A Modest Proposal Myth

A Modest Proposal Myth

Comical Controversy: Johnathan Swift's Deconstruction of the Myth of the Disposable Poor



Myths of poor people and their relation to the rich shape societal paradigms about the importance of social class and dictate the acceptable treatment of the poor and rich alike. Swift's A Modest Proposal satirically illuminates the myth of allowing the exploitation of the poor to satisfy the rich through his mock proposal to feed poor Irish children to the English gentry. In addition, his analysis of the futility of allowing a poor Irish child to continue growing past adolescence, in a society where the English landowners did nothing to alleviate the poverty of others, proves particularly compelling as evidence of the large fallacy holding up the myth.

I find ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...Swift's piece compels me to challenge the general apathy surrounding the situation, and the inability to see potential in the impoverished and reconcile with the blatant inhumanity that sits center stage of the discussion of exploitation of the poor. While Swift may not have provided a true plan to resolve the issue, his ability to draw attention and outrage to the situation make his piece effective at deconstructing a myth fundamentally intertwined with society's understanding of the poor. His medium of satire allows me, the reader, to receive the full message of the absurdity of the myth while enjoying the indirect medium of satire. So, as the myth that the poor are disposable mistakes of society continues to survive the test of time, the absurdity of Swift's A Modest Proposal shall too withstand the challenge of time, inciting outrage at the myth and motivating a deliberate shift away from the myth by myself and generations to

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