RE: “A modest Proposal”

Hi Sarah – I agree with your comments about it being disturbing that Swift “has proof, knowledge and a plan which does offer a solution,” but we need to remember that he wrote his essay as a satire. However, even though it’s supposed to be a black comedy I still agree that it was a bit too convincing since he cites other scholars and literature.

“A Modest Proposal”: Its Historical Context and Relation to “The Lady’s Dressing Room”

While I read Jonathan Swift’s satirical “A Modest Proposal,” I assumed it was written in the mid to late eighteenth century since cannibalism is its main solution to the poor economic conditions in Ireland. Therefore, at the end of the article, I was surprised to see that it was published in 1729 because the first Irish Famine occurred from 1740-1741, then Great Potato Famine occurred from 1845-1852 (“Irish Famine (1740–1741), “Great Famine (Ireland)”).