A Modest Proposal

Instead of directly attaching injustice and flawed behavior, Swift uses irony to convey his ideas indirectly. What conclusions would you draw about his attitude toward each of the following? -Irish landlords (lines 79-81) -The way most English and Irish Protestants view Irish Catholics (lines 82-89) -Irish Protestants living abroad (lines 149-155)

-The landlords in Ireland are destroying their poor tenants by charging high rents. -Most Protestants feel such contempt toward the Irish Catholics that they would be glad to see their numbers dwindle. -The Irish Protestants living abroad are irresponsible and hypocritical. The earlier proposals could have helped relieve poverty if they had received enough support.

In lines 185-191, Swift uses nouns such as carcasses and flesh to emphasize the dehumanization of the Irish by the English. Find other examples of disparaging nouns used to refer to the Irish in lines 23-75.

For example, a female parent is called a dam (line 23), women are called breeders (line 37), and a child's arm and leg are called the fore and hind quarter (line 75).

What is Swift's proposal for easing poverty in Ireland?

He proposes that most children be sold for food at one year old.

Reread lines 222-229. Why does Swift feel that his proposal is superior to others that have been put forward?

It will cost nothing, and the Irish can do it themselves.

On page 628, what are the two ways that Swift's proposal will make money? Why does Swift supply these cost and profit calculations? What type of persuasive appeal does it represent?

It will save the money spent on the children, and people will pay for the new "dish." Swift's calculations are meant to provide evidence to support the economic benefits of what he is proposing.

According to Swift in lines 175-184, how would his proposal improve family life?

Mothers will treat their babies better knowing how valuable they are. Domestic violence against women will decrease because husbands will see the value of their wives.

On page 626, Swift uses an overstatement to exaggerate his satirical solution to poverty by suggesting that poor children be used for food. What other examples of overstatement do you find in lines 90-100? How do they further sharpen Swift's satire?

Other examples include the amount of food that one child could produce and the wearing of children's skin for fashion. These ideas further sharpen Swift's satire by comparing children to animals, worth nothing more than food and leather goods.

Restate what the speaker says about poor adults wishing they had benefited from his proposal when they were babies.

Politicians should ask parents if they would rather have been killed as babies than to have endured the misery of their lives.

What problem does Swift identify in lines 1-15?

Poor children are a burden to their parents and their country: "this prodigious number of children...is in the present deplorable state of the kingdom a very great additional grievance" (lines 9-12).

Based on "A Modest Proposal," Swift's satirical response to the problem of poverty in Ireland, do you think satire is an effective means of fighting injustice? Why or why not? [Your response needs to be at least one well-developed paragraph in length.]

Possible answer: Satire is an effective means of fighting injustice because by exposing it through talking and writing about it, people become aware of the issues.

Reread lines 43-54. What social problem does Swift blame for the widespread thievery in Ireland?

Swift blames the lack of jobs for workers and farmers in Ireland, which has led people to steal to survive.

What is Swift calculating? What exceptions does he list as he adjusts his final number?

Swift is calculating the number of "disposable" children born in Ireland. He subtracts children who are supported by their parents and babies who die in infancy from the total.

What final point is Swift making?

Swift is saying that if you are one of Ireland's poor, you would be better off dead than living a life of deprivation and oppression

On page 625, what is Swift's shocking proposal in the 3rd paragraph? What language does he use to make it seem rational or "modest"?

Swift proposes that most Irish children who are a year old be sold and consumed as food. Swift uses a matter-of-fact tone to make his idea seem rational.

Why does Swift use this mathematical language to discuss the issue?

Swift wants to reduce human beings—babies and children—to numbers. This approach makes people seem like animals and objects, which distances the speaker and readers from the Irish people.

How is the title of this essay an example of verbal irony?

There is nothing modest about his plan.

How will the proposal benefit Irish parents?

They will get money for the sale of their children and they will not support their children after one year.