A Modest Proposal is a satirical essay written by Jonathan Swift as a way to express the horrific conditions the Irish were subjected to throughout the 1700s (McNeil, 2010 ). Swift describes the evil, unjust, and cruel treatment that Ireland suffered from its tyrant, the mighty England. He develops a character, the fictional character, with the intention of leading the Irish towards the truth and reality of their hardships. The person alone is not enough to make the narrator seem reasonable. Therefore, the character uses irony which is intended to attack, expose and scorn the Irish people. However, to make cannibalism seem like a practical and ironic solution, the author wisely uses his wit to imply that cannibalism cannot be more savagely cruel and immoral than what the Irish allow their oppressor to do to them. Swift's use of character, irony, and wit awakens the Irish to the physical existence of their diabolical environment and convinces them that they should take action to put an end to these circumstances. The fictional character hides Swift's true identity by helping him describe the meaning of Ireland's Troubles to readers and allow them to see the truth and reality. The character identifies a very intelligent, serious and concerned Irishman. He seems to be monstrous in proposing something cruel and evil very calmly, as if it were a typical thing to consume the flesh of a child. In general, the proposal to eat newborns makes his proposal diabolical. He proposes: “exactly at the age of age that I propose to provide for them, so that instead of being a burden to their parents or the parish, or lacking food and clothing for the rest of their lives, they, at al otherwise, contribute...... middle of paper...... and wit to influence readers to approach his essay and proposal with sincerity. However, all he really wanted the Irish to do was buy Irish goods, tax their absentees, become wiser and more economical with money, and be less indolent. In closing, his essay Swift asks property owners to be more forgiving of their people. Swift's essay presents the Irish with a fanatical solution to make them understand the horrific and inhuman circumstances to which they were subjected during the 1700s. Works Cited McNeil Bertrand, Jennifer. "Jonathan Swift's Ireland of a Modest Proposal." Suite101.com. November 14, 2010. Web. January 2012. .Swift, Jonathan. "A modest proposal." Masters of British Literature, Vol. A. New York: Longman, 2008. 1288-294. Press.