Modest Proposal

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One last example of satire can be shown with his exaggerations on his knowledge of population and care. “I have reckoned upon a medium that a child just born will weigh twelve pounds, and a solar year if tolerably nursed increaseth to twenty eight pounds”. Swifts persona deliberately exaggerates the weight of the baby here to make it seem like it’s a pretty good deal. However, the average weight of a healthy newborn is 7½ pounds. Coming from the poor class of Ireland, the weight of a newborn would probably be less than this too. He also exaggerates “the number of souls in this kingdom” and the “children of poor parents annually born”. It’s as if his persona takes the first number that comes to his mind as a guess and calls it a fact. This quick reference makes his persona seem more trustworthy because it makes it seem like he knows what he is talking about when in reality he probably doesn’t.

In conclusion, Swift successfully uses satirical methods to ridicule the way the poor of Ireland are falling apart. His persona is very clear when stating his solution for their economy and is able to fully support it with various reasons. Although some may seem appropriate such as ridding the society of villainous persons, many of his supporting ideas are very radical and have flaws when appealing to the emotions of the audience. Throughout his piece, his persona acts as if the mother of a child would be very eager to just give up a child she cared for and fed with her own body. In reality, a mother wouldn’t be able to give up her child so easily, even if she was desperate. Because his persona is so emotionless, Swift is able to be even more satirical and get his message across even better. He does this by proposing an idea that is so unappealing to the stomach and mind, eating your own children.