Modest Proposal? Modest Disgust
September 2, 2010 by mlongo
When reading Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal, I couldn’t help myself digest the gruesome proposition that this man makes. When I started to grasp the idea that he was proposing cannibalism as a solution to Ireland’s troubles, I began to think about Mrs. Lovett from Sweeney Todd.
Sweeney Todd is the musical movie, which mostly revolves around Sweeney Todd’s story. Sweeney Todd’s lover was taken away from him by the prince etc. However, Mrs. Lovett is an interesting character in the musical because there is room for discussion on whether or not she was more evil than Todd was.
Well, Swift reminds me of Mrs. Lovett mostly because of their power to persuade. How well this proposal persuaded, I do not know, but his words are strong and more importantly his ideas, logical. Mrs. Lovett acted as the devil with Sweeney Todd. Although Todd was already angry and seeking revenge, Mrs. Lovett tempted Todd and pressured him into seeking revenge for many self-beneficial reasons.
This idea of cannibalism is portrayed in both Sweeney Todd and A Modest Proposal because of the character’s desire for financial and perhaps romantic gain. While Swift hints desires financial growth and prosperity for his country by the means of murdering innocent babies, Mrs. Lovett persuades Sweeney Todd to get his vengeance, first because (attempting to not spoil the movie) she knows his murders will lead to one grand mistake and she will gain his love, and second, which holds more of a comparison with this novel, by Todd’s murders she starts a business grinding the victim’s meat and selling meat pies. While reading A Modest Proposal, I thought about this because of the strong similarity they both have.
Now, if that didn’t gross you out, I don’t know what will, but the point is, Mrs. Lovett and Swift would be a perfect match. For me, I can never grasp the acts of cannibalism as morally right. Neither can I see how eating 1 year old babies can “prevent voluntary abortions and horrid practice of women murdering their bastard children” (p. 484) and yet be more justified than the other two that it is preventing.