A Modest Proposal

This is satire because it exposes the actuality of a political issue in its bare bones. The wealthy, particularly the English aristocracy, at this time were living their comfortable and extravagantly dignified lives at the extreme expense of the poor, who the wealthy regard as a social impediment or political problem. To express this Swift suggest that since the poor have no real way to support themselves without inconveniencing the rich economically, to eradicate the problem their babies could be sold and cooked as a delicacy for the aristocrats.