““A Modest Proposal”A Modest Proposal”““A Modest Proposal”A Modest Proposal”

Jonathan Swift and his proposalJonathan Swift and his proposal

Baby Pictures!•What are your first impressions of this picture?

•What do you think this means?

Brief Bio of Swift•Born in Dublin (Ireland)•Was a poet, satirist, and a clergyman in the Church of England– Church+ Satire= Swift

•Flip flopped from the Whigs to the Tories

•As a youngling, lived in England, but, after Queen Anne died, was exiled in Dublin as the Dean of St. Patrick’s.

A little about England and Ireland

•Ireland was a colony of England–Everything done in Ireland benefited England- not Ireland

–All food grown was also sent to England•Do we see the problem?

Anyhow…• Swift really didn’t like Ireland but

wanted to improve the conditions –Charitable actions

• Swift was very connected to the “government”–Calls the govt. the “Establishment”

Let’s set the stage…• OK…logically…

–1. You have many poor people in Ireland.•What is going to be one of the main problems?

•2. You have a poor country full of many poor adults and children. –What is the country not going to be able to do?

• 3. Your family is starving and you can’t afford to buy food. –What are you willing to do?–This is the situation and here is his proposal.