'If you ignore the historical content of A Modest Proposal, you will misunderstand it.' Discuss.When was A Modest Proposal published, or to give its full name "A modest proposal to prevent the children of the poor in Ireland from being a burden to their parents or to the country, and to make them useful to the public." England dominated all of Ireland. English landlords owned most Irish properties, charging ridiculous amounts of rent to poor tenants who could barely afford to pay. England imposed extremely high taxes on Ireland, and English laws restricting Irish trade made it impossible for the country to prosper. In general, the English had, at that time, a negative attitude towards the Irish and Roman Catholics, as were most Irish people. This knowledge is important when reading and understanding this piece. Without knowing a little about the political and social state at this time, it may be difficult to grasp Swift's use of satire. However the piece itself, even the full title, educates the reader to some extent, talking about different social classes and focusing in particular on the poor in Ireland. This essay does not claim to be either decisive or conclusive, but simply attempts to evaluate the importance of the historical content of “A Modest Proposal” to see if it is a necessary element when trying to understand the piece. Over time, England gradually gained full authority over Ireland. In 1541 the Dublin parliament recognized the English Protestant Henry VIII as king of Ireland, despite the fact that the majority of the population was Roman Catholic. Over the centuries many revolts occurred in Ireland with little impact. The country of Ireland... middle of paper... there is nothing in the history of the two countries that would not have so much sympathy for the Irish peasantry. England had imposed its rule on Ireland, deeming its Roman Catholic people unintelligent and unworthy. Legislation created to keep the Irish under control, such as not allowing them to get an education or sit in parliament, denied them their rights to what was their country. Legislation such as those that stated they could not marry a Protestant and could not carry firearms even for protection undermined their religion and took away their humanity. The greed and stubbornness of the English, and especially the landowners, undoubtedly led to poverty, begging, prostitution, starvation, which in some cases actually led to cannibalism. This desperation in Ireland was what inspired Swift to write this shocking, perplexing, yet compelling piece.