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spacestationtrustfund's review against another edition
3.0
A young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee, or a ragout.I most recently reread Malthus's 1798 essay On the Principle of Population after the incredibly stupid premise of Avengers: Endgame, in which the villain espouses a (misunderstood) version of Malthusian economics. Malthus was, notably, wrong: he didn't account for technological advancement allowing for mass production and distribution of food products, nor did he anticipate the prevalence of contraceptives and medically safe abortions. The issues preventing the eradication of starvation, malnourishment, and "overpopulation" are all issues of corporate shortcomings refusing to allow the easy distribution of necessities, not issues of production. Malthus's assertion that the exponential growth of the population will rapidly outstrip the linear growth of food production fails to account for variables such as contraceptives, abortions, voluntary (or involuntary) sterilisation, but also anthropogenic stopgap measures such as China's one-child policy (which did, in fact, cut down on the birth rate... at the expense of the older population, which was not able to be sufficiently replaced in a way that would buoy the economy). In short: Malthus's prognosis required an unchanged world in order to hold water, and the world, as it is wont to do, changed.
Around 70 years before Malthus's essay, in 1729, Jonathan Swift wrote his acerbic, deadpan satirical Modest Proposal. The "proposal" begins with a grim description of the extreme poverty and starvation in Ireland:
It is a melancholy object to those, who walk through this great town or travel in the country, when they see the streets, the roads and cabin doors crowded with beggars of the female sex, followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags, and importuning every passenger for an alms. 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 who, as they grow up, either turn thieves for want of work, or leave their dear native country, to fight for the Pretender in Spain, or sell themselves to Barbados.Swift goes on to note that children are a long-term investment, i.e., they are a drain on resources for many years before the parents begin to see returns on the investment. "I am assured by our merchants," Swift says, "that a boy or a girl, before twelve years old, is no saleable commodity." After this deceptive concern Swift cuts straight to the meat of the "modest" proposal: eating children. It would solve not only the overpopulation issue, he argues, but also reduce hunger. Swift expounds upon the practical benefits of the trade. And, deadpan as always, he introduces possible alternative solutions (raising taxes, rent control, local economic support, etc.) under the guise of dismissing them as foolish ideas. Any objection to this "proposal," Swift proclaims, would have to be under the heading that it would decrease the population—which is, of course, the intention of the concept.
This was a world before the introduction of one-child policies, and yet Swift managed to predict the rapid negative consequences on sharply decreasing the replacement population. Of course, even with the scientific advancements of the 21st century, each progression is a double-edged sword. Crops and livestock alike have higher yields, and are more resistant to disease thanks to the introduction of pesticides and antibiotics, although there are risks from genetic modification and rapidly evolving pathogens which develop resistance to antibiotics. Land previously unsuitable for farming can now be used, but at the risk of leaving vast amounts of land barren as a result of irrigation diverting resources and crop rotation leaving areas devoid of nutrients. Technological advancement benefits the wealthy far more than the majority of people who would benefit from machine-based production, to say nothing of jobs lost with mechanisation. Advances in shipping and handling, as well as refrigeration and packaging have significantly reduced damage to products, and preservatives can allow for longer-lasting perishables, but these methods produce more waste, contributing significantly to environmental destruction. As efficiency increases, so does demand, meaning resources are more rapidly depleted in what is known as the Jevons paradox.
The issues Swift brings to light are still relevant today, nearly 300 years later. That, I think, is more disturbing than the straight-faced proposal of slaughtering, butchering, and eating children.
katherineeliu's review
2.0
I had high hopes for his satirical essays, especially A Modest Proposal, but alas, I am disappointed.
Let’s start with A Modest Proposal; I did a bit of research after reading and found out that this was supposed to “disgust and enrage the reader,” and that’s exactly what it did. Basically, Ireland was deeply in debt and streets were crowded with woman and child beggars. So, Swift proposes a cannibalistic solution: plump the infants and then sell them to men and rich families to eat as a delicate meal, whether it be “stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled.” But what disgusted me the most was the role of the women in this imagined society: a “constant breeder” of children. Even worse, this was repeated at a nauseating frequency. I get that this is not to be taken seriously, but I don’t appreciate this type of satire - it just doesn’t sit right with me. Apparently, the purpose of this essay was mock the rich, blame the Irish government, and shed some light on the status quo. So, I’ll blame my dislike on my oblivion to the history of Ireland.
Other than that, this is a collection of essays written in the 1700s that discusses Christianity and politics while integrating Latin and alluding to famous philosophers. (I didn’t finish 2 and only finished 2 in total, but there were a lot more that I chose not to read). Thanks to my limited knowledge, I was clueless and had difficulty understanding the main ideas (but that's my problem, not the writer's). Maybe I'll revisit this in the future after I learn more about Europe’s history, and hopefully, I’ll appreciate his uniquely satirical way of sending a message.
Let’s start with A Modest Proposal; I did a bit of research after reading and found out that this was supposed to “disgust and enrage the reader,” and that’s exactly what it did. Basically, Ireland was deeply in debt and streets were crowded with woman and child beggars. So, Swift proposes a cannibalistic solution: plump the infants and then sell them to men and rich families to eat as a delicate meal, whether it be “stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled.” But what disgusted me the most was the role of the women in this imagined society: a “constant breeder” of children. Even worse, this was repeated at a nauseating frequency. I get that this is not to be taken seriously, but I don’t appreciate this type of satire - it just doesn’t sit right with me. Apparently, the purpose of this essay was mock the rich, blame the Irish government, and shed some light on the status quo. So, I’ll blame my dislike on my oblivion to the history of Ireland.
Other than that, this is a collection of essays written in the 1700s that discusses Christianity and politics while integrating Latin and alluding to famous philosophers. (I didn’t finish 2 and only finished 2 in total, but there were a lot more that I chose not to read). Thanks to my limited knowledge, I was clueless and had difficulty understanding the main ideas (but that's my problem, not the writer's). Maybe I'll revisit this in the future after I learn more about Europe’s history, and hopefully, I’ll appreciate his uniquely satirical way of sending a message.
linluvsbooks's review against another edition
5.0
This man had a good head on his shoulders.
(I've only read "A Modest Proposal," and I can't speak to the Other Satirical Works.)
(I've only read "A Modest Proposal," and I can't speak to the Other Satirical Works.)
lillyber's review against another edition
5.0
Ireland=good. England= bad. Eating babies=bad. Being one of the greatest satirists of the English language, Swift does not hold anything back in this one. I have read this piece many times, and every time I discover something new in Swift’s prose. This is one of the best examples of manipulation of rhetoric, and it perfectly showcases how well Swift handles the language.
dreesreads's review against another edition
4.0
"A Modest Proposal" is definitely the strongest work here. And given how it is written, I can believe that people reading it today might not understand that it is satire--though how they can miss it being announced as satire on the cover of every volume it is in, in the intro, in every short summary, etc etc, is beyond me.
"An Argument..." and "A Discourse..." both have some good bits. "A Meditation" is clever and very short. "The Battle" requires a background in Swift's contemporaries that I simply do not have (even with the brief notes saying who they were). Also, there are parts of it missing, and there is no way to know how long or important those parts might have been to the story itself. I can see this piece being funny to those who know the many authors mentioned.
"An Argument..." and "A Discourse..." both have some good bits. "A Meditation" is clever and very short. "The Battle" requires a background in Swift's contemporaries that I simply do not have (even with the brief notes saying who they were). Also, there are parts of it missing, and there is no way to know how long or important those parts might have been to the story itself. I can see this piece being funny to those who know the many authors mentioned.
rupertowen's review against another edition
3.0
This is a small collection of essays and letters. It's quite a subjective read as each piece demonstrates Swift's range as a writer of the political, satirical, theological and personal. I would say it is a taster for hunting down further collections depending on what you are interested in. For me, I enjoyed A Modest Proposal, A Meditation Upon a Broomstick, and Thoughts on Various Subjects. The other pieces were interesting but at times rambling. Don't get me wrong, I like rambling writing but find it strenuous when it pertains to political or religious content. He's not as acerbic as I like when it comes to satire, and I personally prefer Chesterton and Shaw in that respect but his writing is enjoyable, not so much when it comes to a turn of phrase but in summary of a well turned out opinion.
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