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          "“A Modest Proposal” is a grimly ironic letter of advice in which a public-spirited citizen suggests that Ireland’s overpopulation and dire economic conditions could be alleviated if the babies of poor Irish parents were sold as edible delicacies to be eaten by the rich." (Britannica)  Written by Jonathan Swift and published anonymously in 1729 it was a groundbreaking piece of literature for its time.  It criticized the government for letting its people live in such poor conditions.  "A Modest Proposal" should be preserved not only for the look into the depravity of that time, but also due to the satirical nature Swift indirectly attacks the government with.

He had an interesting outlook on life described as, “He once confided (in a letter to the poet Alexander Pope) that he hated the human race, whose misuse of reason produced, in his view, an irredeemably corrupt society.” (Fierro)  Which is what separates him from other writers of his time. He was satirical in criticizing government using a ridiculous proposal to create an insane situation; however it has been built in order to draw attention to a serious problem. It also helps avoid him addressing the issue blatantly and upfront which assists in avoiding the negative spotlight.  Thus making "A Modest Proposal" a completely different type of literary work than what was being commonly seen or used in those days.  Most of the literature produced for the public in that time seemed to go directly to the point instead of grip the attention of the reader to display the main goal.

Although satirical writing had been frowned upon it had recently become very powerful states Fiero, "now became the favorite weapon of social reformers, who drew attention to the vast contradictions between morals and manners, intentions and actions, and, more generally, between Enlightenment aspirations and contemporary degradation." Swift's work was definitely innovative and unusual for its time though.  He did not speak directly, and hit on subjects while beating around the bush.  One critic describes his work saying, "They proceed through deep historical contextualization, and many of them demand a degree of knowledge about Swift and his world that beginners are unlikely to have. All the essays are clear and readable, though, and specialists will be grateful for the sustained attention to Swift's less familiar works." (Lynch)  Stating even now that his works are very intricate and one must be able to look deeper into the picture than what Swift presents on the surface.  This is typical just to his writing style separating him from other writers of the time.  Although it was said that a bit down the line it was seen some eastern writers wrote in a satirical manner, “The European masters of satire found their East Asian counterpart in Li Ruzhen, an outspoken and witty critic of outmoded Chinese traditions." (Fierro)

The pamphlet was received differently in that time as most of Swifts work was.  The wealthier middle and upper classes were said to not have liked it because they are the ones who had no need for a change in living conditions.  The poor and the people Swift is writing to benefit did like Swift and his writings seeing what his true goal was with them.  "Swift's best-known satire has occasioned delight and dismay, sometimes in the same reader. The early, hostile response was shaped largely by middle-class values of benevolism, refinement, and politeness." (Knowles)  Which comes as no surprise knowing how works that tore down the church, government, or the upper class were frowned upon greatly.  They would not want it read strictly for the threat of them losing some of their lavish comforts.

As said before Swift's work is still definitely difficult to understand unless the reader has a decent understanding of his purpose.  Today people look on the work as a critical piece of literature if understood.  Not only was it a new groundbreaking way to present ones literature, but it also presented a document that showed how truly horrible times were.  It has both literary and historical value, and even though some might not agree with his "proposal" (which makes no difference when looking at his goal).  Now a day it is easily seen that this man merely wanted a better life for the commonwealth of his country.  That was the attention getter screaming at the government for its assistance as its grossly overpopulated areas were turning into breeding grounds for crime and disease.

Honestly I think the work is absolutely great.  He was a man who stood for what he believed in and for his country.  It is as if Swift was so set on bringing a change that he did not care what anyone would think.  Obviously he published this anonymously as he did with some of his other articles, but did not hold back at all expressing his disgust with the way times were.  He made his point heard loud and clear, if one can make it through reading the troubling details of cooking a child, it can be seen that he has only good intentions.  However I do find the severity of his proposal intriguing as it makes the piece that much better.  It is unspeakable but draws the reader in for the entire piece.  This sets the article up so that every reader would go to the end and see what his true purpose in writing the proposal really is.

As said in prior paragraphs "A Modest Proposal" is unlike any other works during its time.  However I put my foot in my mouth reading over an overview of Swift's work.  There is another work of the era that has the same values and structure as this.  The only other like piece of literature one could say is Swifts in "Gulliver's Travels".  One critic says, "The character who “writes” the <em>Modest</em><em> Proposal</em> is one, like Gulliver and the hack writer of the <em>Tale</em> volume, that Swift will condemn for moral obtuseness. The “modest” fellow who presents the <em>Proposal</em> invites our confidence (as Gulliver does), by a conversational and polite tone and by an appearance of common sense and objectivity, only to betray it (as does Gulliver also)." (Hunting)  Which is very true; the works are very similar for obvious reasons, but are both unique from most other politically motivated literature of the time.  As said before many who were writing did not write in such a satirical way except when they discovered some forms in the east.

Another piece of work that is similar to this is Upton Sinclair's "The jungle".  It is another piece of work that is politically driven for change and described as, "novel about the ravages of the meatpacking industry in Chicago on the lives of nonunionized labor was instrumental in leading to reforms." (Albrecht) Not only does he address the issues that surround the labor force of men it also discusses, "the ubiquitous prevalence of disability among children of the working classes." (Albrecht)  The two works could not be more similar.  They are speaking about poor conditions for not only the adult commonwealth, but the unfortunate circumstances that children of that time are going through to survive.

The most significant thing that future generations should be aware of is how dark things must have been for someone to even put these words on paper.  Swift was so tired of seeing all the depravity running rampant, woman trading sex for food, and starving children running around stealing for food.  So he wrote this work to criticize the world he was living in.  Proposing that rather than have these children even grow up and experience this life it was better that we eat them.  This is so startling it is not funny.  He was not serious saying he would actually eat children but it would be a better alternative for them to just be eaten.
<p align="center">            Swift’s work is nothing but pure genius.  He uses an out there writing style to criticize his government who is letting his country run itself into the ground.  He spoke out anonymously but the words had meaning without people being able to put a face to the words.  It caught the attention of many with its abrasive plan on how to tackle the wide spread poverty and overpopulation.  It enthralled the reader in unspeakable things only to reveal its true purpose at the end.  “A Modest Proposal” is a great piece of literature that should be preserved due to the stand it makes against a government letting its country waste away.</p>
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<p align="center">Works Cited</p>
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            Albrecht , Gary L.. "Upton Sinclair, from The Jungle (1906)." <em>Encyclopedia of Disability</em>. Ed. Vol. 5. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Reference, 2006. 336-338. <em>Gale Virtual Reference Library</em>. Web. 10 Oct. 2011.

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Fiero, Gloria“The Humanistic Tradition Vol 2” 6<sup>th</sup> edition Page B4.138, 06 October 2011  <a href="http://connect.mcgraw-hill.com/connect/hmEBook.do?setTab=sectionTabs">http://connect.mcgraw-hill.com/connect/hmEBook.do?setTab=sectionTabs</a>

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Hunting , Robert. "Cathedral Dean and Patriot." <em>Jonathan Swift, Rev. ed.</em> Boston: Twayne, 1989. 79-93. Twayne's English Authors Series 42. <em>Gale Virtual Reference Library</em>. Web. 2 Oct. 2011.

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"Jonathan Swift." <em>Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online Academic Edition</em>. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2011. Web. 30 Sep. 2011. &lt;<a href="http://www.britannica.com.lsproxy.austincc.edu/EBchecked/topic/577008/Jonathan-Swift">http://www.britannica.com.lsproxy.austincc.edu/EBchecked/topic/577008/Jonathan-Swift</a>&gt;.

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Knowles, Ronald. <a title="Gulliver's Travels: The Politics of Satire" href="http://go.galegroup.com/ps/aboutEbook.do?pubDate=119960000&amp;actionString=DO_DISPLAY_ABOUT_PAGE&amp;inPS=true&amp;prodId=GVRL&amp;userGroupName=txshracd2487&amp;searchType=BasicSearchForm&amp;docId=GALE%7C3EYX">Gulliver's Travels: The Politics of Satire</a>. <em>Twayne's Masterwork Studies</em> <em>158</em>. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1996. p32-43.Word Count:4023. <em>Gale Virtual Reference Library. </em>Web. 7 Oct. 2011.

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Lynch, J.T. "Politics and literature in the age of Swift: English and Irish perspectives." <em>CHOICE: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries</em> Aug. 2011: 2310. <em>Literature Resource Center</em>. Web. 2 Oct. 2011.  (Quote about swifts literature question 2)

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