World Literature

Brian Leisen

Blog Post-September 7^th

Comparative Literature 2850-HTRA

Passage:

But as to myself, having been wearied out for many years with offering vain, idle, visionary thoughts, and at length utterly despairing of success, I fortunately fell upon this proposal, which, as it is wholly new, so it hath something solid and real, of no expense and little trouble, full in our own power, and whereby we can incur no danger in disobliging England. For this kind of commodity will not bear exportation, the flesh being of too tender a consistence in salt, although perhaps I could name a country which would be glad to eat up our whole nation without it.

               This passage from Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal specifically addresses the biggest contributor to the impoverished kingdom of Ireland in the 18^th century. The passage is able to convey that a disengaged English government has raped Ireland for exclusive benefit at the expense of the Catholic majority.

The first two lines stating that Swift has become exhausted from “vain, idle, visionary thoughts, and at length utterly despairing of success.” The language describing his efforts alludes to any proposal from England to bring relief to Ireland in the past has been thoughtless, disengaged fantasy that has never been implemented or hasn’t attributed any relief to the Irish people.

More Importantly, Swift states that this “modest proposal” is “of no expense and little trouble, full in our own power, and whereby we can incur no danger in disobliging England.” The sentence brings light to previous prosperities that were ripped away from the Irish from the English Woolen and Navigation Acts. These laws crippled Ireland’s export industry by banning them to compete with England’s exports or ensuring that their exports benefitted England exclusively.

Lastly, Swift ends the passage with “although perhaps I could name a country (England) which would be glad to eat up our whole nation without it.” Swift is once again saying that England would bring about the total destruction of Ireland if it would help England prosper in any way. Swift once again highlights that the suffering in Ireland is occurring because England is ensuring that any chance that the Irish Catholics have of prosperity will be thwarted for England’s own exclusive benefit.

Swift is trying to convey that even as outlandish as this proposal is, it could still not save Ireland from the clutches of the crushing English policies in place. To demonstrate how grave and serious the issue is, Swift states that despite this satirical solution, Ireland will still be susceptible to total destruction because of England’s harsh exploitation.