poor. There is a careful reasoning behind the narrator’s opinions, but his reasoning—unguided by ethics—leads to vile conclusions. For example, he calculates the cost of fattening up and raising a poor infant until the age of one, when it can be sold to be prepared as a delicacy to be served at rich people’s tables. He carefully calculates the profit to be expected but entirely loses sight of the fact that he is talking about human beings. Because he is so consumed with profit, he is able to talk about Irish infants as if they were livestock:
I rather recommend buying the children alive, and dressing them hot from the knife, as we do roasting pigs.
Readers are meant to be horrified by this vivid image. Swift is parodying figures from his time period who placed too much focus on economics to the exclusion of all else. Swift’s implicit message is that such cold, callous reasoning can be valid in a closed logical system but cannot apply to the real world. For Swift, reason has its place but only if used in conjunction with moral principles. Economic theories are worthless if they are not tempered with mercy and compassion.
Expert Q&A
How does "A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift depict quantification and dehumanization?
Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal" satirically depicts quantification and dehumanization by treating Irish children and parents as economic commodities. Swift reduces human life to a cost-benefit analysis, calculating the costs of raising children and proposing their use as food to alleviate societal burdens. By referring to people in purely economic terms, Swift highlights the dangers of viewing humans as mere statistics, ultimately critiquing the dehumanizing effects of rationalist economic schemes.
Why does the speaker in "A Modest Proposal" dismiss his ideas for reform in favor of a terrible proposal?
The speaker in "A Modest Proposal" dismisses reasonable ideas for reform to enhance the satirical impact of Jonathan Swift's essay. By proposing the outrageous idea of selling babies for food, Swift highlights the absurdity and cruelty of ignoring viable solutions like raising taxes or encouraging local enterprise. This dismissal also criticizes English exploitation of the Irish, as Swift implies these reasonable reforms are unlikely to be implemented due to English greed and indifference.
Why does Swift's persona in "A Modest Proposal" suggest infants' flesh will be plentiful in March, dismiss the idea of using older children as a substitute for venison, and consider selling twelve-year-olds a bad idea?
Swift's persona in "A Modest Proposal" suggests infants' flesh will be plentiful in March due to increased conceptions during Lent, when fish consumption is higher. He dismisses using older children as a substitute for venison because by age twelve, children are deemed economically unviable, having cost more to rear than their value. This satirical proposal underscores the dire state of Irish poverty and critiques British policies, using outrageous ideas to highlight societal issues.
What is ironic about Swift's use of "modest" in his proposal?
Swift's use of "modest" in his proposal is ironic because the narrator's suggestion is anything but modest. The proposal to raise infants for consumption is outrageous, yet the narrator presents it as a rational solution to poverty, highlighting a disconnect between rationalism and humanity. This irony underscores Swift's critique of cold, economic approaches to social issues, as the proposal is neither simple nor reasonable, contrary to what "modest" implies.
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