Although this article is dated Jonathan Swift poses a number or relevant points in his piece,
"A Modest Proposal", that is assuming you can get past his satirical writing style and jovial acceptance of the consumption of children. This piece of writing is obviously meant to arouse concern in the reader and to address a series of pertinent societal woes although Mr. Swift has chosen to do so in a somewhat unconventional way. Although this story talks about harvesting and consuming children for source of food and 'leather' I do not get the impression that Swift actually condones such behavior; instead he is merely trying to address the issues of overpopulation and government malfeasance in a way that will not only excite some readers into rage, but also entertain others into a realization of the true problem.
Although some might have missed the entire point of this reading I felt that it was in the very least entertaining. This piece is heavily dated and does not readily address present day problems with overpopulation, however it does offer a viable alternative to copious copulation; eat the little buggers.
Although this is a fictional depiction of cannibalism, if you would like to read an actual account of humans eating each other check out this novel on the Donner Party:
Fayette, Charles
The History of the Donner Party. Michigan:
University of Michigan,
1966.
1 comment:
In "A Modest Proposal", there was a blurb about who Jonathan Swift was and how he write... satirical writing style. It also talked about him being a clergyman. All though the article, for this time, is crude and vulgar, it was effective for the time... too many children, too little food.
Note: "bugger" is British slang for "f---ing up the kiester".
--Elizabeth
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