Response to Swift

In the story “A Modest Proposal” Swift draws a conclusion that ‘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 publick. Swift believes that there are too many poor females on the streets with far too many children at their sides. He sees the mothers of these children as useless since not being able to work. Swift makes the suggestion to keep the children until the age of about 1 and sell them as slaves for the price of 2 schillings. Swift also proposes that he sells the small children as meat; stewed, roasted, baked, or broiled.

Swift at the very end of this story makes mention that he has no intent of promoting any of what he has just written. He states that he has no children and his wife is past child bearing age. My stance of the writing is to bring light to the situation of over population and how the ‘future’ world may be affected. Also, why would were so many families having children when you seem to be having to beg for items necessary for a household?

Is Swift being logical, absolutely. I think he point is well taken throughout the entire story. I felt that he was trying to say that if you cannot support your children without your own means, without going into the streets and begging, 3,4, or 5 children hanging off your hips, then please don’t have them. Swift made a clear comparison between gaining money by getting rid of children, ie, selling them for slaves for 2 schilling. He also said there would be more food if there were fewer children…by eating them.

Swift wrote an odd and a tad bit of a creepy story yet his points were well taken. If you don’t have the resources to raise a child in this case, don’t do it!! http://grammar.about.com/od/60essays/a/modpropoessay.htm