A Modest Proposal

Author(s): Jonathan Swift

Genre(s): Satire

Narrators: John Gonzalez

Number of Chapters: 1

Length: 27 minutes

Language: English

Jonathan Swift almost defines satire in this biting and brutal pamphlet in which he suggests that poor (Catholic) Irish families should fatten up their children and sell them to the rich (Protestant) land owners, thus solving the twin problems of starving children and poverty in one blow. When the “Proposal” was published in 1729, Swift was quickly attacked, and even accused of barbarity – the exact state the “Proposal” was written to expose. (Summary by Hugh)