A Modest Proposal

A Modest Proposal - Jonathan Swift First published in 1729, A Modest Proposal remains one of the most scathing and brilliant works of satire in the English language. In this short essay, Jonathan Swift adopts the voice of a coldly rational economist to propose a grotesque solution to Ireland’s poverty: selling poor children as food to the wealthy. With biting irony and deadpan logic, Swift exposes the cruelty of British colonial policy and the dehumanizing effects of economic rationalism. His “modest” suggestion shocks not because it’s serious, but because it so perfectly mirrors the heartless attitudes of the ruling class. This edition invites readers to confront the power of satire as a tool for social critique — and to reflect on how absurdity can reveal uncomfortable truths