A Modest Proposal

Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal" is a satirical essay that addresses the dire poverty and overpopulation in Ireland during the 18th century. The author begins by describing the wretched conditions of the poor, particularly the numerous beggars with their children, who are a burden to their parents and the state. He notes that these children often grow up to be thieves or emigrate to fight for foreign causes or become enslaved. Swift then critiques various existing proposals to alleviate poverty, finding them all inadequate. He proposes his own "modest" solution: that the impoverished Irish would be better off selling their one-year-old children as food to the wealthy. He calculates that with 120,000 children born annually to poor parents, 100,000 could be sold for consumption, yielding a substantial profit for the nation and alleviating the burden on parents. He details how these children, weighing about 28 pounds at one year old, could be prepared in various culinary ways, suggesting they would be a delicacy for the rich. He even suggests that the skin could be used for gloves and boots, and that this practice would reduce the number of Papists in the country, which he sees as a national benefit. The proposal continues with further justifications, such as the economic benefits of this new