A Modern Propsal
Summarizing a Satire
In Jonathan Swift's essay, A Modest Proposal, he presents a satirical solution to the poverty and overpopulation that the Irish are experiencing. A satire is anything that aims to criticize using humor in order to promote change. This juvenalian satire is written in the form of a pamphlet, much like those that promoted political parties. This also classifies the leaflet as a parody because it mocks already existing political documents.
Swift begins by informing the reader of the present condition in Ireland. The streets, he states, are crowded with beggars, many of whom are women with children. These women are unable to help provide for the household by working because they must be responsible for their offspring who, at their present age, are merely a burden on the family and the country. Swift proceeds by pointing out that not only is a solution to the problem of poverty needed but anyone who can come up with a plan to solve it should be honored. He prefaces his scheme with a few advantages that it will provide, such as voluntary abortions being brought to an end as well as the custom of women murdering the children they bear out of wedlock.
Next, Swift goes through many calculations to determine the number of children who will be affected by his plan. He finds that one hundred and twenty thousand children are born each year to parents that will be unable to provide for them. After assuring his readers that others have approved his idea such as a friend from America, Swift finally shares his solution. He proposes that of the one hundred and twenty thousand children born into poor families, twenty thousand will be kept for breeding, only one fourth of those being males, while the other hundred thousand shall be sold for about ten pounds to the wealthy to be used for food or clothing.
After presenting this idea Swift goes on to provide six additional benefits of eating children. First, the number of Papists...
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