The first eight paragraphs of the pamphlet are concerned with the unhappy state of the Irish poor and their children. Swift talks about beggars flooding the streets and parents not able to support their children. He also brings up the horrid practice of voluntary abortions and the children that grow up to be thieves. All these details alert the reader of the writer's deep concern for the people's suffering and resentment for those responsible. However, in the next paragraphs, h

e suggests that the poor children of Ireland should be fattened, sold, and eaten. He goes on mentioning different ways children can be cooked and how delicious one year olds really are. He furthermore addresses that this proposal will solve all the problems from lessening the number of papists to improving recipes in good eating. With this said, the reader should be alerted and warned that the message must not be taken literally. The real meaning lies in the context behind all the sarcasm and irony.

Swift makes it clear that this proposal would not affect him since his children were grown and his wife was unable to have any more children. Swift appears to be normal but then deceives the reader when mentioning his absurd suggestions. It would be ridiculous to think that an ordinary man would want to propose this and take part in the eating of another human being. This is a fictional work and Swift had no intention of pursuing his proposal.

Right from the first paragraph Swift attempts to food his readers by the sarcasm of the scene that it is a melancholy sight to see beggars and their

Some common words found in the essay are:
Jonathan Swift, Modest Proposal, Public Elements, sarcasm irony, modest proposal, sarcasm irony swift, irony swift, reader note, children swift, irish poor, poor children, poor people,
Approximate Word count = 744
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)