Project Gutenberg 1997-10-01 Public domain in the USA. 19972 Swift, Jonathan 1667 1745 Swift, J. (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 publick Wikipedia page about this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Modest_Proposal An Anonymous Volunteer and David Widger "A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift is a satirical essay written in the early 18th century. This work is a classic example of political satire and addresses the dire circumstances faced by the poor in Ireland during that period. The essay presents a shocking and extreme solution to poverty and overpopulation, proposing that impoverished Irish families sell their children as food to the wealthy. In this ironic treatise, Swift employs a calm and logical tone to suggest that the solution to the plight of poor Irish mothers and their numerous children lies in the consumption of infants. He meticulously calculates the benefits of his proposal, including the economic advantages for families and the reduction of poverty. The essay critiques the British government’s neglect of the Irish population and the dehumanizing effects of colonialism, illustrating the absurdity of the social and economic conditions that lead to such a monstrous idea. Through this startling argument, Swift encourages readers to reflect on the inhumane treatment of the lower classes and the moral responsibilities of society. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 37.3 (College-level). Difficult to read. en Political satire, English Religious satire, English Ireland -- Politics and government -- 18th century -- Humor PR Text Category: Essays, Letters & Speeches Category: Classics of Literature Category: British Literature 45887 2025-08-01T08:28:18.587708 text/html 45717 2021-03-10T07:11:06 text/html; charset=utf-8 87725 2025-08-01T08:28:22.979664 application/epub+zip 86531 2025-08-01T08:28:20.939669 application/epub+zip 78443 2025-08-01T08:28:19.961674 application/epub+zip 178482 2025-08-01T08:28:24.482666 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 172310 2025-08-01T08:28:22.361654 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 185888 2022-09-01T09:31:56.908940 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 39685 2025-08-01T08:28:18.311680 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 39819 2021-03-10T07:13:34 text/plain; charset=utf-8 17047 2025-08-01T08:28:24.654646 application/rdf+xml 13655 2025-08-01T08:28:20.440673 image/jpeg 3596 2025-08-01T08:28:20.200666 image/jpeg 84290 2025-08-01T08:28:18.593681 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia