Modest Proposal 1729-Johnathan Analysis

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Context Putting something in a time and place. What would affect the context? Culture Economy Government Society/social views Authors background Personal experiences HistoricalSocio-economic | GeographicalSetting | LiteraryCanonical | BiographicalWhat happened in his life | Canon of literature: Stands the test of time for example Shakespeare Johnathan Swift 1667-1745 Was a Politian Irish Text: Modest Proposal 1729 Context of essay Johnathan was unhappy with the way the English were treating the Irish due to the great potato famine. Since the climate and soil made it difficult to grow grains, more than a million Irish people died of starvation because they were no alternate foods available as potatoes were…show more content…
Children from poor families could be sold into a meat market at the age of one, which would decrease overpopulation and unemployment, sparing families the expense of child-bearing while providing them with a little extra income, improving dining of the wealthy, and contributing to the overall economy. Raising children for food will give the Irish economy a boost. These kids are delicacies, and delicacies can be expensive. The culinary experience will make Ireland a hot spot for tourists. He suggests some recipes for preparing this delicious new meat, and he feels sure that top cooks will be able to generate more. The modest proposal is that of the 120,000 infants totalled to be born every year in Ireland, 100,000 would be sold to the wealthy to eat, 20,000 children being reserved for breeding. Johnathan calculates that an infant of 30 pounds would provide food for many dinners and, preserved with pepper or salt, will last well into winter. The price of each child is estimated to be ten shillings providing about eight shillings of profit to the parents. In addition, the skin of the child would make fine gloves for wealthy ladies and summer boots for wealthy

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