modest proposal thesis sentence

A Modest Proposal

Introduction of “a modest proposal”.

A Modest Proposal is an essay written by Jonathan Swift . The full title of the essay is ‘For preventing the children of poor people in Ireland, from being a burden on their parents or country, and for making them beneficial to the publick’ and is commonly known as ‘A Modest Proposal’ in its short form. It was published in 1729 anonymously. The essay is labeled as the best example of a juvenile satire , directing its arrow of ironic strictures on the existing personalities and figures of his times. The essay revolves around his suggestion of poor Irish children to be sold for food for the elite class of that time in a very mockingly serious mood . The hyperbolic suggestion, sometimes, evokes highly reprehensible emotions amongst the readers.

Summary of “A Modest Proposal”

Written in the first person, the proposal outlines the problem of the children that Ireland was facing during the time of Jonathan Swift. The problem outlined was related to the women beggars filling the streets of the Irish cities. Some of them have no means to feed their young kids and the kids becoming beggars was another issue facing the country. During this time the Protestant minority English was ruling Ireland neglecting the poor Irish Catholics. Jonathan Swift has tried to invite the attention of the government toward this problem but it seems that after all of his efforts failed, he has chosen this selected and novel way to attract the attention of the authorities.

As a proposer of this suggestion, Jonathan claims that he has a plan to deal with this problem effectively and efficiently. He states that after he has reserved some years of his life to think of the best possible solution to the problem of child beggars, he has come up with a viable set of solutions. He says that some of his plans have not proved workable in the past due to his inability to accurately make calculations. Also, while others have presented their plans they ‘grossly mistaken in their Computation’. However, in the case of this proposal, he has accurately made calculations before offering them in the essay. He says that a child is supported with breast milk and two shillings per year. However, for the child to enter into the professed beggary takes time and the parents are too poor to provide them. He proposes that the parents or guardians will release the child from their care after the presentation of this proposal finding it financially rewarding.

According to this proposal, there are 200,000 Irish parents actively giving birth to children by which means that if 30,000 of the couples can take care of them, 50,000 face miscarriages, leaving 120,000 parents having the inability to bring up their children in an appropriate way. His contention is how to deal with this explosion of the childbirth rate and what to do with this rising number of children, for they cannot be used in agriculture, or cannot be made skillful workers. They are also too young to support themselves, he says, adding that they also cannot be sold as slaves, or else they would fetch a considerable amount of money. Therefore, he has suggested a comprehensive plan to deal with this increasing birth rate.

Jonathan says that he has been assured by his American friend, whom he does not name, has told him that the meat of a year-old child is very delectable Whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled and without any doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee or a ragout. Therefore, he has made calculations that if they are total 120,000 can be reserved for breeding, and the rest can be reared to sell to the gentry for eating. He states that the wealthy landlords would be the likely buyers.

The reason is that they have already devoured several parents in their greed for more and that they deserve to take lead in this work. He also suggests that by doing this, they would be becoming a source of increasing profits for a considerable number of mothers. He further goes on by mocking the Catholic church that the Catholics produce more children than the Protests who were ruling the country since they are against the birth control that was introduced during that time even though there’s a spike in overpopulation and poverty . If such people, he argues, prove their ability in doing business, they can use the hide and other parts of the children to sharpen their business skills such as they can prepare gloves and shoes from their hide or sell it in the market. Calling his suggestion “innocent, cheap, easy and effectual” Swift states that he has no personal interest involved in this proposal as he has no child and that his wife, too, has passed the child-bearing age.

Major Themes in “A Modest Proposal”

• Exploitation: Although the essay seems a simple satire, the underlying theme is the exploitation of the landlords of Ireland and England who left people with nothing to eat. They were thronging the streets to beg for food. The laws were unfair and maltreated the poor in favor of the rich or the elite class. The rents charged from the tenants and farmers were very high which led to poverty and begging. Therefore, the essay highlights this exploitation in the garb of this suggests that the parents could sell their children to feed themselves and that those children would be used for delicious dishes for the gentry.
• Greed: The essay also shows the theme of greed lurking behind the lines. As it is not obvious, it is shown through the presence of beggars including women and children, who are “forced to employ their time in strolling to beg sustenance.” It shows that they have been forced by their landlords to go hungry or feed themselves and their children by begging. In other words, the greed of landlords brought the poor to the streets. Therefore, the proposal hints at the greed of the landlords.
• Prejudice: The thematic idea, prejudice is not plainly noticeable but it makes up the background of the essay in that the British Protestants used to despise the Roman Catholics and have laws enacted to exploit their vulnerabilities, which left them to roam on the roads in search of food and security.
• Irish Social Apathy: The essay also underlines the Irish social indifference as many people were begging in the streets with children and the government and social responses were almost non-existence as far as the essay shows. That was also a major reason behind his proposal of selling of the children to the gentry for meat and other purposes.
• Poverty: The beginning of the essay shows that poverty was widespread in Ireland on account of the government’s lack of care, the indifference of the upper class and the landlords. The laws were enacted to crush the poor class, the reason that all women, children, and even men of this section of the society had been forced to come into the streets to beg for sustenance.
• Colonialism: Although it is not modern colonialism, English rule on its adjoining lands and countries, unlike Asian and African countries, were for extraction of the sources by exploiting the local population making the situation of living worse in the British colonies. The Catholics were subjected to religious torture and legal exploitation, leaving a chunk of the Irish population to face starvation or beg in the streets.
• Misanthropy: If read in literal teams, the essay shows extreme misanthropy of the author that he has discussed in his letter to Pope, yet when taken as a satire, it shows his love for humanity and his concern for the safety and security of the Irish children.

Writing Style of “A Modest Proposal”

Although the language is quite simple, Jonathan Swift adopted the rhetorical style in this essay to hook his audiences into reading it and applauding his style with detestation. The diction and sentences are formal, implying the proposer of the proposal is serious. However, the use of the trap Swift has exploited to hook his readers is quite unusual and interesting, for he has proposed this solution to end poverty by stressing upon the ills that poverty brings. The use of animal metaphors for human beings in a satiric tone has lessened the impact of misanthropy presented to satirize the Irish authorities of that time. The impact of this satiric-cum-serious tone lies in its impact on the readers.

Analysis of Literary Devices in “A Modest Proposal”  

• Anaphora : The essays shows the use of anaphora . For example, i. Therefore let no man talk to me  of other expedients: of taxing our absentees at five shillings a pound: Of using neither cloaths, nor houshold furniture, except what is of our own growth and manufacture: Of utterly rejecting the materials and instruments that promote foreign luxury: Of curing the expensiveness of pride, vanity, idleness, and gaming in our women: Of introducing a vein of parsimony, prudence and temperance: Of learning to love our country, wherein we differ even from LAPLANDERS, and the inhabitants of TOPINAMBOO: Of quitting our animosities and factions, nor acting any longer like the Jews, who were murdering one another at the very moment their city was taken: Of being a little cautious not to sell our country and consciences for nothing: Of teaching landlords to have at least one degree of mercy towards their tenants. This example shows the use of “Of…” as an anaphora.
• Anecdote : The essay shows the use of anecdote in the below example, It is a melancholy object to those, who walk through this great town, or travel in the country, when they see the streets, the roads and cabbin-doors crowded with beggars of the female sex, followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags, and importuning every passenger for an alms. These mothers instead of being able to work for their honest livelihood, are forced to employ all their time in stroling to beg sustenance for their helpless infants who, as they grow up, either turn thieves for want of work, or leave their dear native country, to fight for the Pretender in Spain, or sell themselves to the Barbadoes. This example shows the anecdote used as the hook or attention grabber of this essay.
• Allusion : There are various examples of allusions given in the essay. For example, i. These mothers instead of being able to work for their honest livelihood, are forced to employ all their time in stroling to beg sustenance for their helpless infants who, as they grow up, either turn thieves for want of work, or leave their dear native country, to fight for the Pretender in Spain, or sell themselves to the Barbadoes. ii. As to our City of Dublin, shambles may be appointed for this purpose, in the most convenient parts of it, and butchers we may be assured will not be wanting. iii. But in order to justify my friend , he confessed, that this expedient was put into his head by the famous Salmanaazor, a native of the island Formosa, who came from thence to London . iv. For first, as I have already observed, it would greatly lessen the number of Papists, with whom we are yearly over-run, being the principal breeders of the nation, as well as our most dangerous enemies, and who stay at home on purpose with a design to deliver the kingdom to the Pretende. The mention of Pretender of Spain and Barbados in the first, Dublin in the second, Salmanaazor and Formosa with London in the third and Papist and Pretender in the last are examples of geographical and theological allusions.
• Asyndeton : The essay shows the use of asyndeton in the following example, i. I profess, in the sincerity of my heart, that I have not the least personal interest in endeavouring to promote this necessary work, having no other motive than the publick good of my country, by advancing our trade, providing for infants, relieving the poor, and giving some pleasure to the rich. The example shows the omission of conjunction between most of the clauses here.
• Dark Humor : The essay shows the use of dark humor in the below sentence , i. A child will make two dishes at an entertainment for friends, and when the family dines alone , the fore or hind quarter will make a reasonable dish, and seasoned with a little pepper or salt, will be very good boiled on the fourth day, especially in winter . This example shows the use of taboos of cannibalism in a light mood as if they can be exercised freely.
• Ethos : The essay shows the use of ethos . For example, i. It is a melancholy object to those, who walk through this great town, or travel in the country, when they see the streets, the roads and cabbin-doors crowded with beggars of the female sex, followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags, and importuning every passenger for an alms. This example shows how the author has established his ethos by presenting a common observable scene.
• Foreshadow: The essay shows the following examples of foreshadowing , i. It is a melancholy object to those, who walk through this great town, or travel in the country, when they see the streets, the roads and cabbin-doors crowded with beggars of the female sex, followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags, and importuning every passenger for an alms. ii. There is likewise another great advantage in my scheme, that it will prevent those voluntary abortions, and that horrid practice of women murdering their bastard children. These quotes from “ A Modest Proposal ” foreshadow the suggestions that Swift is going to throw before his readers.
• Hyperbole : Hyperbole or exaggeration occurs in the essay at various places, for example, i. I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricasie, or a ragoust. The above sentence is hyperbole , and also it shows how the suggestion is horrible and disgusting.
• Imagery : Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. For example, i. It is a melancholy object to those, who walk through this great town, or travel in the country, when they see the streets, the roads and cabbin-doors crowded with beggars of the female sex, followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags, and importuning every passenger for an alms. ii. There is likewise another great advantage in my scheme, that it will prevent those voluntary abortions, and that horrid practice of women murdering their bastard children, alas! too frequent among us, sacrificing the poor innocent babes, I doubt, more to avoid the expense than the shame, which would move tears and pity in the most savage and inhuman breast. iii. Some persons of a desponding spirit are in great concern about that vast number of poor people, who are aged, diseased, or maimed; and I have been desired to employ my thoughts what course may be taken, to ease the nation of so grievous an incumbrance. These examples show different images such as the images of squalor and poverty in the first, of murdering in the second, and of disabilities in the third.
• Irony : The essay shows the use of irony in the below examples, i. There is likewise another great advantage in my scheme, that it will prevent those voluntary abortions, and that horrid practice of women murdering their bastard children, alas! too frequent among us, sacrificing the poor innocent babes, I doubt, more to avoid the expence than the shame, which would move tears and pity in the most savage and inhuman breast. ii. But I am not in the least pain upon that matter, because it is very well known, that they are every day dying, and rotting, by cold and famine, and filth, and vermin, as fast as can be reasonably expected. And as to the young labourers, they are now in almost as hopeful a condition. Both of these examples show the use of irony as the meanings are not what the author has written but quite opposite to what he says.
• Kairos : The essay shows the use of kairos as the credentials of the author, references to the domination of the Protestant, colonization of the different parts of the world by Britain, and other historical clues point to the context and temporality of the essay.
• Logos : The essay shows the use of logos in the following sentences, i. The number of souls in this kingdom being usually reckoned one million and a half, of these I calculate there may be about two hundred thousand couple whose wives are breeders; from which number I subtract thirty thousand couple, who are able to maintain their own children, (although I apprehend there cannot be so many, under the present distresses of the kingdom) but this being granted, there will remain an hundred and seventy thousand breeders. ii. I am assured by our merchants, that a boy or a girl before twelve years old, is no saleable commodity, and even when they come to this age, they will not yield above three pounds, or three pounds and half a crown at most, on the exchange; which cannot turn to account either to the parents or kingdom, the charge of nutriments and rags having been at least four times that value. Both of these examples show the use of logos that is to use evidence to support one’s argument to make it convincing.
• Metaphor : “A Modest Proposal” shows good use of various metaphors in the below examples, i. I grant this food will be somewhat dear, and therefore very proper for landlords, who, as they have already devoured most of the parents, seem to have the best title to the children. ii. Whereas the maintainance of an hundred thousand children, from two years old, and upwards, cannot be computed at less than ten shillings a piece per annum. iii. The constant breeders, besides the gain of eight shillings sterling per annum by the sale of their children, will be rid of the charge of maintaining them after the first year. The first example compares landlords to crocodiles as they devour, the second children to things about their maintenance and third parents to animals who are breeders.
• Mood : The essay “A Modest Proposal” shows various moods but the prominent ones are formal, ironic and cynical.
• Narrator : The essay is narrated from a first person point of view , which is the writer, Jonathan Swift.
• Pathos : The essay shows the example of pathos as follows, i. It is a melancholy object to those, who walk through this great town, or travel in the country, when they see the streets, the roads and cabbin-doors crowded with beggars of the female sex, followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags, and importuning every passenger for an alms. The example shows how Swift has used pathos to awaken pity and sympathy in his readers.
• Repetition : The essay shows the use of repetition at several places such “I assure you…”, “I am sure…” and “I have been assured…”. These phrases have made it a convincing piece of rhetoric .
• Rhetorical Questions : The essay shows good use of rhetorical questions at several places, for example, i. The question therefore is, How this number shall be reared, and provided for? which, as I have already said. This example shows the use of rhetorical questions posed by the narrator to stress upon the idea instead of asking the question.
• Satire : The essay shows the use of satire in the following examples, i. ..whoever could find out a fair, cheap, and easy method of making these children sound, useful members of the commonwealth would deserve so well of the public as to have his statue set up for a preserver of the nation. ii. I am assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London; that a young healthy child, well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food; whether stewed, roasted, baked or boiled, and I make no doubt, that it will equally serve in a fricassee, or ragout. Both of these examples show the use of satire in the essay.
• Simile : The essay shows good use of various similes in the following sentences, i. I cannot be altogether in his sentiments; for as to the males, my American acquaintance assured me from frequent experience, that their flesh was generally tough and lean, like that of our school-boys. ii. …and the inhabitants of TOPINAMBOO: Of quitting our animosities and factions, nor acting any longer like the Jews, who were murdering one another at the very moment their city was taken… These are similes as the use of the word “like” shows the comparison between different things.
• Tone : The tone of the essay “A Modest Proposal” is satiric, sarcastic, and, at times, ironic.

Related posts:

• Jonathan Swift
• Gulliver’s Travels

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75 Jonathan Swift: A Modest Proposal

“Monstrous Craws, at a new Coalition Feast,” by James Gillray, 1787. Wikimedia Commons .

Introduction

A Modest Proposal For preventing the Children of Poor People From being a Burthen to Their Parents or Country, and For making them Beneficial to the Publick , commonly referred to as  A Modest Proposal , is a Juvenalian satirical essay written and published anonymously by Jonathan Swift in 1729. The essay suggests that the impoverished Irish might ease their economic troubles by selling their children as food to rich gentlemen and ladies. This satirical hyperbole mocked heartless attitudes towards the poor, as well as British policy toward the Irish in general.

In English writing, the phrase “a modest proposal” is now conventionally an allusion to this style of straight-faced satire.

Swift’s essay is widely held to be one of the greatest examples of sustained irony in the history of the English language. Much of its shock value derives from the fact that the first portion of the essay describes the plight of starving beggars in Ireland, so that the reader is unprepared for the surprise of Swift’s solution when he states: “A young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee, or a ragout.”

Swift goes to great lengths to support his argument, including a list of possible preparation styles for the children, and calculations showing the financial benefits of his suggestion. He uses methods of argument throughout his essay which lampoon the then-influential William Petty and the social engineering popular among followers of Francis Bacon.

Charles K. Smith argues that Swift’s rhetorical style persuades the reader to detest the speaker and pity the Irish. Swift’s specific strategy is twofold, using a “trap” to create sympathy for the Irish and a dislike of the narrator who, in the span of one sentence, “details vividly and with rhetorical emphasis the grinding poverty” but feels emotion solely for members of his own class. Swift’s use of gripping details of poverty and his narrator’s cool approach towards them create “two opposing points of view” that “alienate the reader, perhaps unconsciously, from a narrator who can view with ‘melancholy’ detachment a subject that Swift has directed us, rhetorically, to see in a much less detached way.”

Swift has his proposer further degrade the Irish by using language ordinarily reserved for animals. Lewis argues that the speaker uses “the vocabulary of animal husbandry” to describe the Irish. Once the children have been commodified, Swift’s rhetoric can easily turn “people into animals, then meat, and from meat, logically, into tonnage worth a price per pound”.

Swift uses the proposer’s serious tone to highlight the absurdity of his proposal. In making his argument, the speaker uses the conventional, textbook-approved order of argument from Swift’s time (which was derived from the Latin rhetorician Quintilian). The contrast between the “careful control against the almost inconceivable perversion of his scheme” and “the ridiculousness of the proposal” create a situation in which the reader has “to consider just what perverted values and assumptions would allow such a diligent, thoughtful, and conventional man to propose so perverse a plan”.

From: “A Modest Proposal,” Wikipedia , 20 Oct. 2020. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Modest_Proposal 25 Oct. 2020.

Discussion Questions

• “A Modest Proposal” is an ironic essay: the author deliberately writes what he does not mean.  What is the real argument?  Is there more than one?
• A clear difference exists between Swift and the persona who makes this proposal.  Characterize the proposer.
•  Which groups of people are singled out as special targets for Swifts’ attack?  Are the Irish presented completely as victims, or are they also to blame?
• What is the purpose of the last paragraph?

Further Resources

Type your key takeaways here.

• A podcast on Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” from BBC Radio’s In Our Time series
• A blog post on the contemporary reactions to Swift’s “Proposal”
• A video clip , “What is Satire?” from Oregon State University (discussion of “A Modest Proposal” begins at the 1:37 mark)

Reading: A Modest Proposal 

It is a melancholy object to those, who walk through this great town, or travel in the country, when they see the streets, the roads, and cabbin-doors crowded with beggars of the female sex, followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags, and importuning every passenger for an alms. These mothers, instead of being able to work for their honest livelihood, are forced to employ all their time in stroling to beg sustenance for their helpless infants who, as they grow up, either turn thieves for want of work, or leave their dear native country, to fight for the Pretender in Spain, or sell themselves to the Barbadoes.

I think it is agreed by all parties, that this prodigious number of children in the arms, or on the backs, or at the heels of their mothers, and frequently of their fathers, is in the present deplorable state of the kingdom, a very great additional grievance; and therefore whoever could find out a fair, cheap and easy method of making these children sound and useful members of the commonwealth, would deserve so well of the publick, as to have his statue set up for a preserver of the nation.

But my intention is very far from being confined to provide only for the children of professed beggars: it is of a much greater extent, and shall take in the whole number of infants at a certain age, who are born of parents in effect as little able to support them, as those who demand our charity in the streets.

As to my own part, having turned my thoughts for many years upon this important subject, and maturely weighed the several schemes of our projectors, I have always found them grossly mistaken in their computation. It is true, a child just dropt from its dam, may be supported by her milk, for a solar year, with little other nourishment: at most not above the value of two shillings, which the mother may certainly get, or the value in scraps, by her lawful occupation of begging; and it is exactly at one year old that I propose to provide for them in such a manner, as, instead of being a charge upon their parents, or the parish, or wanting food and raiment for the rest of their lives, they shall, on the contrary, contribute to the feeding, and partly to the clothing of many thousands.

There is likewise another great advantage in my scheme, that it will prevent those voluntary abortions, and that horrid practice of women murdering their bastard children, alas! too frequent among us, sacrificing the poor innocent babes, I doubt, more to avoid the expence than the shame, which would move tears and pity in the most savage and inhuman breast.

The number of souls in this kingdom being usually reckoned one million and a half, of these I calculate there may be about two hundred thousand couple, whose wives are breeders; from which number I subtract thirty thousand couple, who are able to maintain their own children, (although I apprehend there cannot be so many under the present distresses of the kingdom) but this being granted, there will remain a hundred and seventy thousand breeders. I again subtract fifty thousand, for those women who miscarry, or whose children die by accident or disease within the year. There only remain a hundred and twenty thousand children of poor parents annually born. The question therefore is, How this number shall be reared and provided for? which, as I have already said, under the present situation of affairs, is utterly impossible by all the methods hitherto proposed. For we can neither employ them in handicraft or agriculture; they neither build houses, (I mean in the country) nor cultivate land: they can very seldom pick up a livelihood by stealing till they arrive at six years old; except where they are of towardly parts, although I confess they learn the rudiments much earlier; during which time they can however be properly looked upon only as probationers; as I have been informed by a principal gentleman in the county of Cavan, who protested to me, that he never knew above one or two instances under the age of six, even in a part of the kingdom so renowned for the quickest proficiency in that art.

I am assured by our merchants, that a boy or a girl, before twelve years old, is no saleable commodity, and even when they come to this age, they will not yield above three pounds, or three pounds and half a crown at most, on the exchange; which cannot turn to account either to the parents or kingdom, the charge of nutriments and rags having been at least four times that value.

I shall now therefore humbly propose my own thoughts, which I hope will not be liable to the least objection.

I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricasee, or a ragoust.

I do therefore humbly offer it to publick consideration, that of the hundred and twenty thousand children, already computed, twenty thousand may be reserved for breed, whereof only one fourth part to be males; which is more than we allow to sheep, black cattle, or swine, and my reason is, that these children are seldom the fruits of marriage, a circumstance not much regarded by our savages, therefore, one male will be sufficient to serve four females. That the remaining hundred thousand may, at a year old, be offered in sale to the persons of quality and fortune, through the kingdom, always advising the mother to let them suck plentifully in the last month, so as to render them plump, and fat for a good table. A child will make two dishes at an entertainment for friends, and when the family dines alone, the fore or hind quarter will make a reasonable dish, and seasoned with a little pepper or salt, will be very good boiled on the fourth day, especially in winter.

I have reckoned upon a medium, that a child just born will weigh 12 pounds, and in a solar year, if tolerably nursed, encreaseth to 28 pounds.

I grant this food will be somewhat dear, and therefore very proper for landlords, who, as they have already devoured most of the parents, seem to have the best title to the children.

Infant’s flesh will be in season throughout the year, but more plentiful in March, and a little before and after; for we are told by a grave author, an eminent French physician, that fish being a prolifick dyet, there are more children born in Roman Catholick countries about nine months after Lent, than at any other season; therefore, reckoning a year after Lent, the markets will be more glutted than usual, because the number of Popish infants, is at least three to one in this kingdom, and therefore it will have one other collateral advantage, by lessening the number of Papists among us.

I have already computed the charge of nursing a beggar’s child (in which list I reckon all cottagers, labourers, and four-fifths of the farmers) to be about two shillings per annum, rags included; and I believe no gentleman would repine to give ten shillings for the carcass of a good fat child, which, as I have said, will make four dishes of excellent nutritive meat, when he hath only some particular friend, or his own family to dine with him. Thus the squire will learn to be a good landlord, and grow popular among his tenants, the mother will have eight shillings neat profit, and be fit for work till she produces another child.

Those who are more thrifty (as I must confess the times require) may flay the carcass; the skin of which, artificially dressed, will make admirable gloves for ladies, and summer boots for fine gentlemen.

As to our City of Dublin, shambles may be appointed for this purpose, in the most convenient parts of it, and butchers we may be assured will not be wanting; although I rather recommend buying the children alive, and dressing them hot from the knife, as we do roasting pigs.

A very worthy person, a true lover of his country, and whose virtues I highly esteem, was lately pleased in discoursing on this matter, to offer a refinement upon my scheme. He said, that many gentlemen of this kingdom, having of late destroyed their deer, he conceived that the want of venison might be well supplied by the bodies of young lads and maidens, not exceeding fourteen years of age, nor under twelve; so great a number of both sexes in every county being now ready to starve for want of work and service: and these to be disposed of by their parents if alive, or otherwise by their nearest relations. But with due deference to so excellent a friend, and so deserving a patriot, I cannot be altogether in his sentiments; for as to the males, my American acquaintance assured me from frequent experience, that their flesh was generally tough and lean, like that of our schoolboys, by continual exercise, and their taste disagreeable, and to fatten them would not answer the charge. Then as to the females, it would, I think, with humble submission, be a loss to the publick, because they soon would become breeders themselves: and besides, it is not improbable that some scrupulous people might be apt to censure such a practice, (although indeed very unjustly) as a little bordering upon cruelty, which, I confess, hath always been with me the strongest objection against any project, how well soever intended.

But in order to justify my friend, he confessed, that this expedient was put into his head by the famous Psalmanaazor, a native of the island Formosa, who came from thence to London, above twenty years ago, and in conversation told my friend, that in his country, when any young person happened to be put to death, the executioner sold the carcass to persons of quality, as a prime dainty; and that, in his time, the body of a plump girl of fifteen, who was crucified for an attempt to poison the Emperor, was sold to his imperial majesty’s prime minister of state, and other great mandarins of the court in joints from the gibbet, at four hundred crowns. Neither indeed can I deny, that if the same use were made of several plump young girls in this town, who without one single groat to their fortunes, cannot stir abroad without a chair, and appear at a playhouse and assemblies in foreign fineries which they never will pay for, the kingdom would not be the worse.

Some persons of a desponding spirit are in great concern about that vast number of poor people, who are aged, diseased, or maimed; and I have been desired to employ my thoughts what course may be taken, to ease the nation of so grievous an incumbrance. But I am not in the least pain upon that matter, because it is very well known, that they are every day dying, and rotting, by cold and famine, and filth, and vermin, as fast as can be reasonably expected. And as to the young labourers, they are now in almost as hopeful a condition. They cannot get work, and consequently pine away from want of nourishment, to a degree, that if at any time they are accidentally hired to common labour, they have not strength to perform it, and thus the country and themselves are happily delivered from the evils to come.

I have too long digressed, and therefore shall return to my subject. I think the advantages by the proposal which I have made are obvious and many, as well as of the highest importance.

For first, as I have already observed, it would greatly lessen the number of Papists, with whom we are yearly overrun, being the principal breeders of the nation, as well as our most dangerous enemies, and who stay at home on purpose with a design to deliver the kingdom to the Pretender, hoping to take their advantage by the absence of so many good Protestants, who have chosen rather to leave their country, than stay at home and pay tithes against their conscience to an episcopal curate.

Secondly, The poorer tenants will have something valuable of their own, which by law may be made liable to a distress, and help to pay their landlord’s rent, their corn and cattle being already seized, and money a thing unknown.

Thirdly, Whereas the maintainance of a hundred thousand children, from two years old, and upwards, cannot be computed at less than ten shillings a piece per annum, the nation’s stock will be thereby encreased fifty thousand pounds per annum, besides the profit of a new dish, introduced to the tables of all gentlemen of fortune in the kingdom, who have any refinement in taste. And the money will circulate among our selves, the goods being entirely of our own growth and manufacture.

Fourthly, The constant breeders, besides the gain of eight shillings sterling per annum by the sale of their children, will be rid of the charge of maintaining them after the first year.

Fifthly, This food would likewise bring great custom to taverns, where the vintners will certainly be so prudent as to procure the best receipts for dressing it to perfection; and consequently have their houses frequented by all the fine gentlemen, who justly value themselves upon their knowledge in good eating; and a skilful cook, who understands how to oblige his guests, will contrive to make it as expensive as they please.

Sixthly, This would be a great inducement to marriage, which all wise nations have either encouraged by rewards, or enforced by laws and penalties. It would encrease the care and tenderness of mothers towards their children, when they were sure of a settlement for life to the poor babes, provided in some sort by the publick, to their annual profit instead of expence. We should soon see an honest emulation among the married women, which of them could bring the fattest child to the market. Men would become as fond of their wives, during the time of their pregnancy, as they are now of their mares in foal, their cows in calf, or sows when they are ready to farrow; nor offer to beat or kick them (as is too frequent a practice) for fear of a miscarriage.

Many other advantages might be enumerated. For instance, the addition of some thousand carcasses in our exportation of barrel’d beef: the propagation of swine’s flesh, and improvement in the art of making good bacon, so much wanted among us by the great destruction of pigs, too frequent at our tables; which are no way comparable in taste or magnificence to a well grown, fat yearling child, which roasted whole will make a considerable figure at a Lord Mayor’s feast, or any other publick entertainment. But this, and many others, I omit, being studious of brevity.

Supposing that one thousand families in this city, would be constant customers for infants flesh, besides others who might have it at merry meetings, particularly at weddings and christenings, I compute that Dublin would take off annually about twenty thousand carcasses; and the rest of the kingdom (where probably they will be sold somewhat cheaper) the remaining eighty thousand.

I can think of no one objection, that will possibly be raised against this proposal, unless it should be urged, that the number of people will be thereby much lessened in the kingdom. This I freely own, and was indeed one principal design in offering it to the world. I desire the reader will observe, that I calculate my remedy for this one individual Kingdom of Ireland, and for no other that ever was, is, or, I think, ever can be upon Earth. Therefore let no man talk to me of other expedients: Of taxing our absentees at five shillings a pound: Of using neither clothes, nor houshold furniture, except what is of our own growth and manufacture: Of utterly rejecting the materials and instruments that promote foreign luxury: Of curing the expensiveness of pride, vanity, idleness, and gaming in our women: Of introducing a vein of parsimony, prudence and temperance: Of learning to love our country, wherein we differ even from Laplanders, and the inhabitants of Topinamboo: Of quitting our animosities and factions, nor acting any longer like the Jews, who were murdering one another at the very moment their city was taken: Of being a little cautious not to sell our country and consciences for nothing: Of teaching landlords to have at least one degree of mercy towards their tenants. Lastly, of putting a spirit of honesty, industry, and skill into our shopkeepers, who, if a resolution could now be taken to buy only our native goods, would immediately unite to cheat and exact upon us in the price, the measure, and the goodness, nor could ever yet be brought to make one fair proposal of just dealing, though often and earnestly invited to it.

Therefore I repeat, let no man talk to me of these and the like expedients, till he hath at least some glympse of hope, that there will ever be some hearty and sincere attempt to put them into practice.

But, as to myself, having been wearied out for many years with offering vain, idle, visionary thoughts, and at length utterly despairing of success, I fortunately fell upon this proposal, which, as it is wholly new, so it hath something solid and real, of no expence and little trouble, full in our own power, and whereby we can incur no danger in disobliging England. For this kind of commodity will not bear exportation, and flesh being of too tender a consistence, to admit a long continuance in salt, although perhaps I could name a country, which would be glad to eat up our whole nation without it.

After all, I am not so violently bent upon my own opinion, as to reject any offer, proposed by wise men, which shall be found equally innocent, cheap, easy, and effectual. But before something of that kind shall be advanced in contradiction to my scheme, and offering a better, I desire the author or authors will be pleased maturely to consider two points. First, As things now stand, how they will be able to find food and raiment for a hundred thousand useless mouths and backs. And secondly, There being a round million of creatures in humane figure throughout this kingdom, whose whole subsistence put into a common stock, would leave them in debt two million of pounds sterling, adding those who are beggars by profession, to the bulk of farmers, cottagers and labourers, with their wives and children, who are beggars in effect; I desire those politicians who dislike my overture, and may perhaps be so bold to attempt an answer, that they will first ask the parents of these mortals, whether they would not at this day think it a great happiness to have been sold for food at a year old, in the manner I prescribe, and thereby have avoided such a perpetual scene of misfortunes, as they have since gone through, by the oppression of landlords, the impossibility of paying rent without money or trade, the want of common sustenance, with neither house nor clothes to cover them from the inclemencies of the weather, and the most inevitable prospect of intailing the like, or greater miseries, upon their breed for ever.

I profess in the sincerity of my heart, that I have not the least personal interest in endeavouring to promote this necessary work, having no other motive than the publick good of my country, by advancing our trade, providing for infants, relieving the poor, and giving some pleasure to the rich. I have no children, by which I can propose to get a single penny; the youngest being nine years old, and my wife past child-bearing.

Source Text

Swift, Jonathan. A Modest Proposal for Preventing the children of Poor People in Ireland, from being a Burden on their Parents or Country, and for Making them Beneficial to the Publick , Project Gutenberg, 2008, is licensed under no known copyright.

Early English Literature Copyright © 2019 by Allegra Villarreal is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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....... "A Modest Proposal" is an essay that uses satire to make its point. A satire is a l iterary work that attacks or pokes fun at vices, abuses, stupidity, and/or any other fault or imperfection. Satire may make the reader laugh at, or feel disgust for, the person or thing satirized. Impishly or sardonically, it criticizes someone or something, using wit and clever wording — and sometimes makes outrageous assertions or claims. The main purpose of a satire is to spur readers to remedy the problem under discussion. The main weapon of the satirist is verbal irony, a figure of speech in which words are used to ridicule a person or thing by conveying a meaning that is the opposite of what the words say.  ....... The essay was originally printed in the form of a pamphlet. At the time of its publication, 1729, a pamphlet was a short work that took a stand on a political, religious, or social issue — or any other issue of public interest. A typical pamphlet had no binding, although it sometimes had a paper cover. Writers of pamphlets, called pamphleteers, played a significant role in inflaming or resolving many of the great controversies in Europe in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, as well as in the political debate leading up to the American Revolution.  ....... In addition to “A Modest Proposal," Jonathan Swift wrote many political pamphlets supporting the causes of the Tory political party after he renounced his allegiance to the Whig party. 

Historical Background

....... Over the centuries, England gradually gained a foothold in Ireland. In 1541, the parliament in Dublin recognized England’s Henry VIII, a Protestant, as King of Ireland. In spite of repeated uprisings by Irish Catholics, English Protestants acquired more and more estates in Ireland. By 1703, they owned all but ten percent of the land. Meanwhile, legislation was enacted that severely limited the rights of the Irish to hold government office, purchase real estate, get an education, and advance themselves in other ways. As a result, many Irish fled to foreign lands, including America. Most of those who remained in Ireland lived in poverty, facing disease, starvation, and prejudice. It was this Ireland — an Ireland of the tyrannized and the downtrodden — that Jonathan Swift attempted to focus attention on in “A Modest Proposal" in 1720.

....... Editor's Note : In "A Modest Proposal," Swift assumes the persona of a statistician. The following summary of the essay greatly condenses the original wording. 

....... Because so many Irish parents cannot find decent jobs to support their children, they spend all their time walking the streets to beg alms of passersby. Meanwhile, the children grow up to become thieves or emigrants. ....... This situation presents a serious problem for Britain, especially since there are so many Irish children. Each year, several hundred thousand babies are born to Irish parents. If you subtract those who are born to well-to-do parents, those who are stillborn, and those who die after birth as a result of disease or accident, you are still left with about 120,000 babies who have to be supported by poor parents. ....... Of course, a mother can feed her child for one year with breast milk. But after that, she must beg food for the child. However, I [the writer of the essay] have a modest proposal to solve this problem. Here it is:  ....... I have been told by a knowledgeable American that a year-old-infant is a “most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee or a ragout." ....... Therefore, I suggest that of the 120,000 new infants of poor parents, 20,000 be reserved for breeding and the rest be sold to people of quality. ....... “A child will make two dishes at an entertainment for friends, and when the family dines alone, the fore or hind quarter will make a reasonable dish, and seasoned with a little pepper or salt, will be very good boiled on the fourth day, especially in winter . . . ." ....... Not only will my plan provide excellent food and relieve the burden on Irish parents and Great Britain as a whole, it will also reduce the number of Roman Catholics, since it is the Roman Catholics who have the most children. In addition, my plan will have the following advantages: ....... Inkeepers who serve fat children at their tables will be popular with their customers. ....... A mother of a sold child will pocket a handsome profit and be free to work until she has another baby. ....... The skin from babies can be used to make gloves for women and boots for men.  ....... Women will take excellent care of their newly born infants, for they will want their babies to be plump and healthy when it comes time to sell them.  ....... “Men would become as fond of their wives, during the time of their pregnancy, as they are now of their mares in foal, their cows in calf, or sows when they are ready to farrow; nor offer to beat or kick them (as is too frequent a practice) for fear of a miscarriage." ....... Only young, tender children would be sold. Older boys, with years of exercise that develops their muscles, would be too tough to eat. Older girls would be so close to childbearing age that it would be best to let them breed.  ....... An extremely important part of my proposal is that it would eliminate the need to raise taxes to support the poor, thereby enabling the rich to continue to enjoy all their luxuries. In addition, English landlords would not have to show mercy to their Irish tenants. In turn, the Irish tenants would have enough money to pay their high rents, thanks to the sale of their children.  ....... I must point out that I am not proposing this plan for personal benefit, inasmuch as I have only one child — age nine and thus too old to sell — and my wife is too old to have another baby. .. . Complete Title . ....... The complete title of "A Modest Proposal" is "A Modest Proposal for preventing the children of poor people in Ireland, from being a burden on their parents or country, and for making them beneficial to the publick." 

....... In "A Modest Proposal," Swift uses a standard essay format: an opening that presents the topic and thesis (the "modest proposal"), a body that develops the thesis with details, and a conclusion. In the opening, the author states the problem: the deplorable economic and social conditions that impoverish the Irish and prevent them from providing adequate care for their children. Before presenting the thesis, he inserts the following transitional sentence: "I shall now therefore humbly propose my own thoughts, which I hope will not be liable to the least objection." He follows this sentence with the thesis, then presents the details in the body of the essay. In the conclusion, he states the benefits that would accrue from his proposal. He begins with the following two sentences: "I have too long digressed, and therefore shall return to my subject. I think the advantages by the proposal which I have made are obvious and many, as well as of the highest importance." He next lists the advantages, using transitional words such as secondly and thirdly to move from one point to the next." He ends the conclusion by explaining why his proposal is superior to other remedies. Keep in mind that throughout the body and conclusion Swift makes his argument with irony, stating the opposite of what he really means. For more about Swift's use of irony, see " Irony ," below.

....... The dominant figure of speech in "A Modest Proposal" is verbal irony, in which a writer or speaker says the opposite of what he means. Swift's masterly use of this device makes his main argument—that the Irish deserve better treatment from the English—powerful and dreadfully amusing. For example, to point out that the Irish should not be treated like animals, Swift compares them to animals, as in this example: "I rather recommend buying the children alive, and dressing them hot from the knife, as we do roasting pigs." Also, to point out that disease, famine, and substandard living conditions threaten to kill great numbers of Irish, Swift cheers their predicament as a positive development:

Some persons of a desponding spirit are in great concern about that vast number of poor people, who are aged, diseased, or maimed, and I have been desired to employ my thoughts what course may be taken to ease the nation of so grievous an encumbrance. But I am not in the least pain upon that matter, because it is very well known that they are every day dying and rotting by cold and famine, and filth and vermin, as fast as can be reasonably expected. And as to the young laborers, they are now in as hopeful a condition; they cannot get work, and consequently pine away for want of nourishment, to a degree that if at any time they are accidentally hired to common labor, they have not strength to perform it; and thus the country and themselves are happily delivered from the evils to come.

Exploitation of the Downtrodden

....... Beneath Swift’s audacious satire is a serious theme: that English overlords are shamelessly exploiting and oppressing the impoverished people of Ireland through unfair laws, high rents charged by absentee landlords, and other injustices. 

....... At the time of the publication of "A Modest Proposal," many British Protestants disdained Roman Catholics--especially Irish Catholics--and enacted laws limiting their ability to thrive and prosper. 

Irish Inaction

Swift's satirical language also chides the Irish themselves for not acting with firm resolve to improve their lot.

Author Information

....... Jonathan Swift was born on November 30, 1667, in Dublin, Ireland. His father — an Englishman who had moved to Ireland — died earlier that year. Receiving financial assistance from relatives, Swift attended a good school for his basic education and graduated from Trinity College in Dublin in 1686. He lived off and on in England, became an Anglican clergyman, and eventually was appointed dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, although he had lobbied for a position in England. His writing — especially his satires — made him one of the most prominent citizens in Great Britain, and he worked for a time on behalf of Tory causes. His most famous work is Gulliver's Travels , a book of satire on politics and society in general. Swift died in Dublin on October 19, 1745. Click here for additional information . .

• Write a satircal essay that focuses on an issue in your community, your state, or your country. 
• How would you describe the tone of "A Modest Proposal?"
• To what extent (or ways) was British exploitation of Irish labor an outgrowth of an economic policy known as mercantilism?
• What historical developments caused the animosity between Protestants and Catholics in Great Britain of the 1700s?
• The language of "A Modest Proposal" is specific and succinct. It is also playfully shocking, as demonstrated in the following paragraph in which Swift uses carcasses (remains of dead animals dressed by butchers) to refer to the remains of children prepared as meat: "Supposing that one thousand families in this city, would be constant customers for Infant's Flesh, besides others who might have it at merry meetings, particularly at weddings and christenings, I compute that Dublin would take off annually about twenty thousand carcasses , and the rest of the Kingdom (where probably they will be sold somewhat cheaper) the remaining eighty thousand."
• Find other passages in the story in which Swift's words seemed designed to shock or amuse the reader.

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• A Modest Proposal

Background of the Essay

Historical background.

The essay “A Modest Proposal” was written by Jonathan Swift. It was published in 1729. The full name of the essay was “A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of Poor People From being a Burthen to their Parents or Country and for Making them Beneficial to the Publick.” At that time, England was ruling Ireland, and Swift was one of the ruling class members. The people of Ireland suffered a lot during this rule.

The group of English people ruling England was protestant, and the people of Ireland were mainly Catholics. As a result, there was a vast chasm between the two. The protestant elites did not like the catholic citizens and never took steps for their betterment. Instead, they imposed religious restrictions on them. Moreover, the common people of Ireland were left very poor by imposing many restrictions on trade for them. To add to this problem of poverty, the country was also overpopulated.

Jonathan Swift wanted this situation to change. He made many attempts to persuade the government of that time to take steps for the progress of the country and the prosperity of the people. He wrote many letters in this regard but never got any positive response. So, this proposal is another attempt at making the government realize the woes of the people. He uses his skill of satire to show how grave the problems of common people are. At the same time, he was angry with the passivity and apathy of the Irish people and wanted to awaken them.

Literary Background of A Modest Proposal

“A Modest Proposal” is a satirical essay by genre. The author of this essay, Jonathan Swift, is regarded as one of the best satirists in English Literature ever. This essay holds a special place among his satirical writings. Its effect is enhanced by the shocking change of mood in the middle of the essay.

Satirical essays are characterized by the use of irony and shifts of moods. In this essay, too, the author starts with the description of the miserable condition of the beggar women and children wandering and begging in the streets of Ireland. He seems sympathetic and describes the plights of these beggars. At this point, the shock arrives, and the author presents his strange proposal. He comes up with the idea that these poor children of Ireland should be butchered and eaten. His tone remains totally objective as he supports his claim through various statistics. In this manner, he satirizes the method of objective analysis of social matters, which was very common at that time.   

A Modest Proposal Summary

The essay opens with the narrator invoking the usual scene on the streets in Ireland i.e., the melancholy sight of female beggars begging along with their children. He says that these females are forced to beg for food because they are not able to work. The children grow up to become thieves or go to the Americas, searching for a better future.

After this empathy-inspiring description of female beggars and their children, the author goes on to claim that this is a matter of national concern. He says that these children, in particular, are a burden on the already crippled Kingdom. Therefore, he argues that if anyone can come up with a plan that can turn these beggar children into useful citizens, it will be a great service to the country and its people.

At this point, the author starts describing the authenticity and merits of his proposal. This proposal, he says, can solve the problem of beggar children. Moreover, it can also cater for all children of a specific age whose parents, even though they have not started begging, cannot support them in their current financial condition.

As the background of his proposal, the author provides the statistics of Ireland’s population. He argues that the proposals presented by others regarding this problem are insufficient to solve it. They have not considered the ground realities before proposing their schemes.

Having negated other proposals, the author proposes his own solution to the problem. He says that a child can easily be fed for the first year of his/her life. The total cost needed to bring up a child for the first year is no more than two shillings. The major part of the child’s diet in this period is covered through breast milk, which is free.

The problematic phase starts after the first year. The needs of children grow, and so does the cost of upbringing. So, the “modest” proposal provides a solution for one-year-old children. The author says that his proposal will result in making the setback an advantage. The children, who are now a burden on their families and the government, will become a source of food and clothing.

Moreover, the proposal will result in lessening the ill-practices of infanticide and abortion because the mothers will not have to worry about the expenses of upbringing the child. He says that many people commit these sins because they fear the expenses of feeding a child.

At this point, some more statistics are forwarded. The population of Ireland is around 1.5 million. Out of these 1.5 million people, around two hundred thousand women are adult enough to conceive a child. Out of these two hundred thousand women, only thirty thousand might be able to bring up their children without any financial worries. This leaves one hundred and seventy thousand breeders—as he calls them. Among these breeders, around fifty thousand children can be supposed to be miscarried or die during the first year of their lives.

So, it is clear that every year around one hundred and twenty thousand children are born in low-income families who are unable to feed them properly. Therefore, the problem needs to be solved. These kids cannot be given employment in the country that neither cultivates lands nor builds new houses. The children cannot be sold as slaves before they reach the age of twelve, and when they are sold after this age, they earn very little money. This money is not equal to the amount spent on their upbringing. All of them cannot become thieves as well before reaching the age of six years.

Having detailed the problem, the author forwards his solution to the problem. He says that an American person has told him that a child of one year is a very delicious and nutritious food. The child can be either boiled, or stewed, or bakes, or roasted.

Building upon this information, he says that a proper plan of action should be devised to dispose of the children born in low-income families. Out of the one hundred and twenty thousand children, twenty thousand should be allowed to live. They will serve the purpose of breeding and maintenance of the population.

However, a proper ratio of one male to four females should be maintained among them. One man will be adequate to serve four women in breeding. The remaining one hundred thousand children should be fed and fattened in order to be sold as a food delicacy. The author also suggests the different types of dishes that can be prepared with the meat of these children.

After giving the general idea of the proposal, the author goes on to explain specific details. The first point discussed is the cost of the meat of the children. An average baby at one year age weighs around twenty-eight pounds. This suggests that the meat will be more expensive than the other types of meat available in the market.

For this reason, the delicacy will be primarily available to the wealthy landlords of Ireland who have already eaten the majority of the parents of these children. Secondly, he points out that the meat will be available in the market all year round as the children are born every day of the year. Usually, there will be a surge in the supply during spring.  

The author moves on to explain the difference between the cost and sale price of the children. On average, a child can be nursed for one year for less than two shillings. On the other hand, the meat of the child will yield ten shillings.

This way, the parents will make an easy profit of eight shillings. At the same time, the buyer will also not be at a loss. He/she will have around four dishes of delicious meat and will have fame in his/her society. Moreover, the skin of the child can also be used as leather when needed. The author says that he is quite sure that there will be many people in Dublin that will be ready to butcher the children and conduct the business.  

The author says that he was advised to refine his scheme by a friend. The advice was that he should include teenagers in his proposal because there is a scarcity of deer meat on the tables of the wealthy landlords.

Furthermore, these teenagers are living a miserable life and are unable to find any employment. He, however, disagrees with this suggestion on two points.

Firstly, the meat of the teenagers is lean and hard, and its taste is also not very good.

Secondly, some people might—unjustly—censure this practice as cruelty. Therefore, it would not be wise to add this suggestion to the proposal.  

The author admits that there are a lot of other poor people that are unable to find work for themselves and are a burden on society. These include sick, aged, and disable people. However, he does not show any worry about them because these people are going to die very soon.

The author admits that he has digressed and comes back to his original proposal. He says that his proposal is beneficial in the sense that the Catholics will lessen in number in this way. The Catholics are disadvantageous to the country as they have very large families. He accuses them of their political activities and calls them the enemy of the state.

Another advantage the proposal will have is that the underprivileged tenants will be able to clear their debts by selling their children. In this way, the economy of the nation will improve. Consequently, a liability will turn into a product of the national level. Moreover, a new dish will also be added to the cuisine of the landlords.  

The benefit of selling their children will not stop at eight shillings only. The parents will not have to pay for the growing expenses of their children after the first year.

Moreover, the business of taverns will also shoot up as the poor people will have pennies in their hands. Morally speaking, the scheme will result in an increase in marriages and maternal love for children. Domestic violence will also go down for the period of the time of pregnancy. There will be a competition among mothers to bring the healthiest child to the sale. Other types of beef will then be exported more and will bring money to the country.

Inside the country, they will have to raise their standards in order to compete with the high-quality meat of the children. The author believes that the landlords in London will eat as much as the one-fifth of the total flesh procured in the whole country.

After explaining the minute details of the proposal, the author preempts any type of objections that can be raised. One such objection can be that the population of the country can be reduced very much in this manner. The author says that the reduction of the population is among the goals of the proposal as the population of Ireland is well above the limit. He says that this scheme was prepared for Ireland specifically and should not be applied in any other country.

The author rejects the already existing plans for the prosperity of the country and calls them unrealistic and naive. He says that he has become tired of such unrealistic schemes in the past and is now excited about his current discovery. This plan, according to him, is highly practical and realistic. This scheme also has the advantage that there is no chance that it will anger England. Rather, England will be happy to import this delicacy from Ireland. He says that there is a country that might be able to eat the Irish nation without preservatives.

The author claims that no substitute plan can equal his plan even if they are similarly easy, innocent, and cheap. The reason is that his proposal considers two main issues that cannot be addressed by any other plan. The first issue it addresses is that of clothing and feeding one hundred thousand useless children. The second issue is the extreme level of poverty. The author says that Irish people are so poor that they would be happy to be able to be sold for food.

The author says that this proposal is forwarded in the interest of the common people, and he seeks no benefit out of it. His own children have passed this age and can, therefore, not be sold. He just wants to advance the trade of the nation, relieve the unprivileged, provide for the kids, and give some pleasure to the landlords. 

A Modest Proposal Analysis

In the essay “A Modest Proposal,” Jonathan Swift satirizes the elite class of Ireland and their British colonizers. At the same time, he vents his disgust at the Irish people for not doing anything for themselves. It also mocks the cold and inhumane methods of problem-solving in the eighteenth century. At that time, people used to give solutions to the grievous problems of humanity on the basis of irrelevant statistics.

In order to catch the attention of the audience and to convey his point, Swift makes his proposal sound barbarous without a tinge of human empathy. He talks of human slaughter and cooking like he is talking about cattle or poultry. He takes the path of utilitarianism and talks about solving the problem of poverty and overpopulation in an indifferent economic manner. His proposal can benefit society at the cost of a few humans. Through this technique, he shows how irrelevant utilitarianism is to human problems.   

The Pattern of Rhetoric

In this essay, Jonathan Swift uses the traditional system of rhetoric to organize his argument. In this system, the argument is presented in five steps.

The first part of the argument introduces the subject and is called exordium.

The second part of the argument narrates the ground facts and realities. This part is called the narratio.

The third part of the argument confirms the claims of the argument through proofs and is called confirmatio.

The fourth part of the argument refutes any possible objections to the argument. This part is called confutatio.

The last part of the argument employs pathos and appeals to the audience. It also sums up the whole discussion and is called peroratio.  

In the exordium part of the essay, the author describes the usual scene of the streets of Ireland. He says that the sight of women beggars, along with their children, is very common on the streets of Ireland. These kids are shabbily dressed and are malnourished. This description introduces the problem of hunger, begging, and poverty.

To this problem, the author presents his cheap and effortless solution. The solution is of nursing the babies of these low-income families for one year and then butchering them to be sold as meat to the landlords.   

In the next part of the argument, the author presents the ground realities. He says that among the 1.5 million people living in Ireland, there will be around two hundred thousand breeders. Out of these two hundred thousand breeders, around one hundred and seventy thousand will be poor. If they give birth to children, they will not be able to bear the expenses.

Therefore, they become a burden on the country and their families. Subtracting another fifty thousand children who might die during the first year, a total of one hundred and twenty thousand poor babies are left. Among these children, the author proposes to leave twenty thousand for breeding and to butcher the remaining one hundred thousand for eating.

In this manner, they will bring income to their families and delicious meat to the tables of landlords. Moreover, it will help in controlling the population of the country.

In the confirmatio part of the argument, the author lists the benefits of his proposal. His proposal will help the poor people get rid of their poverty as they will get a profit of eight shillings and will not have to bear the expenses of children after the first year.

Moreover, they will be inclined to marry early and will leave behind the ill doings like abortion and infanticide. On the other hand, the elites will have a new delicious dish on their tables. The economy of the country will also move forward. At the same time, the number of Catholics will be reduced as they are not liked by the ruling class.

In the confutatio part of the argument, the author refutes any possible objection to his proposal. He says that some people might object that this proposal will result in lessening the population of the country. He replies by saying that it was one of his goals while he was forwarding his proposal as the country is overpopulated.

In the last part of the argument, the author employs pathos and says that his proposal is not based on any self-interest. Rather, his sole motive is the common good. He wants to relieve the burdens of ordinary people. As for his part, he says that he cannot benefit from this scheme as his youngest child is already nine years of age.

A Modest Proposal as a A Satirical Essay

The satire in this essay is of a very wide spectrum and ranges from the people of Ireland to the colonizers of England. Following is a brief account of the ways these different groups are satirized.

On the Irish Government

The government of Ireland is satirized for being apathetic and ignorant of the problems of the people of Ireland. They are also satirized for the religious restrictions they have put on the Catholics of Ireland.

On the Irish People

The people of Ireland are satirized for their inability to see and solve their own problems. They are shown to be so dull and lazy that they would even kill their own children but would not stand up for their rights.

On the English Rulers

The colonizers of England are satirized for their inhumane behavior towards the colonized people. The rulers of England are said to be ready to eat the whole nation. It is also said that England will have no objection to this trade of human flesh.

On Utilitarianism

The philosophy of utilitarianism is satirized for its inability to solve the problems of humans. The speaker of this essay employs a utilitarian approach in his proposal, and the ineptness of the approach becomes visible from the very start.

Tone of the Essay

The tone of the essay is thoroughly ironic and satirical. The author presents his proposal in a manner that the audiences are supposed to disagree with. He intends to mock the type of solution which his proposal has. In this way, the author does exactly what he wants to tackle. The inhumane speaker of the essay is the caricature of the followers of utilitarian philosophy.

More From Jonathan Swift

• English Literature
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A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift | Summary & Analysis

Who is Jonathan Swift? Jonathan Swift was an Irish writer, poet, and satirist best known for his novel “Gulliver’s Travels” and his satirical essays. One of his most famous works, “A Modest Proposal,” is a satirical essay published in 1729. This essay is often studied for its biting social commentary and clever use of satire.

Table of Contents

Background of “A Modest Proposal”

“A Modest Proposal” was written during a time of great social and economic turmoil in Ireland. The country was suffering from poverty, famine, and overpopulation, and the British government’s policies were exacerbating these issues. Swift wrote “A Modest Proposal” as a way to draw attention to the dire conditions in Ireland and to criticize the British government’s handling of the situation.

Summary of “A Modest Proposal”

In “A Modest Proposal,” Swift presents a shocking solution to Ireland’s poverty problem: he suggests that impoverished Irish families should sell their children as food to wealthy English landlords. Swift argues that this solution would not only alleviate poverty but also provide a new source of income for the Irish people.

Swift’s proposal is presented in a straightforward and logical manner, but it quickly becomes apparent that he is using satire to critique the British government’s indifference to the suffering of the Irish people. By proposing something so outrageous and morally repugnant, Swift forces his readers to confront the reality of the situation in Ireland and to question the policies that have led to such extreme poverty and desperation.

Analysis of “A Modest Proposal”

Swift’s satirical approach is what makes “A Modest Proposal” such a powerful and effective piece of writing. By presenting his proposal in a calm and rational tone, Swift lulls his readers into a false sense of security before shocking them with the absurdity of his suggestion. This technique allows Swift to highlight the absurdity of the British government’s policies and to make a powerful statement about the moral bankruptcy of those in power.

In addition to its satirical elements, “A Modest Proposal” is also a scathing indictment of the social and political conditions in Ireland at the time. Swift uses his proposal to criticize the British government’s economic policies, which he argues have contributed to the poverty and suffering of the Irish people. He also highlights the hypocrisy of the wealthy English landlords who exploit the Irish peasantry for their own gain.

Impact and Reception of “A Modest Proposal”

When “A Modest Proposal” was first published, it caused a sensation and sparked a heated debate about the state of Ireland and the ethics of Swift’s proposal. Some readers were shocked and outraged by Swift’s suggestion, while others recognized it as a brilliant piece of satire that exposed the injustices of the time.

Over the years, “A Modest Proposal” has continued to be studied and analyzed by scholars and students alike. Its enduring relevance is a testament to Swift’s skill as a writer and the power of satire to provoke thought and inspire change.

READ MORE :

• Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol | Traits & Analysis
• Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift | Characters, Summary & Analysis
• The Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare | Summary & Characters

In conclusion, “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift is a masterful work of satire that uses humor and irony to expose the social and political injustices of its time. Swift’s biting critique of the British government and its policies continues to resonate with readers today, making “A Modest Proposal” a timeless classic of English literature.

Was “A Modest Proposal” actually intended to be taken seriously?

No, Jonathan Swift wrote “A Modest Proposal” as a satirical piece intended to criticize the British government’s policies in Ireland. It was not meant to be taken literally.

What was the reaction to “A Modest Proposal” when it was first published?

The essay sparked a heated debate, with some readers outraged by its content and others recognizing it as a work of satire.

What are some of the literary devices used in “A Modest Proposal”?

Swift employs irony, sarcasm, and exaggeration to make his point in “A Modest Proposal.”

What is the significance of the title “A Modest Proposal”?

The title is ironic, as Swift’s proposal is anything but modest. It is a scathing critique of the British government’s policies in Ireland.

Why is “A Modest Proposal” still studied today?

The essay remains relevant because of its powerful social and political commentary, as well as its timeless exploration of the use of satire as a tool for social change.

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84 Jonathan Swift: A Modest Proposal

“Monstrous Craws, at a new Coalition Feast,” by James Gillray, 1787. Wikimedia Commons .

Introduction

A Modest Proposal For preventing the Children of Poor People From being a Burthen to Their Parents or Country, and For making them Beneficial to the Publick , commonly referred to as  A Modest Proposal , is a Juvenalian satirical essay written and published anonymously by Jonathan Swift in 1729. The essay suggests that the impoverished Irish might ease their economic troubles by selling their children as food to rich gentlemen and ladies. This satirical hyperbole mocked heartless attitudes towards the poor, as well as British policy toward the Irish in general.

In English writing, the phrase “a modest proposal” is now conventionally an allusion to this style of straight-faced satire.

Swift’s essay is widely held to be one of the greatest examples of sustained irony in the history of the English language. Much of its shock value derives from the fact that the first portion of the essay describes the plight of starving beggars in Ireland, so that the reader is unprepared for the surprise of Swift’s solution when he states: “A young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee, or a ragout.”

Swift goes to great lengths to support his argument, including a list of possible preparation styles for the children, and calculations showing the financial benefits of his suggestion. He uses methods of argument throughout his essay which lampoon the then-influential William Petty and the social engineering popular among followers of Francis Bacon.

Charles K. Smith argues that Swift’s rhetorical style persuades the reader to detest the speaker and pity the Irish. Swift’s specific strategy is twofold, using a “trap” to create sympathy for the Irish and a dislike of the narrator who, in the span of one sentence, “details vividly and with rhetorical emphasis the grinding poverty” but feels emotion solely for members of his own class. Swift’s use of gripping details of poverty and his narrator’s cool approach towards them create “two opposing points of view” that “alienate the reader, perhaps unconsciously, from a narrator who can view with ‘melancholy’ detachment a subject that Swift has directed us, rhetorically, to see in a much less detached way.”

Swift has his proposer further degrade the Irish by using language ordinarily reserved for animals. Lewis argues that the speaker uses “the vocabulary of animal husbandry” to describe the Irish. Once the children have been commodified, Swift’s rhetoric can easily turn “people into animals, then meat, and from meat, logically, into tonnage worth a price per pound”.

Swift uses the proposer’s serious tone to highlight the absurdity of his proposal. In making his argument, the speaker uses the conventional, textbook-approved order of argument from Swift’s time (which was derived from the Latin rhetorician Quintilian). The contrast between the “careful control against the almost inconceivable perversion of his scheme” and “the ridiculousness of the proposal” create a situation in which the reader has “to consider just what perverted values and assumptions would allow such a diligent, thoughtful, and conventional man to propose so perverse a plan”.

From: “A Modest Proposal,” Wikipedia , 20 Oct. 2020. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Modest_Proposal 25 Oct. 2020.

Discussion Questions

• “A Modest Proposal” is an ironic essay: the author deliberately writes what he does not mean.  What is the real argument?  Is there more than one?
• A clear difference exists between Swift and the persona who makes this proposal.  Characterize the proposer.
•  Which groups of people are singled out as special targets for Swifts’ attack?  Are the Irish presented completely as victims, or are they also to blame?
• What is the purpose of the last paragraph?

Further Resources

Type your key takeaways here.

• A podcast on Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” from BBC Radio’s In Our Time series
• A blog post on the contemporary reactions to Swift’s “Proposal”
• A video clip , “What is Satire?” from Oregon State University (discussion of “A Modest Proposal” begins at the 1:37 mark)

Reading: A Modest Proposal 

It is a melancholy object to those, who walk through this great town, or travel in the country, when they see the streets, the roads, and cabbin-doors crowded with beggars of the female sex, followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags, and importuning every passenger for an alms. These mothers, instead of being able to work for their honest livelihood, are forced to employ all their time in stroling to beg sustenance for their helpless infants who, as they grow up, either turn thieves for want of work, or leave their dear native country, to fight for the Pretender in Spain, or sell themselves to the Barbadoes.

I think it is agreed by all parties, that this prodigious number of children in the arms, or on the backs, or at the heels of their mothers, and frequently of their fathers, is in the present deplorable state of the kingdom, a very great additional grievance; and therefore whoever could find out a fair, cheap and easy method of making these children sound and useful members of the commonwealth, would deserve so well of the publick, as to have his statue set up for a preserver of the nation.

But my intention is very far from being confined to provide only for the children of professed beggars: it is of a much greater extent, and shall take in the whole number of infants at a certain age, who are born of parents in effect as little able to support them, as those who demand our charity in the streets.

As to my own part, having turned my thoughts for many years upon this important subject, and maturely weighed the several schemes of our projectors, I have always found them grossly mistaken in their computation. It is true, a child just dropt from its dam, may be supported by her milk, for a solar year, with little other nourishment: at most not above the value of two shillings, which the mother may certainly get, or the value in scraps, by her lawful occupation of begging; and it is exactly at one year old that I propose to provide for them in such a manner, as, instead of being a charge upon their parents, or the parish, or wanting food and raiment for the rest of their lives, they shall, on the contrary, contribute to the feeding, and partly to the clothing of many thousands.

There is likewise another great advantage in my scheme, that it will prevent those voluntary abortions, and that horrid practice of women murdering their bastard children, alas! too frequent among us, sacrificing the poor innocent babes, I doubt, more to avoid the expence than the shame, which would move tears and pity in the most savage and inhuman breast.

The number of souls in this kingdom being usually reckoned one million and a half, of these I calculate there may be about two hundred thousand couple, whose wives are breeders; from which number I subtract thirty thousand couple, who are able to maintain their own children, (although I apprehend there cannot be so many under the present distresses of the kingdom) but this being granted, there will remain a hundred and seventy thousand breeders. I again subtract fifty thousand, for those women who miscarry, or whose children die by accident or disease within the year. There only remain a hundred and twenty thousand children of poor parents annually born. The question therefore is, How this number shall be reared and provided for? which, as I have already said, under the present situation of affairs, is utterly impossible by all the methods hitherto proposed. For we can neither employ them in handicraft or agriculture; they neither build houses, (I mean in the country) nor cultivate land: they can very seldom pick up a livelihood by stealing till they arrive at six years old; except where they are of towardly parts, although I confess they learn the rudiments much earlier; during which time they can however be properly looked upon only as probationers; as I have been informed by a principal gentleman in the county of Cavan, who protested to me, that he never knew above one or two instances under the age of six, even in a part of the kingdom so renowned for the quickest proficiency in that art.

I am assured by our merchants, that a boy or a girl, before twelve years old, is no saleable commodity, and even when they come to this age, they will not yield above three pounds, or three pounds and half a crown at most, on the exchange; which cannot turn to account either to the parents or kingdom, the charge of nutriments and rags having been at least four times that value.

I shall now therefore humbly propose my own thoughts, which I hope will not be liable to the least objection.

I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricasee, or a ragoust.

I do therefore humbly offer it to publick consideration, that of the hundred and twenty thousand children, already computed, twenty thousand may be reserved for breed, whereof only one fourth part to be males; which is more than we allow to sheep, black cattle, or swine, and my reason is, that these children are seldom the fruits of marriage, a circumstance not much regarded by our savages, therefore, one male will be sufficient to serve four females. That the remaining hundred thousand may, at a year old, be offered in sale to the persons of quality and fortune, through the kingdom, always advising the mother to let them suck plentifully in the last month, so as to render them plump, and fat for a good table. A child will make two dishes at an entertainment for friends, and when the family dines alone, the fore or hind quarter will make a reasonable dish, and seasoned with a little pepper or salt, will be very good boiled on the fourth day, especially in winter.

I have reckoned upon a medium, that a child just born will weigh 12 pounds, and in a solar year, if tolerably nursed, encreaseth to 28 pounds.

I grant this food will be somewhat dear, and therefore very proper for landlords, who, as they have already devoured most of the parents, seem to have the best title to the children.

Infant’s flesh will be in season throughout the year, but more plentiful in March, and a little before and after; for we are told by a grave author, an eminent French physician, that fish being a prolifick dyet, there are more children born in Roman Catholick countries about nine months after Lent, than at any other season; therefore, reckoning a year after Lent, the markets will be more glutted than usual, because the number of Popish infants, is at least three to one in this kingdom, and therefore it will have one other collateral advantage, by lessening the number of Papists among us.

I have already computed the charge of nursing a beggar’s child (in which list I reckon all cottagers, labourers, and four-fifths of the farmers) to be about two shillings per annum, rags included; and I believe no gentleman would repine to give ten shillings for the carcass of a good fat child, which, as I have said, will make four dishes of excellent nutritive meat, when he hath only some particular friend, or his own family to dine with him. Thus the squire will learn to be a good landlord, and grow popular among his tenants, the mother will have eight shillings neat profit, and be fit for work till she produces another child.

Those who are more thrifty (as I must confess the times require) may flay the carcass; the skin of which, artificially dressed, will make admirable gloves for ladies, and summer boots for fine gentlemen.

As to our City of Dublin, shambles may be appointed for this purpose, in the most convenient parts of it, and butchers we may be assured will not be wanting; although I rather recommend buying the children alive, and dressing them hot from the knife, as we do roasting pigs.

A very worthy person, a true lover of his country, and whose virtues I highly esteem, was lately pleased in discoursing on this matter, to offer a refinement upon my scheme. He said, that many gentlemen of this kingdom, having of late destroyed their deer, he conceived that the want of venison might be well supplied by the bodies of young lads and maidens, not exceeding fourteen years of age, nor under twelve; so great a number of both sexes in every county being now ready to starve for want of work and service: and these to be disposed of by their parents if alive, or otherwise by their nearest relations. But with due deference to so excellent a friend, and so deserving a patriot, I cannot be altogether in his sentiments; for as to the males, my American acquaintance assured me from frequent experience, that their flesh was generally tough and lean, like that of our schoolboys, by continual exercise, and their taste disagreeable, and to fatten them would not answer the charge. Then as to the females, it would, I think, with humble submission, be a loss to the publick, because they soon would become breeders themselves: and besides, it is not improbable that some scrupulous people might be apt to censure such a practice, (although indeed very unjustly) as a little bordering upon cruelty, which, I confess, hath always been with me the strongest objection against any project, how well soever intended.

But in order to justify my friend, he confessed, that this expedient was put into his head by the famous Psalmanaazor, a native of the island Formosa, who came from thence to London, above twenty years ago, and in conversation told my friend, that in his country, when any young person happened to be put to death, the executioner sold the carcass to persons of quality, as a prime dainty; and that, in his time, the body of a plump girl of fifteen, who was crucified for an attempt to poison the Emperor, was sold to his imperial majesty’s prime minister of state, and other great mandarins of the court in joints from the gibbet, at four hundred crowns. Neither indeed can I deny, that if the same use were made of several plump young girls in this town, who without one single groat to their fortunes, cannot stir abroad without a chair, and appear at a playhouse and assemblies in foreign fineries which they never will pay for, the kingdom would not be the worse.

Some persons of a desponding spirit are in great concern about that vast number of poor people, who are aged, diseased, or maimed; and I have been desired to employ my thoughts what course may be taken, to ease the nation of so grievous an incumbrance. But I am not in the least pain upon that matter, because it is very well known, that they are every day dying, and rotting, by cold and famine, and filth, and vermin, as fast as can be reasonably expected. And as to the young labourers, they are now in almost as hopeful a condition. They cannot get work, and consequently pine away from want of nourishment, to a degree, that if at any time they are accidentally hired to common labour, they have not strength to perform it, and thus the country and themselves are happily delivered from the evils to come.

I have too long digressed, and therefore shall return to my subject. I think the advantages by the proposal which I have made are obvious and many, as well as of the highest importance.

For first, as I have already observed, it would greatly lessen the number of Papists, with whom we are yearly overrun, being the principal breeders of the nation, as well as our most dangerous enemies, and who stay at home on purpose with a design to deliver the kingdom to the Pretender, hoping to take their advantage by the absence of so many good Protestants, who have chosen rather to leave their country, than stay at home and pay tithes against their conscience to an episcopal curate.

Secondly, The poorer tenants will have something valuable of their own, which by law may be made liable to a distress, and help to pay their landlord’s rent, their corn and cattle being already seized, and money a thing unknown.

Thirdly, Whereas the maintainance of a hundred thousand children, from two years old, and upwards, cannot be computed at less than ten shillings a piece per annum, the nation’s stock will be thereby encreased fifty thousand pounds per annum, besides the profit of a new dish, introduced to the tables of all gentlemen of fortune in the kingdom, who have any refinement in taste. And the money will circulate among our selves, the goods being entirely of our own growth and manufacture.

Fourthly, The constant breeders, besides the gain of eight shillings sterling per annum by the sale of their children, will be rid of the charge of maintaining them after the first year.

Fifthly, This food would likewise bring great custom to taverns, where the vintners will certainly be so prudent as to procure the best receipts for dressing it to perfection; and consequently have their houses frequented by all the fine gentlemen, who justly value themselves upon their knowledge in good eating; and a skilful cook, who understands how to oblige his guests, will contrive to make it as expensive as they please.

Sixthly, This would be a great inducement to marriage, which all wise nations have either encouraged by rewards, or enforced by laws and penalties. It would encrease the care and tenderness of mothers towards their children, when they were sure of a settlement for life to the poor babes, provided in some sort by the publick, to their annual profit instead of expence. We should soon see an honest emulation among the married women, which of them could bring the fattest child to the market. Men would become as fond of their wives, during the time of their pregnancy, as they are now of their mares in foal, their cows in calf, or sows when they are ready to farrow; nor offer to beat or kick them (as is too frequent a practice) for fear of a miscarriage.

Many other advantages might be enumerated. For instance, the addition of some thousand carcasses in our exportation of barrel’d beef: the propagation of swine’s flesh, and improvement in the art of making good bacon, so much wanted among us by the great destruction of pigs, too frequent at our tables; which are no way comparable in taste or magnificence to a well grown, fat yearling child, which roasted whole will make a considerable figure at a Lord Mayor’s feast, or any other publick entertainment. But this, and many others, I omit, being studious of brevity.

Supposing that one thousand families in this city, would be constant customers for infants flesh, besides others who might have it at merry meetings, particularly at weddings and christenings, I compute that Dublin would take off annually about twenty thousand carcasses; and the rest of the kingdom (where probably they will be sold somewhat cheaper) the remaining eighty thousand.

I can think of no one objection, that will possibly be raised against this proposal, unless it should be urged, that the number of people will be thereby much lessened in the kingdom. This I freely own, and was indeed one principal design in offering it to the world. I desire the reader will observe, that I calculate my remedy for this one individual Kingdom of Ireland, and for no other that ever was, is, or, I think, ever can be upon Earth. Therefore let no man talk to me of other expedients: Of taxing our absentees at five shillings a pound: Of using neither clothes, nor houshold furniture, except what is of our own growth and manufacture: Of utterly rejecting the materials and instruments that promote foreign luxury: Of curing the expensiveness of pride, vanity, idleness, and gaming in our women: Of introducing a vein of parsimony, prudence and temperance: Of learning to love our country, wherein we differ even from Laplanders, and the inhabitants of Topinamboo: Of quitting our animosities and factions, nor acting any longer like the Jews, who were murdering one another at the very moment their city was taken: Of being a little cautious not to sell our country and consciences for nothing: Of teaching landlords to have at least one degree of mercy towards their tenants. Lastly, of putting a spirit of honesty, industry, and skill into our shopkeepers, who, if a resolution could now be taken to buy only our native goods, would immediately unite to cheat and exact upon us in the price, the measure, and the goodness, nor could ever yet be brought to make one fair proposal of just dealing, though often and earnestly invited to it.

Therefore I repeat, let no man talk to me of these and the like expedients, till he hath at least some glympse of hope, that there will ever be some hearty and sincere attempt to put them into practice.

But, as to myself, having been wearied out for many years with offering vain, idle, visionary thoughts, and at length utterly despairing of success, I fortunately fell upon this proposal, which, as it is wholly new, so it hath something solid and real, of no expence and little trouble, full in our own power, and whereby we can incur no danger in disobliging England. For this kind of commodity will not bear exportation, and flesh being of too tender a consistence, to admit a long continuance in salt, although perhaps I could name a country, which would be glad to eat up our whole nation without it.

After all, I am not so violently bent upon my own opinion, as to reject any offer, proposed by wise men, which shall be found equally innocent, cheap, easy, and effectual. But before something of that kind shall be advanced in contradiction to my scheme, and offering a better, I desire the author or authors will be pleased maturely to consider two points. First, As things now stand, how they will be able to find food and raiment for a hundred thousand useless mouths and backs. And secondly, There being a round million of creatures in humane figure throughout this kingdom, whose whole subsistence put into a common stock, would leave them in debt two million of pounds sterling, adding those who are beggars by profession, to the bulk of farmers, cottagers and labourers, with their wives and children, who are beggars in effect; I desire those politicians who dislike my overture, and may perhaps be so bold to attempt an answer, that they will first ask the parents of these mortals, whether they would not at this day think it a great happiness to have been sold for food at a year old, in the manner I prescribe, and thereby have avoided such a perpetual scene of misfortunes, as they have since gone through, by the oppression of landlords, the impossibility of paying rent without money or trade, the want of common sustenance, with neither house nor clothes to cover them from the inclemencies of the weather, and the most inevitable prospect of intailing the like, or greater miseries, upon their breed for ever.

I profess in the sincerity of my heart, that I have not the least personal interest in endeavouring to promote this necessary work, having no other motive than the publick good of my country, by advancing our trade, providing for infants, relieving the poor, and giving some pleasure to the rich. I have no children, by which I can propose to get a single penny; the youngest being nine years old, and my wife past child-bearing.

Source Text

Swift, Jonathan. A Modest Proposal for Preventing the children of Poor People in Ireland, from being a Burden on their Parents or Country, and for Making them Beneficial to the Publick , Project Gutenberg, 2008, is licensed under no known copyright.

An Open Companion to Early British Literature Copyright © 2019 by Allegra Villarreal is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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A Modest Proposal

For preventing the children of poor people in ireland, from being a burden on their parents or country, and for making them beneficial to the publick., by dr. jonathan swift.

It is a melancholy object to those, who walk through this great town, or travel in the country, when they see the streets, the roads, and cabbin-doors crowded with beggars of the female sex, followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags, and importuning every passenger for an alms. These mothers, instead of being able to work for their honest livelihood, are forced to employ all their time in stroling to beg sustenance for their helpless infants who, as they grow up, either turn thieves for want of work, or leave their dear native country, to fight for the Pretender in Spain, or sell themselves to the Barbadoes.

I think it is agreed by all parties, that this prodigious number of children in the arms, or on the backs, or at the heels of their mothers, and frequently of their fathers, is in the present deplorable state of the kingdom, a very great additional grievance; and therefore whoever could find out a fair, cheap and easy method of making these children sound and useful members of the commonwealth, would deserve so well of the publick, as to have his statue set up for a preserver of the nation.

But my intention is very far from being confined to provide only for the children of professed beggars: it is of a much greater extent, and shall take in the whole number of infants at a certain age, who are born of parents in effect as little able to support them, as those who demand our charity in the streets.

As to my own part, having turned my thoughts for many years upon this important subject, and maturely weighed the several schemes of our projectors, I have always found them grossly mistaken in their computation. It is true, a child just dropt from its dam, may be supported by her milk, for a solar year, with little other nourishment: at most not above the value of two shillings, which the mother may certainly get, or the value in scraps, by her lawful occupation of begging; and it is exactly at one year old that I propose to provide for them in such a manner, as, instead of being a charge upon their parents, or the parish, or wanting food and raiment for the rest of their lives, they shall, on the contrary, contribute to the feeding, and partly to the clothing of many thousands.

There is likewise another great advantage in my scheme, that it will prevent those voluntary abortions, and that horrid practice of women murdering their bastard children, alas! too frequent among us, sacrificing the poor innocent babes, I doubt, more to avoid the expence than the shame, which would move tears and pity in the most savage and inhuman breast.

The number of souls in this kingdom being usually reckoned one million and a half, of these I calculate there may be about two hundred thousand couple, whose wives are breeders; from which number I subtract thirty thousand couple, who are able to maintain their own children, (although I apprehend there cannot be so many under the present distresses of the kingdom) but this being granted, there will remain a hundred and seventy thousand breeders. I again subtract fifty thousand, for those women who miscarry, or whose children die by accident or disease within the year. There only remain a hundred and twenty thousand children of poor parents annually born. The question therefore is, How this number shall be reared and provided for? which, as I have already said, under the present situation of affairs, is utterly impossible by all the methods hitherto proposed. For we can neither employ them in handicraft or agriculture; they neither build houses, (I mean in the country) nor cultivate land: they can very seldom pick up a livelihood by stealing till they arrive at six years old; except where they are of towardly parts, although I confess they learn the rudiments much earlier; during which time they can however be properly looked upon only as probationers; as I have been informed by a principal gentleman in the county of Cavan, who protested to me, that he never knew above one or two instances under the age of six, even in a part of the kingdom so renowned for the quickest proficiency in that art.

I am assured by our merchants, that a boy or a girl, before twelve years old, is no saleable commodity, and even when they come to this age, they will not yield above three pounds, or three pounds and half a crown at most, on the exchange; which cannot turn to account either to the parents or kingdom, the charge of nutriments and rags having been at least four times that value.

I shall now therefore humbly propose my own thoughts, which I hope will not be liable to the least objection.

I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricasee, or a ragoust.

I do therefore humbly offer it to publick consideration, that of the hundred and twenty thousand children, already computed, twenty thousand may be reserved for breed, whereof only one fourth part to be males; which is more than we allow to sheep, black cattle, or swine, and my reason is, that these children are seldom the fruits of marriage, a circumstance not much regarded by our savages, therefore, one male will be sufficient to serve four females. That the remaining hundred thousand may, at a year old, be offered in sale to the persons of quality and fortune, through the kingdom, always advising the mother to let them suck plentifully in the last month, so as to render them plump, and fat for a good table. A child will make two dishes at an entertainment for friends, and when the family dines alone, the fore or hind quarter will make a reasonable dish, and seasoned with a little pepper or salt, will be very good boiled on the fourth day, especially in winter.

I have reckoned upon a medium, that a child just born will weigh 12 pounds, and in a solar year, if tolerably nursed, encreaseth to 28 pounds.

I grant this food will be somewhat dear, and therefore very proper for landlords, who, as they have already devoured most of the parents, seem to have the best title to the children.

Infant’s flesh will be in season throughout the year, but more plentiful in March, and a little before and after; for we are told by a grave author, an eminent French physician, that fish being a prolifick dyet, there are more children born in Roman Catholick countries about nine months after Lent, than at any other season; therefore, reckoning a year after Lent, the markets will be more glutted than usual, because the number of Popish infants, is at least three to one in this kingdom, and therefore it will have one other collateral advantage, by lessening the number of Papists among us.

I have already computed the charge of nursing a beggar’s child (in which list I reckon all cottagers, labourers, and four-fifths of the farmers) to be about two shillings per annum, rags included; and I believe no gentleman would repine to give ten shillings for the carcass of a good fat child, which, as I have said, will make four dishes of excellent nutritive meat, when he hath only some particular friend, or his own family to dine with him. Thus the squire will learn to be a good landlord, and grow popular among his tenants, the mother will have eight shillings neat profit, and be fit for work till she produces another child.

Those who are more thrifty (as I must confess the times require) may flay the carcass; the skin of which, artificially dressed, will make admirable gloves for ladies, and summer boots for fine gentlemen.

As to our City of Dublin, shambles may be appointed for this purpose, in the most convenient parts of it, and butchers we may be assured will not be wanting; although I rather recommend buying the children alive, and dressing them hot from the knife, as we do roasting pigs.

A very worthy person, a true lover of his country, and whose virtues I highly esteem, was lately pleased in discoursing on this matter, to offer a refinement upon my scheme. He said, that many gentlemen of this kingdom, having of late destroyed their deer, he conceived that the want of venison might be well supplied by the bodies of young lads and maidens, not exceeding fourteen years of age, nor under twelve; so great a number of both sexes in every county being now ready to starve for want of work and service: and these to be disposed of by their parents if alive, or otherwise by their nearest relations. But with due deference to so excellent a friend, and so deserving a patriot, I cannot be altogether in his sentiments; for as to the males, my American acquaintance assured me from frequent experience, that their flesh was generally tough and lean, like that of our schoolboys, by continual exercise, and their taste disagreeable, and to fatten them would not answer the charge. Then as to the females, it would, I think, with humble submission, be a loss to the publick, because they soon would become breeders themselves: and besides, it is not improbable that some scrupulous people might be apt to censure such a practice, (although indeed very unjustly) as a little bordering upon cruelty, which, I confess, hath always been with me the strongest objection against any project, how well soever intended.

But in order to justify my friend, he confessed, that this expedient was put into his head by the famous Psalmanaazor, a native of the island Formosa, who came from thence to London, above twenty years ago, and in conversation told my friend, that in his country, when any young person happened to be put to death, the executioner sold the carcass to persons of quality, as a prime dainty; and that, in his time, the body of a plump girl of fifteen, who was crucified for an attempt to poison the Emperor, was sold to his imperial majesty’s prime minister of state, and other great mandarins of the court in joints from the gibbet, at four hundred crowns. Neither indeed can I deny, that if the same use were made of several plump young girls in this town, who without one single groat to their fortunes, cannot stir abroad without a chair, and appear at a playhouse and assemblies in foreign fineries which they never will pay for, the kingdom would not be the worse.

Some persons of a desponding spirit are in great concern about that vast number of poor people, who are aged, diseased, or maimed; and I have been desired to employ my thoughts what course may be taken, to ease the nation of so grievous an incumbrance. But I am not in the least pain upon that matter, because it is very well known, that they are every day dying, and rotting, by cold and famine, and filth, and vermin, as fast as can be reasonably expected. And as to the young labourers, they are now in almost as hopeful a condition. They cannot get work, and consequently pine away from want of nourishment, to a degree, that if at any time they are accidentally hired to common labour, they have not strength to perform it, and thus the country and themselves are happily delivered from the evils to come.

I have too long digressed, and therefore shall return to my subject. I think the advantages by the proposal which I have made are obvious and many, as well as of the highest importance.

For first, as I have already observed, it would greatly lessen the number of Papists, with whom we are yearly overrun, being the principal breeders of the nation, as well as our most dangerous enemies, and who stay at home on purpose with a design to deliver the kingdom to the Pretender, hoping to take their advantage by the absence of so many good Protestants, who have chosen rather to leave their country, than stay at home and pay tithes against their conscience to an episcopal curate.

Secondly, The poorer tenants will have something valuable of their own, which by law may be made liable to a distress, and help to pay their landlord’s rent, their corn and cattle being already seized, and money a thing unknown.

Thirdly, Whereas the maintainance of a hundred thousand children, from two years old, and upwards, cannot be computed at less than ten shillings a piece per annum, the nation’s stock will be thereby encreased fifty thousand pounds per annum, besides the profit of a new dish, introduced to the tables of all gentlemen of fortune in the kingdom, who have any refinement in taste. And the money will circulate among our selves, the goods being entirely of our own growth and manufacture.

Fourthly, The constant breeders, besides the gain of eight shillings sterling per annum by the sale of their children, will be rid of the charge of maintaining them after the first year.

Fifthly, This food would likewise bring great custom to taverns, where the vintners will certainly be so prudent as to procure the best receipts for dressing it to perfection; and consequently have their houses frequented by all the fine gentlemen, who justly value themselves upon their knowledge in good eating; and a skilful cook, who understands how to oblige his guests, will contrive to make it as expensive as they please.

Sixthly, This would be a great inducement to marriage, which all wise nations have either encouraged by rewards, or enforced by laws and penalties. It would encrease the care and tenderness of mothers towards their children, when they were sure of a settlement for life to the poor babes, provided in some sort by the publick, to their annual profit instead of expence. We should soon see an honest emulation among the married women, which of them could bring the fattest child to the market. Men would become as fond of their wives, during the time of their pregnancy, as they are now of their mares in foal, their cows in calf, or sows when they are ready to farrow; nor offer to beat or kick them (as is too frequent a practice) for fear of a miscarriage.

Many other advantages might be enumerated. For instance, the addition of some thousand carcasses in our exportation of barrel’d beef: the propagation of swine’s flesh, and improvement in the art of making good bacon, so much wanted among us by the great destruction of pigs, too frequent at our tables; which are no way comparable in taste or magnificence to a well grown, fat yearling child, which roasted whole will make a considerable figure at a Lord Mayor’s feast, or any other publick entertainment. But this, and many others, I omit, being studious of brevity.

Supposing that one thousand families in this city, would be constant customers for infants flesh, besides others who might have it at merry meetings, particularly at weddings and christenings, I compute that Dublin would take off annually about twenty thousand carcasses; and the rest of the kingdom (where probably they will be sold somewhat cheaper) the remaining eighty thousand.

I can think of no one objection, that will possibly be raised against this proposal, unless it should be urged, that the number of people will be thereby much lessened in the kingdom. This I freely own, and was indeed one principal design in offering it to the world. I desire the reader will observe, that I calculate my remedy for this one individual Kingdom of Ireland, and for no other that ever was, is, or, I think, ever can be upon Earth. Therefore let no man talk to me of other expedients: Of taxing our absentees at five shillings a pound: Of using neither clothes, nor houshold furniture, except what is of our own growth and manufacture: Of utterly rejecting the materials and instruments that promote foreign luxury: Of curing the expensiveness of pride, vanity, idleness, and gaming in our women: Of introducing a vein of parsimony, prudence and temperance: Of learning to love our country, wherein we differ even from Laplanders, and the inhabitants of Topinamboo: Of quitting our animosities and factions, nor acting any longer like the Jews, who were murdering one another at the very moment their city was taken: Of being a little cautious not to sell our country and consciences for nothing: Of teaching landlords to have at least one degree of mercy towards their tenants. Lastly, of putting a spirit of honesty, industry, and skill into our shopkeepers, who, if a resolution could now be taken to buy only our native goods, would immediately unite to cheat and exact upon us in the price, the measure, and the goodness, nor could ever yet be brought to make one fair proposal of just dealing, though often and earnestly invited to it.

Therefore I repeat, let no man talk to me of these and the like expedients, till he hath at least some glympse of hope, that there will ever be some hearty and sincere attempt to put them into practice.

But, as to myself, having been wearied out for many years with offering vain, idle, visionary thoughts, and at length utterly despairing of success, I fortunately fell upon this proposal, which, as it is wholly new, so it hath something solid and real, of no expence and little trouble, full in our own power, and whereby we can incur no danger in disobliging England. For this kind of commodity will not bear exportation, and flesh being of too tender a consistence, to admit a long continuance in salt, although perhaps I could name a country, which would be glad to eat up our whole nation without it.

After all, I am not so violently bent upon my own opinion, as to reject any offer, proposed by wise men, which shall be found equally innocent, cheap, easy, and effectual. But before something of that kind shall be advanced in contradiction to my scheme, and offering a better, I desire the author or authors will be pleased maturely to consider two points. First, As things now stand, how they will be able to find food and raiment for a hundred thousand useless mouths and backs. And secondly, There being a round million of creatures in humane figure throughout this kingdom, whose whole subsistence put into a common stock, would leave them in debt two million of pounds sterling, adding those who are beggars by profession, to the bulk of farmers, cottagers and labourers, with their wives and children, who are beggars in effect; I desire those politicians who dislike my overture, and may perhaps be so bold to attempt an answer, that they will first ask the parents of these mortals, whether they would not at this day think it a great happiness to have been sold for food at a year old, in the manner I prescribe, and thereby have avoided such a perpetual scene of misfortunes, as they have since gone through, by the oppression of landlords, the impossibility of paying rent without money or trade, the want of common sustenance, with neither house nor clothes to cover them from the inclemencies of the weather, and the most inevitable prospect of intailing the like, or greater miseries, upon their breed for ever.

I profess in the sincerity of my heart, that I have not the least personal interest in endeavouring to promote this necessary work, having no other motive than the publick good of my country, by advancing our trade, providing for infants, relieving the poor, and giving some pleasure to the rich. I have no children, by which I can propose to get a single penny; the youngest being nine years old, and my wife past child-bearing.

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A Modest Proposal

Jonathan swift, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

Satire and Sincerity

Today we regard “A Modest Proposal” as a seminal work of Western satire—satire being the use of humor or irony to reveal and criticize the evils of society. Though Swift wrote the tract in response to the specific social conditions afflicting his native Ireland, its bitter humor shocks and delights as much now as it did in 1729, when it circulated the streets of Dublin as an anonymous pamphlet. The power of Swift’s satire resides…

Colonialism, Greed, and Inhumanity

Beginning in the 12th century, England ruled its neighboring island Ireland, essentially treating it as a colony. English rule grew increasingly oppressive as it became a Protestant country, while the vast majority of the Irish remained Catholic. By 1729, Irish Catholics, though greater in number than their Protestant rulers, owned less of the land, and they couldn’t vote. To put it simply, a minority of wealthy, Protestant Englishman held all the power over a disenfranchised…

Society, Rationality, and Irrationality

Not only does “A Modest Proposal” satirize the casual evil of the English rich and the hopelessness of the Irish poor, it also satirizes the culture of pamphleteering and political grandstanding that flourished in response to the crisis in Ireland. In 18th-century England and Ireland, it was common practice for the civic-minded to write short essays on all matters of politics, which they would then distribute among the public in the form of cheaply printed…

Misanthropy (Hatred of Humankind)

In a letter to his friend, the poet Alexander Pope, Swift famously wrote, “I have ever hated all nations, professions, and communities, and all my love is toward individuals: for instance, I hate the tribe of lawyers, but I love Counsellor Such-a-one, and Judge Such-a-one: so with physicians—I will not speak of my own trade—soldiers, English, Scotch, French, and the rest. But principally I hate and detest that animal called man, although I heartily love…

A Modest Proposal and Other Satires

What is the actual thesis or argument for “a modest proposal”.

Swift's persona highlights the economic inequality in Ireland and England with “A Modest Proposal.” In the beginning of the essay, he expresses great sympathy for the beggars of Ireland, describing their destitution in detail. His solution of eating babies applies primarily to the babies of the poor; the title of the piece states that this is a proposal for making the “children of poor people” ultimately “beneficial to the public.” The writer suggests that the landlords ought to eat the babies, as they have already “devoured” their parents. The writer here is implying that the rich metaphorically “devour” the poor, achieving success largely at the expense of the lower classes.

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