A Modest Proposal and Other Satires

how does ythe author use satire in this excerpt?

" these children are seldo the fruits of marriage, a circumstance not much regarded by our own savages"

Asked by
Last updated by judy t #197809
Answers 1
Add Yours

Swift was a man and cleric who was motivated by his religious beliefs and his strong belief that the English were completely decimating the population of Ireland. The English landlords practiced the religion of the Anglican Church while most of the Irish population was Catholic. He felt that the English looked down upon the Irish and believed they were immoral, no matter what they did. In "The Modest Proposal" Swift's satire is so bitter that his proposal (one which he portrays as logical) is so ridiculous that he makes the English and the Irish seem at complete odds. The idea that the English will cannibalize the Irish makes perfect sense from Swift's point of view.