A Modest Proposal

A Modest Proposal is a famous satirical essay by Jonathan Swift that presents a shocking and ironic solution to the widespread poverty and suffering in eighteenth-century Ireland. Written in the form of a serious economic proposal, Swift suggests that impoverished Irish families could ease their financial burdens by selling their children as food to the wealthy. Behind its deliberately outrageous idea, the essay is a powerful critique of British policy toward Ireland, as well as a condemnation of indifference to human suffering, exploitation, and social injustice. Swift uses dark humor, irony, and exaggerated logic to expose the failure of political and economic systems that dehumanize the poor.