In Swift’s proposal, he sarcastically suggests a solution to several problems that the Irish society is facing as a result of abuse from English Protestants. Specifically, he focuses on the issues of the poverty stricken and the way they live. At the time of his proposal, Swift brings attention to problems like begging mothers whose children seem to only be a burden. The children are not adequately fed, cannot be properly taken care of, and according to Swift, cannot be considered useful members of society until about age six. He states that his suggestion will minimize the suffering of children and the monetary suffering of their families. In addition, he believes his proposal will prevent voluntary abortions, murdering of children, and supply the public with food and clothing that they may have been in need of. The way in which Swift uses satire is extremely effective in the piece. He proposes such an outrageous idea, to use babies as food, that the audience is left stunned while reading his work. However, rather than just stating his proposal, Swift rations it out and provides concrete examples, statistics, and counterarguments, similar to any political proposal that someone would employ. He states that such a proposal would reduce the political, financial, and social issues that the Irish are facing, as well as benefit wealthy Englishmen. Using satire allows Swift to “humorously” mimic the English landlord’s point of view, and bring awareness to the abuse that the Irish people face. Satire makes the piece much more interesting and takes a personal jab at the wealthy English viewpoint, without flatly stating that their actions are ridiculous. In reality, the purpose of the piece is to identify the prejudice against Irish Catholics (by the English) that was occurring at the time. Swift is “pretending” to have this prejudice viewpoint and uses humor to show how outrageous the situation truly is.
2) A (Short) Modest proposal on censorship
It is beyond obvious that the reason violence, sex, and substance abuse are so prevalent in our society is due to the over exposure of adult issues in television, books, and other forms of media. Therefore, I am proposing that we eliminate these evils completely. Without books, like Huck Finn for example, our society will become much more peaceful. With all of these inappropriate precedents gone, racial slurs and other forms of violence will no longer exist. Book simply feed our minds with issues that do not need to be addressed, They are the cause.of poor behavior. The elimination of television and other forms of media will keep young children and teenagers from seeing “adult situations” and problems that they should not know about. Why should a 6 year old know about the war in Iraq? Why are 12 year olds discussing who Snookie “smushed” last night at their lunch tables. Television shows, new stations, and newspapers provide negative information that our society should not know about. By completely eliminating all of these forms, we will no longer be exposed to many issues that serve as the impetus for debate and distress within our country. In addition, the elimination of all media and books will result in a less stressed, happier, and more productive society overall. There will be more time for family and personal relationships without the stresses that pop culture puts on us. Overall, the total elimination of all influential media is the only way towards the peaceful society that we aim to achieve.
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