A Modest Proposal (Swift)
In 18th century Ireland, the streets and countryside were filled with beggars, mostly women with numerous children, all dressed in rags and begging for alms. These mothers were unable to work for their livelihood and had to spend their time begging for food for their helpless infants.
As the children grew up, they either turned to thievery due to lack of work or left their homeland to fight in foreign wars or sell themselves into slavery.
The situation was dire, and a solution was desperately needed to turn these children into productive members of society. A man named Dr. Jonathan Swift came up with a proposal that he believed would not only provide for these children but also benefit the public.
His idea was to sell one-year-old infants as food for the wealthy, thus providing income for the poor parents and reducing the number of beggars on the streets.
"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."
Swift argued that this proposal would have several advantages. First, it would decrease the number of Catholics in the country, as they were the primary breeders and considered a threat to the Protestant majority. Second, it would provide poor tenants with a valuable commodity that could help pay their rent. Third, it would increase the nation's wealth by fifty thousand pounds per year, as the cost of raising these children would be offset by the profits from selling them as food.
Additionally, this new food source would bring business to taverns and encourage marriage, as couples would be more likely to have children if they knew they could profit from them. It would also promote better treatment of pregnant women, as men would be more inclined to care for their wives and unborn children if they knew they could sell the child for a profit.
Despite the shocking nature of his proposal, Swift insisted that it was a practical and effective solution to the problems facing Ireland. He acknowledged that some might object to the idea of eating human flesh, but he argued that desperate times called for desperate measures. He also pointed out that his proposal was specific to Ireland and not meant to be applied to other countries.
"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."
In the end, Swift's proposal was not taken seriously, as it was intended as a satirical critique of the government's failure to address the poverty and suffering of the Irish people. However, it remains a powerful example of the use of satire to draw attention to social issues and provoke discussion and debate.