A Modest Proposal| Questions with 100 % correct Answers | Verified

summary - In this satire, Swift first identifies a problem: Ireland's poor are leading wretched lives. He then offers a proposal for relieving this burden, decreasing the population, finding a new source of food, and curbing begging. The solution is to breed a certain portion of year-old Irish children to be eaten. Swift provides statistics and detailed reasons supporting the plan, which serves as a harsh social critique of England's treatment of the Irish. According to Swift's essay, why do many women in Ireland become beggars? - a. Because they must take care of their children, they cannot work for a living. They must beg to feed their families. How does Swift propose to make children "sound, useful members of the commonwealth"? - a. At age one, some should be butchered and sold to benefit the wealthy. What reason does Swift give for not aiming his proposal at teenagers or the elderly? - a. The meat of teenage boys would be too tough, and teenage girls are needed for breeding. The elderly are dying off quickly enough anyway, Swift lists several alternative proposals that are based on common sense, fairness and decency. What reasons does Swift give for refusing to discuss these alternatives? - a. He believes there is no hope that the alternatives will ever be put into practice. Swift challenges politicians who dislike his proposal to ask the poor how they feel about it. What does Swift suggest the poor would say? - a. The poor will say that they would rather have been killed as babies than suffer the hardships of poverty