A Modest Proposal-A Reading

Enunciations made by Jonathan Swift in his essay:

1.       Swift talks about the women begging on the streets along with children and strikes a sad tone in our heart. He creates a melancholic image.

2.       He talks about this sad state of the women and the children in the country.

“…forced to employ all their time in strolling to beg sustenance for their helpless infants who, as they grow up, either turn thieves for want of work, or leave their dear native country, to fight for the Pretender* in Spain, or sell themselves to the Barbadoes.”

*Here the Pretender refers to the son of James II, who lost his throne in the revolution of 1688 (becoming disloyal to the country).

3.       He suggests that the parents are having a very difficult time begging just to support their children. If a solution is found for this, then the burden on the parents will be reduced.

4.       Swift here has a solution to this problem and declares that anyone could give suggestions as far as it is fair, easy and cheap and useful to the commonwealth. And anyone who does so will be doing great service to the nation.

“…whoever could find out a fair, cheap and easy method of making these children sound and useful members of the common-wealth, would deserve so well of the publick, as to have his statue set up for a preserver of the nation.”

5.       The author has come to this conclusion of his after his thoughts over many years. Once a child is born, it can be brought up for a year with just an expense of two shillings, which the author says is affordable even for a begging family. The problem only arises after this. To bring up the child further, the parent has to suffer a lot. Swift’s solution comes to play only after this one year.

6.       Another advantage in his solution is that this idea will prevent the evils like abortion and infanticide. This will happen because the author believes that these evils happen more because of the worries about the expenses than the shame.

7.       The author has provided some statistics before giving his solution for better understanding:

i)        The total population of the country is 1.5 million.

ii)       Of these, 200,000 couple whose wives are breeders.

iii)     In these 30,000 are able to maintain their children (the aristocrats).

iv)     Out of the remaining 170,000 breeders, the author deducts 50,000 for those women who miscarry or the children die in accidents or diseases within one year.

v)      Now 120,000 breeders are left and hence this many children are born to poor parents annually.

8.       Swift is sure that a country with no agriculture or houses to build will not be able to provide a livelihood for so many children. They will all end up in the wrong path as mentioned above.

9.       And even if there is an argument that these children can be traded off for money, Swift provides evidence that a boy or girl before twelve years old is no saleable commodity. So, that means that the parents will have to bring them up at least until the age of 12. And even if they reach this age, they will not yield above three pounds, or three pounds and half crown at most. This will never compensate the expenses accounted by their parents to bring them up. Hence, Swift proposes a solution for all these issues.

10.   He suggests that these children must be sold off as meat at the age of one itself.

“I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricasie, or a ragoust.”

11.   How are these infants to be disposed?

i)        There are a total of 120,000 children who are born to the poor.

ii)       Out of this 20,000 must be reserved for further breeding.

iii)     This should be in the ratio of 1:4 (1 male: 4 female). He compares the human beings to animals here. In the case of sheep and cattle, one male will serve four females during breeding. He suggests that the same is required here.

iv)     The remaining 100,000 must be offered for sale to the rich people. The mothers must take the responsibility of fattening them and making them fit for sale.

12.   How does it help the poor?

i)        A just born baby will weigh only 12 pounds, and if it is moderately nursed, it will increase to 28 pounds in a year. This will help in the parents earning a profit.

ii)       The author also says that there is a season too for this sale. He suggests that there will be more babies available during the month of March, during spring time. This is because most of the poor people are Catholics and their children are born and ready by this time.

iii)     We have already seen above that it will take about two shillings to nurse an infant for a year. But this child after a year will be worthy of ten shillings for sure.

iv)     For the purchaser, it will serve him with four meals and a status in the society.

v)      And for the mother, she earns a profit of eight shillings.

vi)     Another additional advantage is that the skin can be used to make gloves for women and summer boots for men.

vii)   He also adds that in a city like Dublin, there always is demand for these infants.

13.   His friend had proposed a refinement above his scheme. He suggested that the children of age group between 12 and 14 can be disposed of in this same manner. But Swift counters this with the argument that once the child has grown so much, the flesh will be tough and lean and not tender like the young ones. Further, females of this age cannot be disposed as they will soon be breeders.

14.   And when he was asked on how to clear of the burden of the handicapped, sick and old men among the poor, Swift answers that they are anyway dying fast and hence are of no trouble to the society.

15.   In the next few paragraphs, the author talks about the advantages of his proposal.

i)        It will greatly reduce the Catholic population. They formed most of the poor people and were considered evil to the society by the rich. They were the once who increased the population and created generations loss to the country.

ii)       If this is implemented, the tenants will have something valuable of their own. They will begin to have savings and can lead a better form of living. They will be able to pay rents, take back lost properties and lead a normal life.

iii)     The nation will develop economically. There will be a profit of a new dish too. And all the money will only go to them because the raw material for manufacture is produced by them itself.

iv)     The breeders will earn a profit of eight shillings per annum and can easily get rid of the child and get ready for the next year.

v)      When a new dish is introduced and it found tasty and different, there will be demand for that item. Hence, as demand increases, the prices can also be increased.

vi)     There will be an annual profit and there would be healthy competition among the women to produce the healthiest child.

vii)   State of child care and affection towards women during pregnancy will increase. When it is a source of income, the men will take very good care of the women, and the parents of the child. This will also mean a very healthy and clean society.

viii)  And once the need of the country in satisfied, these carcasses can also be sold to other places, which will mean the economic benefit of the country.

16.   The author now anticipates an objection that this scheme would reduce the population of the nation drastically. But for this he says that his proposal is only accounts as a solution for the issues in Ireland and not anywhere else. It should not be placed in any other society. Similarly, the solutions which are generally applicable in other places cannot be done I the case of Ireland.

17.   The author has given the readers complete freedom to criticize his proposal and suggest a new one. But he only insists it must be equally innocent, cheap, easy and effectual. One must be able to support his propositions as the author has done. He is also certain that the person has to account for two other issues:

i)        The ability to find food and raiment for a hundred thousand useless mouths and backs.

ii)       The issue of the debt of two million of pounds sterling which would have arose by then.

18.   He concludes by saying that he himself is depressed that he does not have any children who can be sold and made money of. He ends with the quote,

“I profess, in the sincerity of my heart, that I have not least personal interest in endeavoring to promote this necessary work, having no other motive than the publick good of my country, by advancing our trade, providing for infants, relieving the poor, and giving some pleasure to the rich. I have no children, by which I can propose to get a single penny; the youngest being nine years old, and my wife past child-bearing.”

                The author is being satirical of the society then and the conditions of the nation. He is being severely critic of the rich aristocrats. It is they who have created this image that the poor are the burdens of the nation. Swift is also being critical of the British at many places. He feels that the British has done too much damage to his country and he mocks the political leaders. Throughout the essay he is being satirical about giving a solution to the problem of ending the rise of poverty and poor population in the nation. He tries to find a solution to feed the rising starving mouths of Ireland and make them profitable for the commonwealth. He is being ironic and satiric throughout the essay.