In A Modest Proposal and Gullivers Travels by Jonathan

Swift, satire and the use of irony are the primary literary
devices. One important way uses irony in which the author
engages with the audience is to make them see deeper
political, moral, and social truths and problems through his
use of irony to create satire. When making a comparison of
"Gulliver's Travels" and "A Modest Proposal" by Swift one
sees how Jonathan Swift is using irony, satire and satirical
situations to point out problems in society and to comment
upon them without directly and seriously addressing the
reader. In "Modest Proposal" and "Gulliver's Travels" Jonathan
Swift uses satire and irony to achieve the same goals
although because of the differences in the structure of each
piece, the use of satire varies in "A Modest Proposal" and
"Gulliver's Travels"

"A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift piece is certainly a

satire that is aimed at making his contemporary readers
recognize the kind of cold, calculating inhumanity of blunt
rationalism when used to address social problems such as
poverty as well as overpopulation. Swift presents this irony
through characterization in "A Modest Proposal"in this
case, the speaker of the proposal. For instance, the ironic
speaker in A Modest Proposal can coldly discuss the
economic and social benefits of killing and eating children
without ever giving much thought to the moral problems.
The irony of this character though, is that he can go on to
criticize the moral weakness of mothers who have immoral
abortions or commit infanticide. In one of his most ironic
statements and quotes, the speaker of "Modest Proposal" by

Swift balks at the idea of eating teenagers because this is

bordering upon cruelty, as if all of his other suggestions
were not. The speaker in A Modest Proposal uses irony and
satire as he tells the reader turn a blind eye to other ideas or
options and by doing so, represents the worst kind of
politician or social planner. This ironic character can make a
statement that would seem to be purely economic without
seeming to realize the awful nature of it. For instance, at one
point he speaks of the selling of babies as food and
explained in one of the important quotes from "A Modest
Proposal" by Jonathan Swift I grant this food [children] will
be somewhat dear, and therefore very proper for landlords,
who, as they have already devoured most of the parents,
seem to have the best title to the children. This is a
powerful statement disguised as a blind following of the
speakers philosophy when in fact, it addresses the very sad
notion that England and Irelands rich landowners really have
milked the poor for all they have. This ironic narrator in "A
Modest Proposal" can tell the reader with cold ease about
how the skin of children can be used like leather to make
admirable gloves for ladies and summer boots for fine
gentlemen, as if were something beautiful and simple and
this irony makes the reader aware of the dangers of
following blindly one philosophy, especially when it has an
effect on an entire population.

In "Gullivers Travels" by Jonathan Swift one object of satire

and irony is the bureaucracy of England. During Swifts time

the monarchy had a direct influence, even in the realm of
law although there was a growing bureaucracy developing.
This is satirized in "Gullivers Travels" by the Lilliputians who
take extensive inventory of all of Gullivers possessions and
are prone to making official edicts governing the lives of
Gulliver and the rest of the citizens. At one point, amazed
with the gall of the little people, Gulliver remarks in one of
the important quotes from "Gulliver's Travels" by Jonathan
Swift, I could not sufficiently wonder at the intrepidity of
these diminutive mortals, who durst venture to mount and
walk on my body, while one of my hands was at liberty,
without trembling at the sight of prodigious creature as I
must appear to them (2338). This overwhelming selfimportance is key to Swifts satire as even the most minute
issue is made to be of vast political and bureaucratic
importance. For example, a war broke out between Lilliput
and Blefuscu because of the proper way to break eggs after
an Emperor many years before cut his finger on an eggshell,
as stated in one of the quotes, Whereupon the Emperor
published an edict, commanding all his subjects, under great
penalties, to break the smaller end of their eggs. The people
so highly resented this law, that our histories tell us there
have been six rebellions raised on this account (3253). This
makes the squabbles that resulted in great strife in England
seem equally as silly, especially since so much of the debate
was based on the proper way to interpret which end of the
egg was the smallest. Although for the reader, the
introduction to Lilliput sounds much like a miniature and
more absurd England rather than a distant utopia in
"Gulliver's Travels", as the description of the land and
government continues it becomes clear that although the
Lilliputians suffer from the same flaws inherent in English
society (pompous government, rebellions over relatively

minor issues, and a tendency to over-regulate the more

mundane aspects of life, to name a few) they posses many
beliefs that allow them to be more utopianespecially when
compared to England.

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