A Modest Proposal

A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Jonathan Swift from early years excelled in political and social satire. No wonder, that after moving to Ireland in 1714, he couldn't keep silent about pitiable life there.
A Modest Proposal is an extremely absurd and revolting book. I have never expected that such a book could have been written at the beginning of XVIII century.
On one hand it is a smart example of skillful rhetoric.
On the other hand, I consider its absurd considerations as a expression of defeat of socially sensitive person. Swift found fate of Irish people so hopeless, that his only answer was to write something completely mad.
Digression: one of important arguments of the author is to release parents from a burden of caring of children while living in extreme poverty.
Actually there is an example in Irish history of someone following this track.
In 1846, at the peak of Irish Famine, Sir Paul Edmund Strzelecki was made an agent of British Relief Association and he proposed that instead of distribution of food and clothing for children by distribution centres it would be more productive to provide free school education for children and distribute good at school. The scheme was very effective and brought an additional positive effect - parents relieved from hopeless full time care for their children gained new energy and initiative for finding some employment, in most cases successful - this is exactly what Jonathan Swift promised, but achieved by Strzelecki in so humane way.
For his work in Ireland Paul Edmund Strzelecki was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath.

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