Swift-ies NOT For Political Correctness: Satirizing 'A Modest Proposal' by Johnathan Swift

 Satire, is one of the more intricate forms of the literary genre. The finesse lies not in the 'squeaky clean' nature of it, rather in the ability to convey the message in a way to do justice to the situation under scrutiny, establishing its timeless relevance. It is not afraid to go down in the dumps without risking its eloquence. It is deplorable and outright laugh-out-loud entertaining, capping everything off by being highly memorable:offering a mixed blend of logos and ethos, the masterful usage of just the right amount of irony, hyperbole and a host of other literary devices, all packaged under the most colorful assortment of picturesque vocabulary: that not only takes readers on an adventure, knows when to make the stops but ultimately makes the destination one to be frequented mostly without one being able to help it. However, in close analysis of any form or genre of literary text, especially in the 21st century, one must be sure to factor in its political correctness. Sadly, I don't make the rules, it is just the way it is.  

Johnathan Swift is a name that begs no introduction. His everlasting contribution to the satirical genre in 1729, made sure to leave its indelible mark on me. As of typing this, only a particular image is seared in my memory. It is not a pretty image, I'll grant. However, it does what it's meant to, and that is make me marvel at the political commentary which is meant to serve as a call to action especially concerning the dire predicament of the Irish at the hands of the British. We'll get to that.

Colonialism has left its lasting stain on the world, as we know it. The East India Company, as early as the 1600s, had embarked on a ruthless expansionist campaign bearing no expense. Add to the strife, other nations imbued with the same ambition, the internal rifts among Catholic and Protestant, and there you have the theatre of global dominance. The subjugation of not only Black but indigenous populations has been unprecedented. As a fitting denouement of sorts however, the white man's burden, though cumbersome, also had a tragic flaw of being too heavy for him. As famous historian Yuval Noah Harari contends, everyone is inherently colonial in their own fashion. To that extent, I, personally understand those of the fairer skin taking a more robust initiative but the collateral is too much to set aside, particulary one which, on its own part, has been massively indiscrimate of race, sex and creed. This brings us to the Irish.

 Now, the Irish are a resilient nation, make no mistake. Sigmund Freud has quite famously stated that they are immune to psychoanalysis, giving them a unique evolutionary advantage. They carried out a whole revolution against their colonisers, when we in the (British) subcontinent were still largely hung-over and ignorant of our political realities. Having gone over some media like Martin Scorsese's films: 'Goodfellas' and 'The Irishman', Marvel's Daredevil webseries on Netflix respectively, Irish representation is largely stereotypical of being associated with the Mafia: having a penchant for being violent and thus 'perfecting revenge'- manifestation of an enduring deeply-entrenched colonial prejudice towards them. The underlying political connotations of this dramatic irony eludes no one. Take the case of another iconic webseries on Netflix, the BBC's Peaky Blinders set around the time of the First World War. Birmingham-based mobster Thomas Shelby is played by an Irish actor, Cillian Murphy. In the series, there's also a story arc in which the Peaky Blinders gang foils a major Irish Republican Army (IRA) plot. At a premiere for one of his movies, Mr. Murphy made sure to glower at Prince Harry after shaking hands with him, but considering his opting for a role glorifying the 'big, bad' British gangsters, the political optics behind it seemed a tad shallow. But hey, it's just a job and there's going to be a paycheck at the end of it so no harm no foul. If only there were enough of these paychecks for everyone, maybe the world would be a better place. One can dream. 

 Better, just not come up with immodestly 'modest' proposals.

Back to Johnathan Swift. As a member of the Anglo-Irish ruling elite, he had ties to both the English and the Irish. However, his consideration for the destitute Irish populace regrettably does stem from a place of privilege. 'A Modest Proposal' is the Cillian Murphy-Prince Harry shallow non-PC gesture of its time, a well-connected Irish fellow cozily shaking hands with the top boys and superficially staring them off by pretending to throw his own people a bone. As a reader of literature, the satire as political commentary, does indeed do justice to the abject misery of the Irish people, effectively portraying the extent of desensitization and hopelessness of the time, albeit just not with the right conduit for real change. The hypocrisy is evident. 

Throughout the essay, Swift interestingly makes an elaborate case for helping to un-burden the underpriveleged. How he'd get the poverty-stricken children off the streets. How he's planned to prevent 'those voluntary abortions' in women. How he's got just the idea for housing for farmers and labourers. Come to think of it, any copycat writers, or 'Swift-ies', as is pertinent to refer to them, would immediately get cancelled should they attempt to provide similar solutions on say, Roe v. Wade in the United States of America. 

Over in Pakistan, these Swift-ies harp on about 'roti, kapra, makaan' (food, clothing and shelter). The eloquence is there in the manifestos. The faux compassion in the speeches. Yet, so is the blatant mockery in the plans without proper execution. 

Funnily, both brands of 'Swift-ie' here are also proud heralds of the status quo. Oh, the irony. A mockery in itself. By the people, of the people. Just not for the people.

To conclude, therein lies the sheer prescience of satire as a literary genre. How it acts as food for critical thought over time. The literal juxtaposed with the figurative and the symbolic; the horrific with the darkly humourous. In the case of Johnathan Swift, it is all done a little too modestly for his own good.