No one seemed to have a solution to this issue of too many kids. Ireland suffered from a lack of riches as well as overpopulation. Most of the population were unhealthy catholic peasants. When Swift wrote this essay, Ireland was under very poor conditions. If Swift were to target anyone in this essay, it would be that Swift’s humor and usage of satire throughout the essay mainly focuses on targeting Irish Catholics. Swift’s proposal simplifies the struggles of Ireland in a bizarre manner. Not only would this solve the famine, but it would also solve some of the poverty, as Swift proposed to sell the babies for them to be eaten. Swift states, “…a young healthy child well nursed is at a year a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled.” Swift believed this would greatly lessen the number of papists, as he said, “…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,” helping the Irish overcome their famine problem. Swift’s proposal, or “A Modest Proposal” suggested that the Irish should essentially eat their babies, due to the famine. Swift considers the overpopulation in Ireland to be considered the cause of these conditions. The social conditions in Ireland that occasioned the writing of Swift’s essay were the lack of food and poverty that Ireland faced at the time.
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