Editing A Modest Proposal (section)

==Synopsis==
[[File:Jonathan Swift by Charles Jervas detail.jpg|thumb|A painting of [[Jonathan Swift]]]]

Swift's essay is widely held to be one of the greatest examples of sustained [[irony]] in the history of [[English literature]]. Much of its shock value derives from the fact that the first portion of the essay describes the plight of starving beggars in Ireland, so that the reader is unprepared for the surprise of Swift's solution when he states: "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 [[fricassee]], or a [[ragout]]."<ref name="gutenberg" />

Swift goes to great lengths to support his argument, including a list of possible preparation styles for the children, and calculations showing the financial benefits of his suggestion. He uses methods of argument throughout his essay which [[Parody|lampoon]] the then-influential [[William Petty]] and the [[Social engineering (political science)|social engineering]] popular among followers of [[Francis Bacon]]. These lampoons include [[Appeal to authority|appealing to the authority]] of "a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London" and "the famous [[George Psalmanazar|Psalmanazar]], a native of the island [[Formosa]]" (who had already confessed to not being from Formosa in 1706).

In the tradition of Roman satire, Swift introduces the reforms he is actually suggesting by [[paralipsis]]:
{{quote|Therefore let no man talk to me of other expedients: Of taxing our [[absentee landlords|absentees]] at five [[shilling (British coin)|shillings]] a [[pound sterling|pound]]: Of using neither clothes, nor household furniture, except what is of our own growth and manufacture: Of utterly rejecting the materials and instruments that promote foreign luxury: Of curing the expensiveness of pride, vanity, idleness, and gaming in our women: Of introducing a vein of parsimony, prudence and temperance: Of learning to love our country, wherein we differ even from [[Sami people|Laplanders]], and the [[Tupinambá people|inhabitants of Topinamboo]]: Of quitting our animosities and factions, nor acting any longer like the Jews, who were [[Zealot Temple siege|murdering one another]] at the very moment [[Siege of Jerusalem (70)|their city was taken]]: Of being a little cautious not to sell our country and consciences for nothing: Of teaching landlords to have at least one degree of mercy towards their tenants. Lastly, of putting a spirit of honesty, industry, and skill into our shop-keepers, who, if a resolution could now be taken to buy only our native goods, would immediately unite to cheat and exact upon us in the price, the measure, and the goodness, nor could ever yet be brought to make one fair proposal of just dealing, though often and earnestly invited to it.

Therefore I repeat, let no man talk to me of these and the like expedients, 'till he hath at least some glympse of hope, that there will ever be some hearty and sincere attempt to put them into practice.}}