Swift proposes a satirical solution to poverty and overpopulation in Ireland - selling impoverished children as food. He argues infants would provide a good source of nourishment, and their bodies could be sold for profit. While outrageous, Swift's proposal highlights the suffering of Ireland's poor and criticizes a society that fails to address such immense human hardship and loss of life.

1. 1. What is the “great town” that the narrator refers to in the opening paragraph?<br /> _____________________<br />2. What is it that bothers those who walk through the streets, according to the <br /> narrator? ___________________________________________________ <br /> What literary device is being used here to create satire? ________________<br />3. What is Swift’s reasoning for the children to be used for his purpose at the age <br /> of one year old? ______________________________________________<br />4. What is meant by the phrase, “a child just dropped from its dam”? _________<br /> ___________________________________________________________<br /> What are these words usually used to describe? _______________________<br />5. To whom does the narrator apply the term “breeders”?__________________<br />6. What “livelihood” do poor children allegedly begin approximately at age 6?<br /> ________________________________<br />7. What is Swift satirizing in his remarks about stealing when he talks about how <br /> old a child is before he can earn his living by stealing? __________________<br /> ___________________________________________________________<br />8. What is the “fair, cheap, and easy method” that Swift proposes for making the <br /> children “sound, useful members of the commonwealth? _________________<br /> ___________________________________________________________<br />9. From whom did Swift get his idea? _______________________ How is this <br /> Satire? _____________________________________________________<br />10. At what point does Swift’s satiric purpose become quite obvious? __________<br /> ___________________________________________________________<br />11. Of the 20,000 children reserved for breed, how many would be males? ______<br /> What is the comparison used here? ________________________________<br />12. How many meals will a child make? ________________________________<br />13. According to the narrator, for whom will infants be “proper” food? ________<br /> _______________________Why? _______________________________<br /> __________________________________________________________<br />14. According to the narrator, what is the average birth weight? _____________<br /> What is the weight at one year? ______ What is the cost of raising a child to <br /> one year of age? ___________ What is the proposed selling cost? _______<br />15. What other use could be made of a child besides food? _________________<br /> ___________________________________________________________<br />16. Why does the narrator object to selling and eating the 12 to 14 year old <br /> children? ___________________________________________________<br />17. Why is the narrator not concerned about old people who are suffering from <br /> sickness, poverty, and neglect? ___________________________________<br /> __________________________________________________________<br />18. About midway through the essay, the narrator lists the advantages to his <br /> proposal. What are the six principal advantages? _____________________<br /> __________________________________________________________<br /> __________________________________________________________<br /> __________________________________________________________<br /> __________________________________________________________<br />19. Describe the one objection which the narrator anticipates to his proposal?<br /> ___________________________________________________________<br />20. Describe the narrator’s purpose in asserting that England will not mind if <br /> Ireland kills and eats its babies. What element of satire is evident here?<br /> ___________________________________________________________<br /> <br />21. Near the end of the essay, the narrator lists “other expedients” that might <br /> help lessen the present distress in Ireland. List some of these ideas: <br /> __________________________________________________________<br /> __________________________________________________________<br /> ___________________________________________________________<br />22. Some of these options are very constructive. Why does the narrator say, “Let <br /> no man talk to me of other expedients”? ____________________________<br /> __________________________________________________________<br />23.<br />