By mentioning his clearly more rational ideas that would have helped Ireland rectify things, Swift pokes fun of his fellow Irishmen. In his proposal he asks that no one talk of these ideas unless there is an attempt to put them into practice. He speaks of the poverty and terrible life conditions of his fellow Irish. The oppressed, ignorant and hungry peasants that are desperate for any type of salvation even though this might require the sacrificing of their young, "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." After all these peasants were so desperate that they were already murdering their bastard children to avoid the expense. He uses shock value to try and open their eyes.

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Some common words found in the essay are:
Modest Proposal, Ireland Swift, Jonathan Swift, Irish Parliament, England England, modest proposal, peasants desperate, jonathan swift,
Approximate Word count = 538
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)