Final answer:
Jonathan Swift's 'A Modest Proposal' from 1729 is a satirical essay that suggests the selling and eating of Irish children as a solution to poverty. It is renowned for its powerful use of satire to criticize the economic and political policies of the time.
Step-by-step explanation:
Jonathan Swift's Satirical Essay on the Plight of the Irish
Jonathan Swift wrote A Modest Proposal in 1729 which was a satirical piece suggesting the selling and eating of Irish children. This work was a social commentary on the dire economic conditions of Ireland at the time, where poverty and hunger were widespread. Swift’s essay sarcastically proposed that impoverished Irish might ease their economic troubles by selling their children as food to rich gentlemen and ladies. This, he argued, would be beneficial to the public and would help the parents financially. The starkness of the proposal was meant to shock and draw attention to the plight of the poor in Ireland.
The suggestion of using the flesh of children as a commodity is a hyperbolic strategy Swift employed to highlight the indifference of British policy towards the Irish poor. The essay also criticizes the heartless attitudes prevalent at the time and the brutal calculations that valued economic efficiency over human life. A Modest Proposal remains one of the most powerful pieces of satirical writing in English literature, demonstrating Swift's mastery of this literary device.
By juxtaposing the inhumane proposal with the grim realities of Irish society, Swift aimed to invoke a sense of moral responsibility and encourage a more compassionate solution to the social and economic problems of his homeland.