Jonathan Swift And Poverty Prevention

Poverty Prevention

In 1729, after seeing that many children aren’t getting the correct needs because their families are too poor, Jonathan Swift came up with the idea that Ireland could limit poverty with children. He proposed that families could fatten up their children and sell them to later be dinner on the tables of a rich land owner in Ireland. While Swift’s idea sounds completely inhumane, it would fix many other problems other than poverty. Swift comes to the conclusion that selling and eating children will have many positive effects of Irish families. I agree with Jonathan Swift’s proposal because it would limit poverty, fix overpopulation, and unemployment issues in Ireland. While Swift is obviously uses irony and exaggeration to criticize other’s ideas, he actually has a point in what he’s proposing. He clearly doesn’t want the people of Ireland to eat children, but he’s trying to convey a message. He knows that the people if Ireland will never stand up for themselves so he uses logic as an attempt to draw their attention. Swift says, “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,

While there were many people and overpopulation was a problem, the lack of jobs led to unemployment. Without a job providing for a family became hard. In Swift’s proposal he states, “For we can neither employ them in handicraft or agriculture; we neither build houses (I mean in the country) nor cultivate land..” (Swift. A Modest Proposal.). Children that were young and had no sort of education, weren’t able to get jobs and help their parents. This only causes them to basically take up space in the world. Limiting the number of children a family could have would reduce the needs to continuously struggle