Who is Swift ridiculing using satire in “A Modest Proposal”?
A. children who were born into poverty and were not properly fed
B. the English government, which seemed to care little about the Irish people
C. individuals who were underprivileged and had difficulty finding employment
D. English government officials, who believed selling children to eat was a good idea
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The correct answer is B. the English government, which seemed to care little about the Irish people.
In Jonathan Swift’s satirical essay “A Modest Proposal”, Swift uses the absurd suggestion of selling children as a source of food and income for the poor as a vehicle to criticize and mock the English government’s oppressive policies toward the Irish. The essay is a brilliant example of satire, where Swift exaggerates a ludicrous idea to draw attention to the very real suffering of the Irish people, caused largely by the exploitation and neglect of the English.
At the time of Swift’s writing (1729), Ireland was under English rule, and the Irish were subject to harsh economic conditions, poverty, and political disenfranchisement. The English government imposed heavy taxes, enforced strict trade regulations, and largely ignored the welfare of the Irish population. Swift uses this proposal, suggesting that impoverished Irish parents should sell their children as a form of sustenance, to expose the cold-heartedness and indifference of the ruling English class toward the suffering of the Irish.
Through this exaggerated proposal, Swift criticizes the English for viewing the Irish as little more than a commodity or burden, rather than as human beings deserving of basic rights and dignity. He also ridicules the wealthy English landowners and aristocrats, who were indifferent to the plight of the Irish, instead focusing on their own economic interests. The satire aims to provoke outrage, encouraging readers to reflect on the severity of the social and political situation and the lack of empathy displayed by those in power.
Thus, the main target of Swift’s satire is not the impoverished Irish themselves but rather the English government and aristocracy, whose policies and attitudes contributed to the dire circumstances of the Irish people.