A Modest Proposal
"A Modest Proposal"
In "A Modest Proposal," Swift offers an outrageous solution to Ireland's problem of the
desperate conditions in the 1730'sperhaps the most farfetched solution ever been offered. Swift
takes the role of a problem-solver who is full of common sense and even hope for the people.
But more importantly, Swift is standing against the views of humanitythe views that reduce
humans to livestock and forced to consume their own children. Swift explain the sometimes
monstrous behavior of humanity will go through to survive.
Swift offers the suggestion that the population of Ireland should be broken up and divided
into breeding groupssuch as livestock. Swift approaches this suggestion by giving statistics of
the number of people in Ireland and the amount that should be breeders for his plan to save
Ireland. Swift gives examples of about how many people will be able to breed and even
subtracting a certain number of miscarriages or accidents that might even occur during that year:
"..one million and a half, of these I calculate there may be about two hundred thousand couples
whose wives are breeders...remain an hundred and seventy thousand breeders (503)". If Swift's
proposal was to be put into action, he would have the Irish as livestock to produce an and sell
their children for a living just like owners sell their own livestock for a living. Swift hints that
the Irish should do the same to make ends meet in their own lives.
Swift also gives a detailed schedule of how the children should be harvest for
manufacturing and for consumption. Starting with the first year, Swift predicts that a child
should weigh a certain amount and be ready for the...
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