Previous
Mood
Definition of Motif
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the central themes of a book... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of... read full definition
Motifs
Explanation and Analysis—Women as Livestock:
While the primary targets of the Proposer's dehumanizing language are Irish children, the impoverished mothers of those children are treated with the same indignity. Throughout "A Modest Proposal," the Proposer refers to women as livestock, using the term "breeding" to describe human reproduction. This motif often coincides with the use of statistics:
The number of souls in this kingdom being usually reckoned one million and a half, of these I calculate there may be about 200,000 couple whose wives are breeders.
In the above passage, the Proposer reveals that he considers women no better than cattle: a resource, to be controlled and regulated like any other. Their value is linked to their ability to reproduce—a reality already faced by women in Swift's society that would be further reinforced by child cannibalism. This motif generates irony within the essay because the Proposer's stated purpose is to alleviate human suffering but his proposal further dehumanizes those he intends to help.
The Proposer takes this a step further, claiming that men would care more deeply for their wives and not abuse them because of this added reproductive value:
Men would become as fond of their wives during the time of their pregnancy as they are now of their mares in foal, their cows in calf, their sows when they are ready to farrow; nor offer to beat or kick them (as is too frequent a practice) for fear of a miscarriage.
This motif illuminates the plight of working-class women, who were in this period often valued only for their ability to reproduce the laborers that society required (and exploited) in order to function.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Children for Sale:
Throughout "A Modest Proposal," the Proposer uses a variety of language to compare Irish children to commodities. In one of the first instances of this motif, the Proposer directly refers to Irish children as "goods," claiming that their murder and sale as meat products could be considered positive support for domestic production:
And the money will circulate among ourselves, the goods being entirely of our own growth and manufacture.
Referring to children in this manner—or to any person, for that matter—is objectifying and dehumanizing. This dehumanization is reinforced in later instances of the motif, where the Proposer uses statistics to reduce children to numbers, speaking about them as one might discuss chickens or wheat:
I do therefore humbly offer it to public consideration that of the 120,000 children already computed, 20,000 may be reserved for breed, whereof only one-fourth part to be males; which is more than we allow to sheep, black cattle or swine.
It's possible to read this motif about buying and selling humans as a darkly satirical comment on the evils of the Atlantic slave trade. Black and indigenous children had been treated as salable goods for centuries. Colonized and persecuted though the Irish people were, they were nonetheless white, and the destruction of white children could be relied upon to spark outrage among contemporaneous white audiences. At the same time, it's worth noting that Swift doesn't explicitly express his views on the Atlantic slave trade in this essay—rather, the essay simply highlights the absurdity of treating human beings with cruelty in the name of profit (a sentiment that could certainly be used as an argument against enslavement).
Related Themes:
