The level of poverty as a significant theme
The level of poverty is a significant theme that is analyzed by the author of “A Modest Proposal,” Jonathan Swift. In his article, he adopts the use of satire to feature some of the aspects of reduced living standards in the country of Ireland. In so doing, he criticizes the misguided approach of parenthood that was used by the caregivers of the children in the country. He managed to portray how the impoverished raise their offspring. Satire can be defined as the use of humor irony or ridicule to criticize an aspect of the society’s stupidity. The purpose of criticism is significant in analyzing themes in works of literature.
Discussion
The children in the country of Ireland were used by t as a means of generating a livelihood. “These mothers, instead of being able to work for their honest livelihood, are forced to employ all their time in strolling to beg sustenance for their helpless infants” (Swift 5). The author portrays how the parents of these children would send them to the streets to beg so that the family could afford their daily bread. The children are used because of their innocent nature in the community. The course of income generation is the responsibility of parents which enables a family to acquire the required basic needs for the family. However, the parents of these children did not recognize that they were exposing their children to street life. The effects of being exposed to the street life impacted the growth and development of these children making some of them become thieves and sex workers. The author ridicules the parents’ idea of sending their children to beg for income without considering the adverse consequences of their actions in the future lives of their children. The act of asking for pay is a type of satire that is used by the author to portray how the impoverished parents in Ireland raised their children.
The parents sending their children to fight for the president in Spain
The parents of the children in Ireland also sent their children to fight for the president in Spain. According to Swift (5), “the children would leave their native country to fight for the Pretender in Spain and end up selling themselves in Barbados.” The primary reason for the parents sending away their children to war was to make them useful members of the commonwealth. Sending children to war is a satire that is used to ridicule the actions of the parents. Fighting in battles is the role of the military of a country and not the children. Children should be protected from the war zones and given a chance to access education that would enable them to become useful members of the society in the future. Sending the Irish children to fight for their president in Spain is satirized because it exposed the children to harmful activities such as working as sex workers to survive.
Conclusion
In summary, the poor state of lifestyle in Ireland adversely impacted the growth and development of the children during this era. The children were affected by the misguided parenthood approaches that their parents exposed. The reduced living standards of the people of Ireland are therefore portrayed through the children including being sent to beg for the family’s daily bread and being sent to fight for the country to become useful members of the Commonwealth community.
Work Cited
Swift, Jonathan. A Modest Proposal and Other Satirical Works. Courier Corporation, 1996.
