A Modest Proposal

In "A Modest Proposal," Swift is addressing the problem that Ireland faces of too many impoverished children and not enough national wealth. His suggestion to solve the problem is to treat children born out of wedlock and to beggars as livestock, nourished for a year then sold to be eaten as fine food by lords and ladies. His suggestion is clearly not serious, as a serious suggestion of eating children would be taken much more gravely. He is satirizing the policymakers who offer ridiculous suggestions to problems as though they are logical and without fault. At the same time, he is making jabs at the wealthy for eating sort of disgusting things labeled as delicacies. His argument is given in a logical manner, however his actual suggestion is absolutely ludicrous. His suggestion would have to be absurd to make it clear that he was being satirical. No one would take seriously a piece of writing about eating babies, however it does get a message across.