A Modest Proposal - Group Presentation Notes

E and R

Introduction - Description of poor people, explanation that the children grow up to starve or be thieves

He argues that anyone who could solve this problem would deserve to have a statue created in their honor.

J

In this essay he uses logic and one of his arguments is that the future of poor children is bleak.  He points out that his solution will end abortions and murdering children at birth.

O and A

He distract the readers from the main subject of eating children to cooking techniques.  He also points out that this source of food is nutritious.  He equals the babies to a delicacy.

L and AJ

Bottom of 757 describes the arrangements for breeding the babies that will be sold for food. He argues that creating the same arrangements we use for animals will work for humans.  Pg. 760 eating babies will cause husbands to be more tender to their wives as they are to the sheep and cattle who are pregnant. All of this is done to make it easier for the reader to consider his solution of eating babies.

A and G

Swift uses mathematics to make his persona sound very smart and uses the numbers to emphasize positive economic policies.  He makes it sound like a government policy analysis which is therefore authoritative and acceptable.  The mathematics emphasizes the profit.

 J and S

There are a lot of old and sick people on the streets and are not included in his solution to poverty.  He assumes they will die anyway.  "I am not in the least pain on that matter."  There this demonstrates that the speakers proposal is for the good of the economy and future of the country not an act of compassion on his part.

 W, T, and A

The six advantages of his proposal are 1.  It will reduce the number of roman catholic people.  2. It is will give the poor people something of their own.  3. The money from selling children will stay within the economy of Ireland.  4. The poor people who produce all of these children will no longer have the burden of raising their children.  5. It will increase the creativity of cooks and wine makers to produce delicious recipes.  6. This will encourage people to marry and the women will compete to create the fattest babies to sell. Furthermore, husbands will not beat their wives when they are pregnant because the baby is now a financial investment.

 

M and A

The real problems Swift is wanting to criticize include:  shopkeepers setting prices and making everything so expensive, no taxes for absentee landlords, buying goods from foreign countries, not sticking together and having pride in Ireland.

 

L and A

Eating children will decrease the number of Catholics.  Selling the children will benefit the mother and she will keep on having more.