The selection you have indicated begins with Swift's
"humble proposal" of his thoughts on how to solve the famine in Ireland and the
subsequent social problems that this has led to. He starts off by saying that an
American has assured him that a healthy child at one year old can be transformed into a
"nourishing and wholesome" dish for consumption. Swift therefore comes up with a system
of using most of the Irish children as an alternative food source, leaving an
appropriate number for breeding. He details the way that a child can be used in
different ways to feed a number of people over a period of time. He talks about the cost
of "infant flesh" and also who will be eating them. He talks about the various costs and
how money will be saved by using children in this way, and the way that you can cook a
child in many versatile manners.
He goes on to tell of how
another "worthy person" refined this scheme by suggesting that the lack of venison for
hunting might be made up for by the hunting of young Irish teenagers. Swift begs to
differ because their flesh would be too "tough and lean" and they could be
breeders.
It is important to remember that this is a
"satire" - not for one minute is Swift being serious! Look at how his language and
reasonable tone is trying to shock his readers into action.
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