ENGL 2040 Study Guide - Quiz Guide: A Modest Proposal
Document Summary
Swift suggests that those in poverty sell their children to wealthy families as a food crop. In poor society, pregnancy was viewed as a burden. Pregnant women would be beat, as they were often seen as just another mouth to feed, thus more expensive and costly for the family to care for. Uses reason behind his reasoning for the consumption of human infants. Example: lions will eat cubs that do not belong to them or their pack without hesitation. Swift, in a way, proposes almost the same idea. Swift wanted the people of dublin to purchase items locally, and not foreign merchandise. Helps build the dublin economy and provide for the country by only buying domestically-manufactured goods. Swift is calling out the abuse of power, calling out wealthy landlords who overcharge their tenants, and greedy politicians looking for a quick buck. Swift wants to bring attention to the poverty stricken country, and how serious the situation has become.
