A Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift

Imagine walking through the streets in modern day Ireland with the intent of purchasing a one-year-old child for the evening meal. This is a ludicrous statement that most people would argue is inhumane; however, Jonathon Swift made the same argument in 1729 when sharing “A Modest Proposal”. The proposal is expressed with a satirical style of writing that captures emotion, ethics, and logic to address the concern of population control and economic support. This proposal was intended to bring to light the issues with society and government by offering a satirical solution to population control and economic growth. The proposal that Jonathan Swift made in 1729 was ridiculous and barbaric in the eyes of many. Swift proposed that children of poor women would assist in population control and economic support by being able to “contribute to the feeding, and partly to the clothing, of many thousands

From the time that a child is born to the age of one, Jonathan Swift elaborates in great detail how many different ways they can be prepared as a meal. He also expresses that after the age of one, a child is no longer prime to be consumed as a meal, but instead insists that all of the underprivileged children from two years of age and upward be maintained at a price to develop the overall increase of the economy. Swift then goes on to explain how the wealthier population may want a more particular tenderness of meat. As stated by Jonathan Swift, a child of twelve to fourteen years of age would not be good for this due to a male being too lean of meat. A female would eventually be used as a constant breeder (Swift). Another example highlighted by Swift was that of young men needing to acquire a skillset from butchers, farmers, shop keepers and any additional occupation that would benefit the country. Ensuring that no person is left without contributing to the