Satire is the use of sarcasm, exaggeration, irony, humor and ridicule to denounce and expose human vices, in especially in modern issues and politics. Often Jonathan Swift has to use satire because his ideas have fallen on deaf ears, so to get his topic out there he has to write something shocking. Audiences might find Swift's "A Modest Proposal" appalling, as he writes in detail about why the Irish should practice cannibalism to boost the economy. He claims that Irish families could sell their children as young as one year old to wealthy landowners. This would help combat overpopulation and famine and allow poor families to have additional income. Swift gives specific numerical data on price, weight, number of children consumed and amount left for reproduction. He goes into grisly details about recipes for children and how "winemakers will certainly be careful enough to procure the best recipes for dressing children to perfection." Clearly, Swift does not believe that the practice of cannibalism will help Ireland become a better nation. The purpose of Swift's satirical writings in "A Modest Proposal" is to attract the attention of readers to expose Ireland's real problem: the inability of the Irish to stand up to the British, whom they It's about nobles reluctant to fight due to their incompetence. or the overly naive commoners. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Swift believes that Irish commoners are too naive to challenge British power. Commoners live in appalling conditions where they are heavily taxed by landlords, "their corn and livestock already seized and their money an unknown thing." They don't do much to change their lifestyle because they don't focus on politics or changing their socio-economic status. However, Swift does not believe that commoners do this on purpose, but live in such poor conditions that they must focus solely on the well-being of their families. Kevin O'Rourke has collected first-hand accounts from travelers who have visited Ireland. He believes that "the travelers came, saw and were dismayed at the squalor of the accommodations, the squalor of the clothing and the general poverty which they encountered." With such horrible living conditions, it is easy to understand why the poor would not be able to devote much time to social and political reforms. Swift understands and recognizes that commoners live in poverty, which is why he does not blame them for the ineffectiveness of the fight against British repression. Instead, he blames the nobles who put the commoners into poverty through taxes. High taxation leads Swift to plead for “landlords to show at least some degree of mercy to their tenants.” It is the landowners who choose to maintain the poverty line in Ireland with their unfair rental agreements which deprive their tenants of almost everything. Instead of uniting against a common evil, the British and Irish push each other around, weakening the nation. Swift places much of the blame for continued British repression against Ireland on nobles who feared standing up to the British due to general incompetence and fear of losing power. Swift believes that the nobles are incompetent because of their unwillingness to agree to..