JONATHAN SWIFT
Jonathan Swift, borin in Dublin(1667-1745) was an Irish cleric, political pamphleteer, satirist, and author,
who is most remembered for his work Gullivers Travels as well as his satirical essay 'A Modest Proposal' which suggests
that the Irish eat their own children as a solution to the poverty and bad living conditions - "For preventing the children of poor people in Ireland from being a burden to their parents or country, and for making them beneficial to the public" The proposal was a satirical hyperbole mocking heartless attitudes towards the poor, as well as Irish policy in general.In English writing, the phrase "a modest proposal" is now conventionally an allusion to this style of straight-faced satire.
Swift was Irish, and though he much preferred living in England, he resented British policies toward the Irish. His support for Irish causes has made him a renowned figure in modern Ireland.
A Modest Proposoal(1729) Quotes
"A child will make two dishes at an entertainment for friends, and when the family dines alone,the fore or hind quarter will make a reasonable dish, and seasoned with a little pepper or salt , will be very good boiled on the fourth day, especially in winter"
"As to our City of Dublin, shambles may be appointed for this purpose, in the most convenient parts of it, and butchers we may be assured will not be wanting; although I rather recommend buying the children alive, and dressing them hot from the knife, as we do roasting pigs"
IRELAND IN THE 1700's
Ireland 1691–1801 was marked by the dominance of the so-called Protestant Ascendancy. During this time, Ireland was an autonomous Kingdom with its own Parliament, but the vast majority of its population, Roman Catholics, largely descended from the native Irish, were excluded from power and land ownership under the Penal Laws..
who is most remembered for his work Gullivers Travels as well as his satirical essay 'A Modest Proposal' which suggests
that the Irish eat their own children as a solution to the poverty and bad living conditions - "For preventing the children of poor people in Ireland from being a burden to their parents or country, and for making them beneficial to the public" The proposal was a satirical hyperbole mocking heartless attitudes towards the poor, as well as Irish policy in general.In English writing, the phrase "a modest proposal" is now conventionally an allusion to this style of straight-faced satire.
Swift was Irish, and though he much preferred living in England, he resented British policies toward the Irish. His support for Irish causes has made him a renowned figure in modern Ireland.
A Modest Proposoal(1729) Quotes
"A child will make two dishes at an entertainment for friends, and when the family dines alone,the fore or hind quarter will make a reasonable dish, and seasoned with a little pepper or salt , will be very good boiled on the fourth day, especially in winter"
"As to our City of Dublin, shambles may be appointed for this purpose, in the most convenient parts of it, and butchers we may be assured will not be wanting; although I rather recommend buying the children alive, and dressing them hot from the knife, as we do roasting pigs"
IRELAND IN THE 1700's
Ireland 1691–1801 was marked by the dominance of the so-called Protestant Ascendancy. During this time, Ireland was an autonomous Kingdom with its own Parliament, but the vast majority of its population, Roman Catholics, largely descended from the native Irish, were excluded from power and land ownership under the Penal Laws..