Jonathan Swift

Name
Course
Professor
Date
World Cultures II
When faced with impoverishing conditions, it is surprising what people would do to in order to solve the problem at hand. The solutions proposed by the author of this piece are rather unconventional and would be perceived as downright immoral in the eyes of other people. Yet he does not find fault in his solution. Quite the contrary, he finds his solutions to be of sound mind and reasoning and does not put any criticism to his opinion. The following is an analysis of Jonathan Swift’s solution to the impoverishing situation in the early 18th century.
The setting of the author’s views and recommendations is in Ireland in the period of 1729. Ireland is faced with impoverishing conditions. There is a big number of mothers who have children begging. All these children are illegitimate children or even children born in wedlock whose fathers left the family when the children were born owing to their inability to provide for these children (Swift et al 43). Landlords are also up in arms because the tenants can no longer pay rent and evictions happen nearly on a daily basis. Abortions are also on the rise but these abortions tend to increase the death rates of young girls. The author proposes a solution that will bring food and alleviate the situation in which the country is.
The main proposition of the author is explained in this sentence, “ young healthy child well nursed, is one year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricasie, or a ragoust” (Swift 4).

He proposes that the mothers take care of the infants till they are one-year-old, feeding them with breastmilk. Then, after they are one year old, they are killed and sold as meat to the richer and more elite class in society. The solution, he hopes, will reduce the number of begging mothers and children on the street as well as put some money into the pockets of these women with which they will pay their landlords.
The author keeps saying that his wok will not be liable to criticism as other methods will generally not work. However, his proposal is least likely to work. At the time, he is treating children as if they were commodities that can be sold and ignoring completely the attachment between mother and child that permits the mother to endure suffering. Additionally, if for some insane reason his proposal was implemented, what would stop people from stealing babies to eat them or sell them as meat?
The reading definitely showed me that people could conjure up all manner of solutions to alleviate a problem without seeing the bigger picture. If the author’s plan were to be implemented, babies would die by thousands just to feed the rich in society. The population would take a hit as the new members of the population are being killed and eaten. The morality of it all is also lost because his proposal basically amounts to cannibalism.
Works Cited
Swift, Jonathan. A Modest Proposal for preventing the children of poor people in Ireland, from being a burden on their parents or country, and for making them beneficial to the public (1729). The Victorian Web. (2003)
Swift, Jonathan, et al. The prose works of Jonathan Swift. Vol. 2. G. Bell and sons, 1900.