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Modest Proposal

 

            A Modest Proposal, supposedly written by an intelligent and objective "political arithmetician" who had carefully studied Ireland before making his proposal. Most of you probably know this one. The author calmly suggests one solution for both the problem of overpopulation and the growing numbers of undernourished people: breed those children who would otherwise go hungry or be mistreated in order to feed the general public.
             Jonathan Swift is satire of the fact that the poor in Ireland are lack of responsibilities of child bearing. He thinks these people are destroying Dublin by begging on the street with their children whom they cannot support adequately and causing the city overpopulated. On the other hand, these poor children can serve tasty meat for the rich, "a young healthy child, well nursed, is, at a year old, most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled." He suggests the solution for overpopulation problem can be solved by citizens" becoming carnivores. However, he has no intention of following his proposal, "I have no children by which I can propose to get a single penny." He proposed this solution to make people aware of what is going on around them.
            


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