When Jonathan Swift wrote “A Modest Proposal” in 1729, it was widely regarded as an inflammatory essay. In his essay, Swift suggested that the children of the starving Irish poor be sold so as not to be a burden on their parents.
Swift went so far as to suggest that a healthy, well-nursed, year-old child would make a nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled. It was socioeconomic and political satire at its finest, and, understandably, it was met with shock and outrage coupled with widespread misunderstanding and confusion.
Mike Raykovicz: A ‘modest’ proposal for a doe season
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