A Modest Proposal

Read this book for school and wanted my own copy! Great purchase!

classic

Short and to the point, this is political satire at its best. While some background of Irish history is helpful, what I most like about Mr. Swifts arguments is that they can apply to any society where the group in power frets over what to do with the poor. I was in the middle of a book on the history of the Civil Rights movement in the American South when I read this, and what struck me was how Swifts satire lined up with the events a continent and centuries away from the original subject.

I do believe that if Jonathan Swift were alive today, he would be writing for The Onion. Which, coming from me, is highest praise.

A terrific work, if a short one, satirizing treatment of the poor. Luckily, idiots that misunderstood it did not prevent this from becoming as famous as it is.

Wonderful/ While this could apply to the current state of affairs some people might find it hard to read/ Like my current congressman

Honestly, I do not understand this proposal very much although it is a classical satire, because I do not know to whom this proposal is addressed, to poor people, or to politicians, or to religious people. Therefore, I really do not know what is the authors intention due to the fact that I have little knowledge and background on this topic although I tried to understand this essay by reading Wikipedia.

just a short review. absolutely amazing satire. even if youre not into satire from the 1700s, jonathan swift makes a plausable case for the consumption of useless babies (which i totally agree with). anything that curbs the population explosion is a plus in my book. even gives you recipe ideas along with the proposal, and talks about lazy 15 year old girls. (as an aside was mentioned in a sealab 2021 episode but not explained)

Satire is one of my favorite forms of writing, and this book does not disappoint. As ludicrous as the proposal is, it is presented in a way that almost convinces the reader that the author is proposing a valid and logical solution to a complicated problem. Jonathan Swift was way ahead of his time, both in ideas and talent.

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