The writer has dismissed this idea, though, because the flesh of fourteen-year-old boys is too lean, and fourteen-year-old girls might soon become breeders of infants themselves. There might also be uses for the discarded skin of the infants, such as for ladies’ gloves.Ī friend of the narrator’s, “a very worthy person,” has already heard the proposal and suggested that children of fourteen, too, be a potential food. He surmises the times of year when the infants will be most plentiful, based on the purported sexual patterns of the Irish. The writer treats the weight of an infant, what kind of dish it will make, and how many people it will serve. Therefore, it seems like a good idea that the people of Ireland simply eat the infants when they reach the age of one year. Neither will merchants buy or sell children. He points out that they are unfit for any employment, being even too young to steal. The writer calculates the number of infants born in Ireland and asks what should be done with them. This proposal hopefully will decrease the number of abortions performed by poor mothers. The writer expresses sympathy and the need for a solution. “A Modest Proposal” begins with an account of the impoverished state of many in Ireland.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |