Answering Questions - Research Paper Example

HERE YOUR HERE HERE HERE Swift’s “A Modest Proposal Use of Irony rather than Frankness During the time period when Swift composed “A Modest Proposal”, society was emerging from highly Puritanical values and deep religious conviction, along with a growing recognition about the quality and sanctity of life through a religious lens. Thus, direct statements that threatened these values would create social outcry about his proposal. Instead, Swift attempts to gain reader sympathy for the plight of the poor and destitute in Ireland before switching to an ironic strategy, attempting to create a satirical response rather than outrage.

Furthermore, Swift also rose to a respected position in society, in league with Irish noblemen who maintained wealth, rental estates and worked with business leaders to promote commerce. During this period, many Irish landlords did not adequately maintain their rental properties and also used their resources to promote exportation of products rather than allocating them for domestic consumption. These noblemen were often criticized by the poor and disadvantaged for these behaviors due to the suffering it imposed.

Swift, rather than flatly risking his position of respect in the community, chose to use irony to get his point across without angering nobleman landlords with direct accusations and statements. By adding humor to his rather harsh and critical essay, he could gain favor and keep his position of brotherhood with other well-to-do Irish and British citizens. Swift’s determination that the best course of action for curing the plight of the destitute was to use children as food for the impoverished, suggesting they be fattened like cattle to provide greater sustenance.

The ironic approach to providing literary criticism was to shock audiences after they began to empathize with the situation of the impoverished. Much of this was due to Swift’s personality in which he labeled himself a person who served interests of human liberty and could not be imitated. These were direct self-observations on Swift’s self-written epitaph, therefore he wanted to use irony to distinguish himself from other satirists and authors as one who was innovative in approach and that would leave a lasting legacy on culture and society.

Moreover, during this time period there were growing tensions between Ireland and the British Empire during a period where Britain was using its military might to consume regions and make them part of the Empire. Many of the aforementioned noblemen were loyal to the British throne and worked with ambassadors of the Crown to promote trade and business opportunities. If Swift had been more direct, he could have run the risk of offending the powerful British crown with his suggestion of using poor as food sources, hinting that British interests were some of the cause of this plight by promoting exportation rather than domestic consumption of food resources.

In many ways, Swift was being extremely careful to avoid any type of governmental retaliation for his radical solution by adding comedy and a level of absurdity, likely while he waited to see what the social response would be to his witty solution to solve the problem. Swift seemed, in most counts, to be a very self-protective author and statesman.