what is the essay a modest proposal about

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A Modest Proposal

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A Modest Proposal , satiric essay by Jonathan Swift , published in pamphlet form in 1729.

Presented in the guise of an economic treatise , the essay proposes that the country ameliorate poverty in Ireland by butchering the children of the Irish poor and selling them as food to wealthy English landlords. Swift’s proposal is a savage comment on England’s legal and economic exploitation of Ireland. The essay is a masterpiece of satire , with a blend of rational deliberation and unthinkable conclusion, and its title has come to symbolize any proposition to solve a problem with an effective but outrageous cure.

A Modest Proposal

Background of the essay, historical background.

The group of English people ruling England was protestant, and the people of Ireland were mainly Catholics. As a result, there was a vast chasm between the two. The protestant elites did not like the catholic citizens and never took steps for their betterment. Instead, they imposed religious restrictions on them. Moreover, the common people of Ireland were left very poor by imposing many restrictions on trade for them. To add to this problem of poverty, the country was also overpopulated.

Literary Background of A Modest Proposal

A modest proposal summary.

After this empathy-inspiring description of female beggars and their children, the author goes on to claim that this is a matter of national concern. He says that these children, in particular, are a burden on the already crippled Kingdom. Therefore, he argues that if anyone can come up with a plan that can turn these beggar children into useful citizens, it will be a great service to the country and its people.

Moreover, the proposal will result in lessening the ill-practices of infanticide and abortion because the mothers will not have to worry about the expenses of upbringing the child. He says that many people commit these sins because they fear the expenses of feeding a child.

Firstly, the meat of the teenagers is lean and hard, and its taste is also not very good.

Another advantage the proposal will have is that the underprivileged tenants will be able to clear their debts by selling their children. In this way, the economy of the nation will improve. Consequently, a liability will turn into a product of the national level. Moreover, a new dish will also be added to the cuisine of the landlords.  

Inside the country, they will have to raise their standards in order to compete with the high-quality meat of the children. The author believes that the landlords in London will eat as much as the one-fifth of the total flesh procured in the whole country.

The author claims that no substitute plan can equal his plan even if they are similarly easy, innocent, and cheap. The reason is that his proposal considers two main issues that cannot be addressed by any other plan. The first issue it addresses is that of clothing and feeding one hundred thousand useless children. The second issue is the extreme level of poverty. The author says that Irish people are so poor that they would be happy to be able to be sold for food.

A Modest Proposal Analysis

The pattern of rhetoric.

The fourth part of the argument refutes any possible objections to the argument. This part is called confutatio.

A Modest Proposal as a A Satirical Essay

On the irish government, on the irish people, on the english rulers, on utilitarianism, tone of the essay, more from jonathan swift.

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A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift | Summary & Analysis

Who is Jonathan Swift? Jonathan Swift was an Irish writer, poet, and satirist best known for his novel “Gulliver’s Travels” and his satirical essays. One of his most famous works, “A Modest Proposal,” is a satirical essay published in 1729. This essay is often studied for its biting social commentary and clever use of satire.

Table of Contents

Background of “A Modest Proposal”

“A Modest Proposal” was written during a time of great social and economic turmoil in Ireland. The country was suffering from poverty, famine, and overpopulation, and the British government’s policies were exacerbating these issues. Swift wrote “A Modest Proposal” as a way to draw attention to the dire conditions in Ireland and to criticize the British government’s handling of the situation.

Summary of “A Modest Proposal”

In “A Modest Proposal,” Swift presents a shocking solution to Ireland’s poverty problem: he suggests that impoverished Irish families should sell their children as food to wealthy English landlords. Swift argues that this solution would not only alleviate poverty but also provide a new source of income for the Irish people.

Swift’s proposal is presented in a straightforward and logical manner, but it quickly becomes apparent that he is using satire to critique the British government’s indifference to the suffering of the Irish people. By proposing something so outrageous and morally repugnant, Swift forces his readers to confront the reality of the situation in Ireland and to question the policies that have led to such extreme poverty and desperation.

Analysis of “A Modest Proposal”

Swift’s satirical approach is what makes “A Modest Proposal” such a powerful and effective piece of writing. By presenting his proposal in a calm and rational tone, Swift lulls his readers into a false sense of security before shocking them with the absurdity of his suggestion. This technique allows Swift to highlight the absurdity of the British government’s policies and to make a powerful statement about the moral bankruptcy of those in power.

In addition to its satirical elements, “A Modest Proposal” is also a scathing indictment of the social and political conditions in Ireland at the time. Swift uses his proposal to criticize the British government’s economic policies, which he argues have contributed to the poverty and suffering of the Irish people. He also highlights the hypocrisy of the wealthy English landlords who exploit the Irish peasantry for their own gain.

Impact and Reception of “A Modest Proposal”

When “A Modest Proposal” was first published, it caused a sensation and sparked a heated debate about the state of Ireland and the ethics of Swift’s proposal. Some readers were shocked and outraged by Swift’s suggestion, while others recognized it as a brilliant piece of satire that exposed the injustices of the time.

Over the years, “A Modest Proposal” has continued to be studied and analyzed by scholars and students alike. Its enduring relevance is a testament to Swift’s skill as a writer and the power of satire to provoke thought and inspire change.

READ MORE :

• Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol | Traits & Analysis
• Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift | Characters, Summary & Analysis
• The Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare | Summary & Characters

In conclusion, “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift is a masterful work of satire that uses humor and irony to expose the social and political injustices of its time. Swift’s biting critique of the British government and its policies continues to resonate with readers today, making “A Modest Proposal” a timeless classic of English literature.

Was “A Modest Proposal” actually intended to be taken seriously?

No, Jonathan Swift wrote “A Modest Proposal” as a satirical piece intended to criticize the British government’s policies in Ireland. It was not meant to be taken literally.

What was the reaction to “A Modest Proposal” when it was first published?

The essay sparked a heated debate, with some readers outraged by its content and others recognizing it as a work of satire.

What are some of the literary devices used in “A Modest Proposal”?

Swift employs irony, sarcasm, and exaggeration to make his point in “A Modest Proposal.”

What is the significance of the title “A Modest Proposal”?

The title is ironic, as Swift’s proposal is anything but modest. It is a scathing critique of the British government’s policies in Ireland.

Why is “A Modest Proposal” still studied today?

The essay remains relevant because of its powerful social and political commentary, as well as its timeless exploration of the use of satire as a tool for social change.

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A Modest Proposal

Introduction of “a modest proposal”, summary of “a modest proposal”.

As a proposer of this suggestion, Jonathan claims that he has a plan to deal with this problem effectively and efficiently. He states that after he has reserved some years of his life to think of the best possible solution to the problem of child beggars, he has come up with a viable set of solutions. He says that some of his plans have not proved workable in the past due to his inability to accurately make calculations. Also, while others have presented their plans they ‘grossly mistaken in their Computation’. However, in the case of this proposal, he has accurately made calculations before offering them in the essay. He says that a child is supported with breast milk and two shillings per year. However, for the child to enter into the professed beggary takes time and the parents are too poor to provide them. He proposes that the parents or guardians will release the child from their care after the presentation of this proposal finding it financially rewarding.

Jonathan says that he has been assured by his American friend, whom he does not name, has told him that the meat of a year-old child is very delectable Whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled and without any doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee or a ragout. Therefore, he has made calculations that if they are total 120,000 can be reserved for breeding, and the rest can be reared to sell to the gentry for eating. He states that the wealthy landlords would be the likely buyers.

The reason is that they have already devoured several parents in their greed for more and that they deserve to take lead in this work. He also suggests that by doing this, they would be becoming a source of increasing profits for a considerable number of mothers. He further goes on by mocking the Catholic church that the Catholics produce more children than the Protests who were ruling the country since they are against the birth control that was introduced during that time even though there’s a spike in overpopulation and poverty . If such people, he argues, prove their ability in doing business, they can use the hide and other parts of the children to sharpen their business skills such as they can prepare gloves and shoes from their hide or sell it in the market. Calling his suggestion “innocent, cheap, easy and effectual” Swift states that he has no personal interest involved in this proposal as he has no child and that his wife, too, has passed the child-bearing age.

Major Themes in “A Modest Proposal”

Writing style of “a modest proposal”, analysis of literary devices in “a modest proposal”  , related posts:, post navigation.

A Modest Proposal

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Analysis: “a modest proposal”.

In shaping what is widely considered to be one of the most important works of satire in the English language, Swift structures his essay with great care. Roughly the first third of the essay reads like a sincere effort to expose and address the horrifying conditions faced by the poor in Ireland during the early 18th century. In the first lines the narrator characterizes the sight of female beggars surrounded by their broods of starving children as “a melancholy object” (52), later citing this as evidence that Ireland is in a “present deplorable state” (52). These ostensibly genuine lamentations leave the reader unprepared when the narrator finally reveals his grotesque solution to Ireland’s social ills, lending even greater shock value to an already startling proposition. The “modest” in the essay’s title serves a similar purpose by leading the reader to believe that the forthcoming proposal will seem perfectly reasonable to the average Dubliner. As is often the case with comedy today and throughout history, the element of surprise Swift fosters is key to the joke.

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A Modest Proposal

For preventing the children of poor people in ireland, from being a burden on their parents or country, and for making them beneficial to the publick., by dr. jonathan swift.

It is a melancholy object to those, who walk through this great town, or travel in the country, when they see the streets, the roads, and cabbin-doors crowded with beggars of the female sex, followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags, and importuning every passenger for an alms. These mothers, instead of being able to work for their honest livelihood, are forced to employ all their time in stroling to beg sustenance for their helpless infants who, as they grow up, either turn thieves for want of work, or leave their dear native country, to fight for the Pretender in Spain, or sell themselves to the Barbadoes.

I think it is agreed by all parties, that this prodigious number of children in the arms, or on the backs, or at the heels of their mothers, and frequently of their fathers, is in the present deplorable state of the kingdom, a very great additional grievance; and therefore whoever could find out a fair, cheap and easy method of making these children sound and useful members of the commonwealth, would deserve so well of the publick, as to have his statue set up for a preserver of the nation.

But my intention is very far from being confined to provide only for the children of professed beggars: it is of a much greater extent, and shall take in the whole number of infants at a certain age, who are born of parents in effect as little able to support them, as those who demand our charity in the streets.

As to my own part, having turned my thoughts for many years upon this important subject, and maturely weighed the several schemes of our projectors, I have always found them grossly mistaken in their computation. It is true, a child just dropt from its dam, may be supported by her milk, for a solar year, with little other nourishment: at most not above the value of two shillings, which the mother may certainly get, or the value in scraps, by her lawful occupation of begging; and it is exactly at one year old that I propose to provide for them in such a manner, as, instead of being a charge upon their parents, or the parish, or wanting food and raiment for the rest of their lives, they shall, on the contrary, contribute to the feeding, and partly to the clothing of many thousands.

There is likewise another great advantage in my scheme, that it will prevent those voluntary abortions, and that horrid practice of women murdering their bastard children, alas! too frequent among us, sacrificing the poor innocent babes, I doubt, more to avoid the expence than the shame, which would move tears and pity in the most savage and inhuman breast.

The number of souls in this kingdom being usually reckoned one million and a half, of these I calculate there may be about two hundred thousand couple, whose wives are breeders; from which number I subtract thirty thousand couple, who are able to maintain their own children, (although I apprehend there cannot be so many under the present distresses of the kingdom) but this being granted, there will remain a hundred and seventy thousand breeders. I again subtract fifty thousand, for those women who miscarry, or whose children die by accident or disease within the year. There only remain a hundred and twenty thousand children of poor parents annually born. The question therefore is, How this number shall be reared and provided for? which, as I have already said, under the present situation of affairs, is utterly impossible by all the methods hitherto proposed. For we can neither employ them in handicraft or agriculture; they neither build houses, (I mean in the country) nor cultivate land: they can very seldom pick up a livelihood by stealing till they arrive at six years old; except where they are of towardly parts, although I confess they learn the rudiments much earlier; during which time they can however be properly looked upon only as probationers; as I have been informed by a principal gentleman in the county of Cavan, who protested to me, that he never knew above one or two instances under the age of six, even in a part of the kingdom so renowned for the quickest proficiency in that art.

I am assured by our merchants, that a boy or a girl, before twelve years old, is no saleable commodity, and even when they come to this age, they will not yield above three pounds, or three pounds and half a crown at most, on the exchange; which cannot turn to account either to the parents or kingdom, the charge of nutriments and rags having been at least four times that value.

I shall now therefore humbly propose my own thoughts, which I hope will not be liable to the least objection.

I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricasee, or a ragoust.

I do therefore humbly offer it to publick consideration, that of the hundred and twenty thousand children, already computed, twenty thousand may be reserved for breed, whereof only one fourth part to be males; which is more than we allow to sheep, black cattle, or swine, and my reason is, that these children are seldom the fruits of marriage, a circumstance not much regarded by our savages, therefore, one male will be sufficient to serve four females. That the remaining hundred thousand may, at a year old, be offered in sale to the persons of quality and fortune, through the kingdom, always advising the mother to let them suck plentifully in the last month, so as to render them plump, and fat for a good table. A child will make two dishes at an entertainment for friends, and when the family dines alone, the fore or hind quarter will make a reasonable dish, and seasoned with a little pepper or salt, will be very good boiled on the fourth day, especially in winter.

I have reckoned upon a medium, that a child just born will weigh 12 pounds, and in a solar year, if tolerably nursed, encreaseth to 28 pounds.

I grant this food will be somewhat dear, and therefore very proper for landlords, who, as they have already devoured most of the parents, seem to have the best title to the children.

Infant’s flesh will be in season throughout the year, but more plentiful in March, and a little before and after; for we are told by a grave author, an eminent French physician, that fish being a prolifick dyet, there are more children born in Roman Catholick countries about nine months after Lent, than at any other season; therefore, reckoning a year after Lent, the markets will be more glutted than usual, because the number of Popish infants, is at least three to one in this kingdom, and therefore it will have one other collateral advantage, by lessening the number of Papists among us.

I have already computed the charge of nursing a beggar’s child (in which list I reckon all cottagers, labourers, and four-fifths of the farmers) to be about two shillings per annum, rags included; and I believe no gentleman would repine to give ten shillings for the carcass of a good fat child, which, as I have said, will make four dishes of excellent nutritive meat, when he hath only some particular friend, or his own family to dine with him. Thus the squire will learn to be a good landlord, and grow popular among his tenants, the mother will have eight shillings neat profit, and be fit for work till she produces another child.

Those who are more thrifty (as I must confess the times require) may flay the carcass; the skin of which, artificially dressed, will make admirable gloves for ladies, and summer boots for fine gentlemen.

As to our City of Dublin, shambles may be appointed for this purpose, in the most convenient parts of it, and butchers we may be assured will not be wanting; although I rather recommend buying the children alive, and dressing them hot from the knife, as we do roasting pigs.

A very worthy person, a true lover of his country, and whose virtues I highly esteem, was lately pleased in discoursing on this matter, to offer a refinement upon my scheme. He said, that many gentlemen of this kingdom, having of late destroyed their deer, he conceived that the want of venison might be well supplied by the bodies of young lads and maidens, not exceeding fourteen years of age, nor under twelve; so great a number of both sexes in every county being now ready to starve for want of work and service: and these to be disposed of by their parents if alive, or otherwise by their nearest relations. But with due deference to so excellent a friend, and so deserving a patriot, I cannot be altogether in his sentiments; for as to the males, my American acquaintance assured me from frequent experience, that their flesh was generally tough and lean, like that of our schoolboys, by continual exercise, and their taste disagreeable, and to fatten them would not answer the charge. Then as to the females, it would, I think, with humble submission, be a loss to the publick, because they soon would become breeders themselves: and besides, it is not improbable that some scrupulous people might be apt to censure such a practice, (although indeed very unjustly) as a little bordering upon cruelty, which, I confess, hath always been with me the strongest objection against any project, how well soever intended.

But in order to justify my friend, he confessed, that this expedient was put into his head by the famous Psalmanaazor, a native of the island Formosa, who came from thence to London, above twenty years ago, and in conversation told my friend, that in his country, when any young person happened to be put to death, the executioner sold the carcass to persons of quality, as a prime dainty; and that, in his time, the body of a plump girl of fifteen, who was crucified for an attempt to poison the Emperor, was sold to his imperial majesty’s prime minister of state, and other great mandarins of the court in joints from the gibbet, at four hundred crowns. Neither indeed can I deny, that if the same use were made of several plump young girls in this town, who without one single groat to their fortunes, cannot stir abroad without a chair, and appear at a playhouse and assemblies in foreign fineries which they never will pay for, the kingdom would not be the worse.

Some persons of a desponding spirit are in great concern about that vast number of poor people, who are aged, diseased, or maimed; and I have been desired to employ my thoughts what course may be taken, to ease the nation of so grievous an incumbrance. But I am not in the least pain upon that matter, because it is very well known, that they are every day dying, and rotting, by cold and famine, and filth, and vermin, as fast as can be reasonably expected. And as to the young labourers, they are now in almost as hopeful a condition. They cannot get work, and consequently pine away from want of nourishment, to a degree, that if at any time they are accidentally hired to common labour, they have not strength to perform it, and thus the country and themselves are happily delivered from the evils to come.

I have too long digressed, and therefore shall return to my subject. I think the advantages by the proposal which I have made are obvious and many, as well as of the highest importance.

For first, as I have already observed, it would greatly lessen the number of Papists, with whom we are yearly overrun, being the principal breeders of the nation, as well as our most dangerous enemies, and who stay at home on purpose with a design to deliver the kingdom to the Pretender, hoping to take their advantage by the absence of so many good Protestants, who have chosen rather to leave their country, than stay at home and pay tithes against their conscience to an episcopal curate.

Secondly, The poorer tenants will have something valuable of their own, which by law may be made liable to a distress, and help to pay their landlord’s rent, their corn and cattle being already seized, and money a thing unknown.

Thirdly, Whereas the maintainance of a hundred thousand children, from two years old, and upwards, cannot be computed at less than ten shillings a piece per annum, the nation’s stock will be thereby encreased fifty thousand pounds per annum, besides the profit of a new dish, introduced to the tables of all gentlemen of fortune in the kingdom, who have any refinement in taste. And the money will circulate among our selves, the goods being entirely of our own growth and manufacture.

Fourthly, The constant breeders, besides the gain of eight shillings sterling per annum by the sale of their children, will be rid of the charge of maintaining them after the first year.

Fifthly, This food would likewise bring great custom to taverns, where the vintners will certainly be so prudent as to procure the best receipts for dressing it to perfection; and consequently have their houses frequented by all the fine gentlemen, who justly value themselves upon their knowledge in good eating; and a skilful cook, who understands how to oblige his guests, will contrive to make it as expensive as they please.

Sixthly, This would be a great inducement to marriage, which all wise nations have either encouraged by rewards, or enforced by laws and penalties. It would encrease the care and tenderness of mothers towards their children, when they were sure of a settlement for life to the poor babes, provided in some sort by the publick, to their annual profit instead of expence. We should soon see an honest emulation among the married women, which of them could bring the fattest child to the market. Men would become as fond of their wives, during the time of their pregnancy, as they are now of their mares in foal, their cows in calf, or sows when they are ready to farrow; nor offer to beat or kick them (as is too frequent a practice) for fear of a miscarriage.

Many other advantages might be enumerated. For instance, the addition of some thousand carcasses in our exportation of barrel’d beef: the propagation of swine’s flesh, and improvement in the art of making good bacon, so much wanted among us by the great destruction of pigs, too frequent at our tables; which are no way comparable in taste or magnificence to a well grown, fat yearling child, which roasted whole will make a considerable figure at a Lord Mayor’s feast, or any other publick entertainment. But this, and many others, I omit, being studious of brevity.

Supposing that one thousand families in this city, would be constant customers for infants flesh, besides others who might have it at merry meetings, particularly at weddings and christenings, I compute that Dublin would take off annually about twenty thousand carcasses; and the rest of the kingdom (where probably they will be sold somewhat cheaper) the remaining eighty thousand.

I can think of no one objection, that will possibly be raised against this proposal, unless it should be urged, that the number of people will be thereby much lessened in the kingdom. This I freely own, and was indeed one principal design in offering it to the world. I desire the reader will observe, that I calculate my remedy for this one individual Kingdom of Ireland, and for no other that ever was, is, or, I think, ever can be upon Earth. Therefore let no man talk to me of other expedients: Of taxing our absentees at five shillings a pound: Of using neither clothes, nor houshold furniture, except what is of our own growth and manufacture: Of utterly rejecting the materials and instruments that promote foreign luxury: Of curing the expensiveness of pride, vanity, idleness, and gaming in our women: Of introducing a vein of parsimony, prudence and temperance: Of learning to love our country, wherein we differ even from Laplanders, and the inhabitants of Topinamboo: Of quitting our animosities and factions, nor acting any longer like the Jews, who were murdering one another at the very moment their city was taken: Of being a little cautious not to sell our country and consciences for nothing: Of teaching landlords to have at least one degree of mercy towards their tenants. Lastly, of putting a spirit of honesty, industry, and skill into our shopkeepers, who, if a resolution could now be taken to buy only our native goods, would immediately unite to cheat and exact upon us in the price, the measure, and the goodness, nor could ever yet be brought to make one fair proposal of just dealing, though often and earnestly invited to it.

Therefore I repeat, let no man talk to me of these and the like expedients, till he hath at least some glympse of hope, that there will ever be some hearty and sincere attempt to put them into practice.

But, as to myself, having been wearied out for many years with offering vain, idle, visionary thoughts, and at length utterly despairing of success, I fortunately fell upon this proposal, which, as it is wholly new, so it hath something solid and real, of no expence and little trouble, full in our own power, and whereby we can incur no danger in disobliging England. For this kind of commodity will not bear exportation, and flesh being of too tender a consistence, to admit a long continuance in salt, although perhaps I could name a country, which would be glad to eat up our whole nation without it.

After all, I am not so violently bent upon my own opinion, as to reject any offer, proposed by wise men, which shall be found equally innocent, cheap, easy, and effectual. But before something of that kind shall be advanced in contradiction to my scheme, and offering a better, I desire the author or authors will be pleased maturely to consider two points. First, As things now stand, how they will be able to find food and raiment for a hundred thousand useless mouths and backs. And secondly, There being a round million of creatures in humane figure throughout this kingdom, whose whole subsistence put into a common stock, would leave them in debt two million of pounds sterling, adding those who are beggars by profession, to the bulk of farmers, cottagers and labourers, with their wives and children, who are beggars in effect; I desire those politicians who dislike my overture, and may perhaps be so bold to attempt an answer, that they will first ask the parents of these mortals, whether they would not at this day think it a great happiness to have been sold for food at a year old, in the manner I prescribe, and thereby have avoided such a perpetual scene of misfortunes, as they have since gone through, by the oppression of landlords, the impossibility of paying rent without money or trade, the want of common sustenance, with neither house nor clothes to cover them from the inclemencies of the weather, and the most inevitable prospect of intailing the like, or greater miseries, upon their breed for ever.

I profess in the sincerity of my heart, that I have not the least personal interest in endeavouring to promote this necessary work, having no other motive than the publick good of my country, by advancing our trade, providing for infants, relieving the poor, and giving some pleasure to the rich. I have no children, by which I can propose to get a single penny; the youngest being nine years old, and my wife past child-bearing.

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A Modest Proposal and Other Satires

By jonathan swift, a modest proposal and other satires summary and analysis of "a modest proposal".

“A Modest Proposal” begins with an account of the impoverished state of many in Ireland. The writer expresses sympathy and the need for a solution. This proposal hopefully will decrease the number of abortions performed by poor mothers. The writer calculates the number of infants born in Ireland and asks what should be done with them. He points out that they are unfit for any employment, being even too young to steal. Neither will merchants buy or sell children. Therefore, it seems like a good idea that the people of Ireland simply eat the infants when they reach the age of one year.

The writer treats the weight of an infant, what kind of dish it will make, and how many people it will serve. He surmises the times of year when the infants will be most plentiful, based on the purported sexual patterns of the Irish. There might also be uses for the discarded skin of the infants, such as for ladies’ gloves.

A 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. 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. He defends his friend, nevertheless, by saying that the friend learned of this practice in Asia among certain savage peoples. This digression continues with the observation that he is unconcerned about those adults who are ill, disabled, or starving, because there is nothing he can do for them.

He returns to the chief proposal and lists six reasons why it should be adopted. First, it will decrease the number of dangerous Catholics. Second, it will give the poor some property. Third, it will increase the nation’s overall wealth, since people will not have to pay for the upkeep of the children. Fourth, the mothers will be free of the burden of bringing up children. Fifth, the new food will be welcomed in taverns and culinary circles. Sixth, it will enhance the institution of marriage as women take better care of their infants so that they may be sold, and men will take better care of their wives so that their wives can make more babies to sell.

Swift then raises a potential objection to his proposal: that it will deplete Ireland’s population. Swift responds by saying that this is the point. He says that this proposal will in no way encumber England, as the infants will not be able to be exported, as their flesh is not easily preserved for later consumption. He is not willing to entertain any other arguments for solving the problem, like virtue and thrift.

Swift concludes by saying first that he would welcome any other suggestions anyone may have on this question, then assuring the reader that he has no personal economic stake in this idea because he has no children and therefore could not profit by selling them to be eaten.

If you do not realize that this proposal is satirical, you have no sense of humor or irony. It is impossible to imagine a serious proposal for eating children. Yet, it is not enough simply to indulge one’s outrage over the argument or to smile at the jokes. Is Swift just having fun, or does he have something serious to say?

Stereotypes against Irish Catholics make it easier for Swift to use them as the subject of his satire. The stereotypes are present in both the reasons for the proposal and the language used. The narrator’s argument that something must be done with infants because they are too young to steal implies that this is a common employment of Irish Catholics, even while it is humorous apart from the stereotype. The overall idea of overpopulation comes from the stereotype that Catholics tend to have a lot of children. The first reason Swift’s narrator gives for adopting his proposal—that it will lessen the number of Catholics—is perhaps the best example of satire of religious prejudice in the piece. Furthermore, he uses the word “papists” in the offensive sense of anti-Catholic rejection of the Pope. In Protestant England, many people might share the stereotypes but would never go so far as the speaker suggests about eating children.

The theme of prejudice against the lower classes is revealed in suggestions such as the idea that the carcasses of the poor children could be used for clothing, women’s gloves. Swift suggests, with this extreme example, as well as his declaration that the landlords have already “devoured” the poor infants’ parents, that the rich live at the expense of the poor. By referring next to another figure, “a very worthy person” (who is meant to represent a member of the upper, learned classes), Swift furthers his satire of the upper classes by implying that there are people so disconnected from the lower classes that they might agree with this outlandish proposal.

Swift’s aim, however, was not merely to expose England’s biased view of Ireland or to illuminate general English arrogance towards other peoples, although the latter aim is achieved. The narrator’s statement that an “American” told him that children are “delicious” parodies the idea that the Americans, like the Irish, were considered to be a barbaric people in need of instruction from the English. So, too, does the reference to the island of Formosa evoke a kind of English cultural arrogance. All people who could be classified as “other” are potentially dangerous to the English, needing to be tamed.

“A Modest Proposal” is also literary commentary. Swift intended to parody similar pamphlets that were being circulated at the time. His diction throughout the piece, including the word modest in the title, highlights this effect. Of course, one’s proposals are modest and offered “humbly.” With word choice like this, Swift is mocking the false modesty in the tone of many of the pamphlets of his contemporaries; their style may have professed deference, but their proposals displayed audacity.

Swift finally gets down to some real arguments when the narrator lists all the arguments that he will not give any time to. If eating the children were off the table, the people would have to turn to realistic arguments like these, such as the encouragement of virtue and thrift.

“A Modest Proposal” is accurately called one of the most effective satires in the English language. There are a few key moments of satirical success that should be mentioned. Swift’s decision to put off the actual suggestion of eating babies until several paragraphs into the piece makes his idea all the more arresting when it does come. Also, naming population decrease as the one potential objection to his proposal, Swift heightens the irony of an already ironic piece. The reader is expecting this objection to be that it is morally wrong to kill babies, but Swift subverts our expectations once again, suggesting that there are people so cold to reality that they could be swayed by merely practical economic arguments and cannot even see the outrage of cannibalism.

Finally, when the writer reassures the reader that he has nothing to gain economically from his proposal, for he has no children, Swift is playing on the common protestation of writers that their political and social proposals are made altruistically for the good of society and should therefore be believed to be all the more sincere. If the writer did have children and lived in Ireland, it would be consistent to eat them or sell them.

Swift, by 1729, was quite late in his career, being already over 60 years old. If his more careful, complex, difficult satires had not been sufficiently understood and appreciated, it was time to bang the people over the head with a satire that they could recognize and which would renew interest in his other works. Although Gulliver’s Travels was fresh in people’s minds, it was already 25 years after A Tale of a Tub . Anyone who becomes intrigued by Jonathan Swift after reading “A Modest Proposal” should go on to the works that are worthy of a more sophisticated critic.

A Modest Proposal and Other Satires Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for A Modest Proposal and Other Satires is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

What impression do you get of the narrator in lines 22-39? on "A Modest Proposal"

What does Swift tell his readers is his proposed solution to the social problem?

a. Eat the poor Irish children

What does the extreme nature of the proposal imply about English treatment of the Irish?

Swift's persona highlights the economic inequality in Ireland and England with “A Modest Proposal.” In the beginning of the essay, he expresses great sympathy for the beggars of Ireland, describing their destitution in detail. His solution of...

Study Guide for A Modest Proposal and Other Satires

A Modest Proposal and Other Satires study guide contains a biography of Jonathan Swift, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

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A Modest Proposal and Other Satires literature essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of A Modest Proposal and Other Satires.

• A Modest Proposal
• Mildred Pierce as a Tool of Instruction in Postwar America
• Examining the Elusive in "A Modest Proposal"
• The Means of Persuasion in "A Modest Proposal"
• Poverty Through a Satirical Lens: Comparing Jonathan Swift and John Gay

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Wikipedia Entries for A Modest Proposal and Other Satires

• Introduction

Eating Kids As A Solution To Food Shortages: Why One Famous Writer Once Proposed It In “A Modest Proposal”

After several attempts to instigate policies with parliament, irish writer jonathan swift channeled his ire into a modest proposal , a satirical pamphlet that posited child-eating as the only viable solution to the country's famine..

Wikimedia Commons Johnathon Swift, author of A Modest Proposal .

In 1729, Ireland was struggling.

The country had been under England’s rule for almost 500 years, and economic and social conditions were deteriorating as a direct result of their rule. Trade restrictions had greatly hurt the economy and the lack of work led to rampant poverty and hunger. The sight of beggars in the streets, was a common sight. Overpopulation and overcrowding contributed to the dismal conditions, and there seemed to be little hope that things would improve.

Jonathan Swift was an Anglo-Irish writer, born in Dublin in 1667 to Anglican parents. Although he was part of the ruling class, by the early 1700s Swift had become very involved in Irish politics, and was particularly interested in pointing out how disastrously the unfair politics of the English were impacting the Irish people.

He made several appeals to Irish Parliament to put into place policies that would help the populace, but nothing ever came of them. Frustrated at the lack of progress, he turned to writing.

A Modest Proposal Is Proposed

In his most famous piece of satire, “A Modest Proposal For preventing the Children of Poor People From being a Burthen to Their Parents or Country, and For making them Beneficial to the Publick,” Swift called attention to the plight of the Irish by proposing an outlandish plan to help Ireland’s poor.

He begins A Modest Proposal by describing the sorry state of the majority of Ireland’s population in detailed terms, leading the reader to believe he has a compassionate solution in mind, thus making it even more shocking when he states his proposal:

“I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee, or a ragout.”

Wikimedia Commons The original pamphlet for A Modest Proposal .

Swift wasted no time in calling out the wealthy landowners, whose unfair practices contributed to the Irish struggle, saying “I grant this food will be somewhat dear, and therefore very proper for landlords, who, as they have already devoured most of the parents, seem to have the best title to the children.”

Complicating the problem, Ireland at the time was a largely Roman Catholic country that was being ruled by an English Protestant minority. This contributed significantly to Ireland’s resentment towards English rule.

In A Modest Proposal , Swift called particular attention to this tension, saying that:

“Infant’s flesh will be in season throughout the year, but more plentiful in March, and a little before and after; for we are told by a grave author, an eminent French physician, that fish being a prolifick dyet, there are more children born in Roman Catholick countries about nine months after Lent, the markets will be more glutted than usual, because the number of Popish infants, is at least three to one in this kingdom, and therefore it will have one other collateral advantage, by lessening the number of Papists among us.”

By drawing attention to the large Roman Catholic population, Swift meant obviously parody the anti-Catholic sentiment that was rampant in England at the time.

He closed his argument by challenging politicians, saying:

“I desire those politicians who dislike my overture, and may perhaps be so bold to attempt an answer, that they will first ask the parents of these mortals, whether they would not at this day think it a great happiness to have been sold for food at a year old, in the manner I prescribe, and thereby have avoided such a perpetual scene of misfortunes, as they have since gone through, by the oppression of landlords, the impossibility of paying rent without money or trade, the want of common sustenance, with neither house nor cloaths to cover them from the inclemencies of the weather, and the most inevitable prospect of intailing the like, or greater miseries, upon their breed for ever.”

Despite its shocking premise, the pamphlet did little to shock the public when it was first released. It was largely ignored by critics , and those who did read it recognized the absurdity of its argument and did not take it as a serious proposal.

Of course, Swift most likely never meant for it to be taken seriously by anyone.

But by making such a shocking and distasteful suggestion, he meant to call attention to the severity of the problem that was at hand. In doing so, he also cemented his place in history as the father of Western satire, a form that has been going strong ever since.

Next, check out the Kindlifresserbrunnen, the child-eating statue of Bern . Then, read about the dark side of these beloved children’s books .

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A Modest Proposal

Jonathan swift, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

Today we regard “A Modest Proposal” as a seminal work of Western satire—satire being the use of humor or irony to reveal and criticize the evils of society. Though Swift wrote the tract in response to the specific social conditions afflicting his native Ireland, its bitter humor shocks and delights as much now as it did in 1729, when it circulated the streets of Dublin as an anonymous pamphlet. The power of Swift’s satire resides in the intensity of his verbal irony—that is, his ability to say one thing and mean precisely the opposite.

In large part, the humor of “A Modest Proposal” arises from the enormous gap between the cool, rational, self-righteous voice of the speaker and the obvious repulsiveness of his proposal: that the infant children of Ireland’s poor be raised as livestock, slaughtered, and sold as food to the wealthy, who will enjoy them as a tasty delicacy. No reader, no matter her personal values or political allegiances, will be able to take seriously the speaker’s proposal. Thus, the reader’s engagement with the text will consist in constantly looking beyond what is said in search of what is meant —or, to put it another way, looking for a sincere message hiding behind the obvious satire.

One way to understand the text’s irony—this discrepancy between saying and meaning—is to imagine the speaker as a fictional persona (call him “ the Proposer ”) who is totally distinct from Jonathan Swift, the author. The Proposer truly believes in the genius of his plan, and seems oblivious to the fact that it will strike any sane person as monstrous.

Yet, at a few moments in the text, it is possible to recognize Swift’s own voice and ideas sneaking around or through the Proposer’s ludicrous suggestions, advancing instead Swift’s own sincere convictions. This happens in the opening paragraphs of the essay, when Swift can be heard speaking alongside the Proposer—it is safe to say that both he and the Proposer share a mutual concern for the state of society in Ireland. This agreement makes the Proposer’s sudden endorsement of cannibalism all the more shocking and hilarious when it finally arrives. It is important to note that, in 1729, political pamphlets often made the rounds in Ireland, many of them offering earnest if somewhat misguided solutions to the social ills plaguing the country. Accordingly, the first readers of “A Modest Proposal” might not have caught on to the essay’s satirical intent until they reached the speaker’s startling claim that the flesh of an infant could make a fine “ragout,” a type of stew.

In what is perhaps the climax of the essay, Swift presents his own sincere (you might also say “actual”) thoughts on how best to resolve the situation in Ireland. But he does so backhandedly. Rather than state his proposal outright, he embeds it within the Proposer’s dismissal of any and all solutions that do not involve eating children. These alternatives, which the Proposer criticizes as impossible, will strike the reader as exceedingly reasonable, not to mention humane. The literary term for this rhetorical move—advancing an argument by pretending to refuse it—is apophasis, Greek for literally “speaking off.”

Satire and Sincerity ThemeTracker

Satire and Sincerity Quotes in A Modest Proposal

It is a melancholy object to those who walk through this great town or travel in the country, when they see the streets, the roads, and cabin doors, crowded with beggars of the female sex, followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags and importuning every passenger for an alms.

As to my own part, having turned my thoughts for many years upon this important subject, and maturely weighed the several schemes of our projectors, I have always found them grossly mistaken in their computation.

The number of souls in this kingdom being usually reckoned one million and a half, of these I calculate there may be about 200,000 couple whose wives are breeders; from which number I subtract 30,000 couple who are able to maintain their own children, (although I apprehend there cannot be so many, under the present distresses of the kingdom;) but this being granted, there will remain 170,000 breeders. I again subtract 50,000 for those women who miscarry or whose children die by accident or disease within the year. There only remain 120,000 children of poor parents annually born.

I am assured by our merchants, that a boy or a girl before twelve years old is no saleable commodity; and even when they come to this age they will not yield above 3l. or 3l. 2s. 6d. at most on the exchange; which cannot turn to account either to the parents or kingdom, the charge of nutriment and rags having been at least four times that value.

I shall now therefore humbly propose my own thoughts, which I hope will not be liable to the least objection. I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or broiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee or ragout.

I grant that this food will be somewhat dear, and therefore very proper for landlords, who, as they have already devoured most of the parents, seem to have the best title to the children.

Therefore let no man talk to me of other expedients: of taxing our absentees at 5s. a pound: of using neither clothes nor household furniture except what is of our own growth and manufacture: of utterly rejecting the materials and instruments that promote foreign luxury: of curing the expensiveness of pride, vanity, idleness, and gaming in our women: of introducing a vein of parsimony, prudence, and temperance: of learning to love our country, in the want of which we differ even from Laplanders and the inhabitants of Topinamboo: of quitting our animosities and factions, nor acting any longer like the Jews, who were murdering one another at the very moment their city was taken: of being a little cautious not to sell our country and conscience for nothing: of teaching landlords to have at least one degree of mercy toward their tenants: lastly, of putting a spirit of honesty, industry, and skill into our shopkeepers…

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — A Modest Proposal — Analysis Of Jonathan Swift’s Message In A Modest Proposal

Analysis of Jonathan Swift’s Message in a Modest Proposal

• Categories: A Modest Proposal Satire

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Published: Nov 8, 2021

Words: 973 | Pages: 2 | 5 min read

Jonathan Swift employs satire as a provocative means to address pressing issues in his native Ireland. In his renowned work, "A Modest Proposal," Swift proposes the unthinkable—cannibalism—to draw attention to Ireland's dire circumstances. He underscores the overarching problem: British oppression and the ineffectiveness of both nobility and commoners in resisting it.

Swift perceives the commoners as victims of extreme poverty and heavy taxation, leaving them incapable of engaging in political or social change. Their focus remains on basic survival, given their dire living conditions.

Blame falls heavily on the nobility, seen as complacent in perpetuating British dominance due to incompetence and a fear of losing their privileged positions. Their resistance to new ideas and reluctance to challenge the status quo frustrate Swift, prompting his satirical approach to gain their attention. This inaction stems from a lack of faith in innovative solutions and the fear that confronting the British might jeopardize their power and privileges.

Swift underscores that the failure of both commoners and nobility to unite weakens Ireland, emphasizing that shocking proposals are necessary to capture the attention of those in power and effect change in a nation ensnared by British rule.

Works Cited

• Alvarez, J. (1995). Jonathan Swift: A Critical Introduction. Rowman & Littlefield.
• Bloom, H. (2008). Jonathan Swift. Infobase Publishing.
• Landa, L. (2010). Swift's satires on modernism: batty-langley and the yahoo. The Review of English Studies, 61(250), 1-25.
• O’Rourke, K. H. (2019). Ireland and the global economy in the early modern period: institutions, politics and trade. Springer.
• Rawson, C. (2014). Satire and the emergence of Republicanism in early modern English literature. Routledge.
• Ryan, R. (2017). Swift and Ireland. Oxford University Press.
• Swift, J. (1729). A modest proposal for preventing the children of poor people from being a burden to their parents or country, and for making them beneficial to the publick. Printed for W. Wilkins.
• Swift, J. (2009). A Modest Proposal and Other Satirical Works. Oxford University Press.
• Stewart, A. (2010). Satire, sentiment, and politics: Ambiguity and ambivalence in Jonathan Swift. Oxford University Press.
• Williams, A. (2018). The Cambridge Companion to Jonathan Swift. Cambridge University Press.

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What is the author’s purpose in writing "A Modest Proposal"? to submit a plan to solve an important societal issue to draw attention to an issue that is plaguing his country to show that only an extreme solution can fix poverty to defend those who have avoided falling into poverty

B: to draw attention to an issue that is plaguing his country

B. To draw attention to the problems that plague his country.  

Explanation :

Know more :

https://brainly.com/question/11555146?referrer=searchResults

Related Questions

1. Consider the perspective of the main character. How would you describe Flynn's perspective? What details support your thinking? When describing the character's perspective remember to: 1. Consider the character's wants or desires. 2. Consider the pressures, barriers, or obstacles in the character's way. 3. Identify an experience or experiences that shape the character's perspective. 4. Identify how those experiences shape the character's perspective. 5. Provide textual evidence to support your thinking 6. Claim for perspective: gren’s ghost

1,2,4 Sowwy If im Wrong Plz Don't hat me :3

Explanation:

Which is the best response to receiving a threatening text from a classmate? A.send a threatening text in reply, then block the phone number. B.block the phone number, then contact his phone service provider. C.immediately delete the text, then report the incident to authorities ignore the message, then get a new cell phone number

b.) block the phone number, then contact his phone service provider

just took the test on edge2020

hope this helps! :-D

Select the correct text in the passage. Which two excerpts in the passage supports the claim that Paine believed the cost of the colonists' struggle against the British was well worth the outcome? The Crisis, No. 1 by Thomas Paine (adapted excerpt) ... I turn with the warm ardor of a friend to those who have nobly stood, and are yet determined to stand the matter out: I call not upon a few, but upon all: not on this state or that state, but on every state: up and help us; lay your shoulders to the wheel better have too much force than too little, when so great an object is at stake. Let it be told to the future world, that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive, that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet and to repulse it. Say not that thousands are gone, turn out your tens of thousands; throw not the burden of the day upon Providence, but "show your faith by your works," that you may be blessed. It matters not where you live, or what rank of life you hold the effect or the blessing will reach you all. The far and the near, the home counties and the back, the rich and the poor, will suffer or rejoice alike. The heart that feels not now is cold; the children will criticize his cowardice, who shrinks back at a time when a little might have saved the whole, and made them happy. I love the man that can smile in trouble. that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles. My own line of reasoning is to myself as straight and clear as a ray of light. Not all the treasures of the world, so far as I believe, could have induced me to support an offensive, for I think it wrong; but if a thief breaks into my house, burns and destroys my property, and threatens me, or those that are in it, and to "bind me in all cases whatsoever" to his absolute will, am I to suffer it?

i think its C sorry if im wrong!

Read the two excerpts from the two sections about wrestling in The Ancient City. The boys had to break up the earth to soften it before wrestling. The object of the sport was to throw one’s opponent to the ground. After exercising, the boys went to the bath house to clean up. Each boy had a strigil, a metal scraper to remove the oil and dust, and also a sponge to wash down. No gymnasium has been fully excavated in Athens. ***** The contestants for both styles of wrestling rubbed themselves down with oil and sprinkled fine sand over their bodies before a fight. The ground had to be carefully prepared for wrestling. There are innumerable vase paintings showing athletes with the picks they used to break up the ground. . . . . . . The pankration was by far the most popular event with the crowd. Many of the top contestants became professional wrestlers. Both excerpts suggest that is an important detail in Greek wrestling.

Both excerpts suggest that   breaking up the earth to soften it before wrestling

is an important detail in Greek wrestling because The object of the sport was to throw one’s opponent to the ground.

Both excerpts suggest that

✔ preparing the ground by breaking it up

is an important detail in Greek wrestling.

Read the excerpt below and answer the question. Why, then, 'tis none to you; for there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so (act 2, scene 2) This quotation from Hamlet reflects the fact that Shakespeare lived in a time of _____. humanism revenge tragedy skepticism tragic heroes

Skepticism.

William Shakespeare's revenge play "Hamlet" revolves around the revenge plot of Hamlet, a young prince of Denmark whose father, the king, was murdered by his uncle. The whole play delves into the themes of betrayal, insanity, right and wrong, family ties, and the truth.

Through the quote from Act 2 scene ii of the play, the author Shakespeare not only declares the prison-like state of Denmark and also the mental instability, insecurity, and stress that a person like Hamlet feels. This quotation seems to reflect the fact that Shakespeare lived in a time of skepticism , where there seems to be a lot of insecurities or dilemma in doing things, just like the troubled dilemma of Hamlet in either going forward with his plan or not succumbing to evil.  

its C "skepticism"

Explanation:i just did the assignment

Read the sentence from "Island of Hope, Island of Tears." Immigration officials grouped Chinese herbalists--medical practitioners who use different mixtures of herbs to prevent and treat various ailments--with merchants, and thus they were allowed entry. Which phrase signals a cause-and-effect relationship? who use to prevent and thus they were

the answe1r is c

uhhhhhh it is c ;-; i got it wrong

how does the sidebar help readers better understand the passage

Which sentence best describes the resolution in "The Runaway"? Rachel comes up with ways to help Mrs. Carson and Charlie. Rachel decides to ask her brother to help mend the fence. Rachel learns that Mrs. Carson lives alone. Mrs. Carson gets Charlie back.

The correct answer is Rachel comes up with ways to help Mrs. Carson and Charlie.

In this text we can see how Rachel watches a little chihuaha that got into her garden.

She decides to go looking for the owner and when she really finds her, she realizes that the owner is an elderly woman who was really a good person , and not someone irresponsible who did not take care of her pet.

The resolution of the story is that Rachel decides to help Mrs Carson with everything she could so that her dog does not run away again.

*This question is incomplete. Here is the text you need to answer it:

Rachel glanced up from her math homework and sighed in disgust as she spotted the little black Chihuahua running through her yard. This was the fourth time this month the dog had ambled his way over to their yard. Knowing that she would not be able to focus on her studies until he was secured in their house or at the animal shelter, she got up and went downstairs to see what she could do. One of these days that dog was going to get lost permanently, or worse yet, hurt!

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she could hear her mother leaving a message with the animal control officer, sounding worried and frustrated as well. Rachel’s whole family loved animals and had had numerous pets over the years. It was no surprise that her mother was as concerned as Rachel was.

Rachel couldn’t understand it. How hard is it to keep a dog in a yard or the house? Her own dog, Gus, had escaped from them once as a puppy. But after that, he was always on a leash or in their yard securely behind the fence. There is always a solution to every problem, Rachel thought, and most of the time, it didn’t take a genius to figure it out. Whoever had this dog was not fit to be a pet-owner, she mused to herself.

As she stepped out onto the back porch and into the yard, the little dog came running toward her. Rachel scooped him up, put a slip lead on him, and decided to try to figure out where he lived, although she knew this meant she would be up late finishing her homework. She let her mother know she’d be out for a while and set off.

When she was six blocks away from her house, she heard a feeble voice calling out. As Rachel walked closer, she spotted an elderly woman in a worn yellow housecoat. Was that Mrs. Carson? Rachel hadn’t seen her for years. Mrs. Carson was leaning on a cane and walking unsteadily around her overgrown yard. As Rachel approached the house, she was struck by its neglected state. A broken window had been repaired with tape peeling from age. The house badly needed a fresh coat of paint, and the stairs up to the porch were sagging. This, in addition to the weed-filled yard, made Rachel realize that Mrs. Carson probably lived alone and had no one to help her.

“Charlie!” exclaimed Mrs. Carson when she saw Rachel approaching the house. The elderly woman appeared to be crying tears of relief as she held out her arms to embrace the small dog. Charlie happily licked her face as she held him. She thanked Rachel repeatedly. Mrs. Carson explained that her son had recently passed away, and she had offered to take his dog. Otherwise, she explained, Charlie would have been sent to the animal shelter. As she was talking, Rachel looked down and noticed a very small hole in the fence, just about Charlie-sized.

Ashamed of her earlier harsh judgment, Rachel saw that Charlie was happy and loved being with Mrs. Carson. His staying there was a better alternative to going to the animal shelter. And maybe, Rachel thought, there was a way she could help make things a little easier.

Rachel gave the woman her phone number and told her to call if she needed help with Charlie. She could walk him sometimes or come over and play with him in the backyard. She bet she could talk her brother or best friend into helping her patch the fence to make sure that Charlie would not escape. Maybe she could ask some of the neighbors to come to Mrs. Carson’s house and address some of the basic repairs that were most needed. She was sure they would want to help.

As she was considering all the ways she could help the elderly woman and her dog, she felt her chest expand and her heart fill with happiness and gratitude—for her lovely home, her wonderful pets, and mostly for her family and friends whom she could count on to help her when she needed it.

Answer: The correct answer is. Rachel comes up with ways to help Mrs. Carson and Charlie.

Explanation: i took the test

This is what you u think, can you buy happens or u need to find your happiness.

Find it You cant just buy it-

What should be added to this paragraph to make the witers argument more effective? a formal tone a main problem o the author's viewpoint O the effects of the problem

The effects of the problem.

Should school require to do community service to graduate? does anyone think they can at least write an introduction paragraph with this? It’s an argumentative essay(write an intro paragraph)

yes argument:

Schools should require a set amount of hours of community service for students to graduate. It is an important for students to learn the value of a community. Giving back helps form bonds with the place and people that students grow up in. It can also teach students about having respect for their neighborhood, like picking up waste. Respect for those older than the students is also very important, and would be taught through doing work for an older folks home. Having that learning experience is crucial for helping kids grow into outgoing and outstanding individuals.

no argument:

Schools should not make students engage in community service in order for them to graduate High School. Although giving back to the community is important, many students simply do not have enough time on their hands to achieve the required amount of service. However, the importance of community could be taught in schools so that the importance of community is incorporated into their curriculum. It is unfair to hold students to a goal that they will not be able to accomplish.

What could ferry two or three people?

tbh I don't really understand stand the question so

I got yhis question and i tyink it is a rowboat

Analyze Marc Antony’s speech in this excerpt from Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar and Andrea Mantegna’s painting Triumphs of Caesar. Pay close attention to how each portrays Julius Caesar. In the table below, write the author or artist's purpose, audience, and message.

It can be deduced that the claim in the speech is that Brutus is wrong and that Caesar shouldn't have been killed.

It should be noted that a claim simply means the main stance of the author in an argument.

In this case, Marc Anthony gave his speech at the funeral of Caesar. The purpose of the speech was to prove to the citizens that Brutus was wrong and that Caesar shouldn't have been killed.

Learn more about claims on:

https://brainly.com/question/2748145

Marc Antony’s speech from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar

Purpose: to show that some people respected Caesar and mourned his death.

Audience: people who watched or read the play.

Message: Dictators may have good qualities that make it difficult for citizens to identify the problem in the way they govern.

Andrea Mantegna’s painting Triumphs of Caesar

Purpose: to celebrate Caesar’s battle victories for Rome.

Audience: the general public.

Message: Caesar’s success in his battle campaigns was an important part of Roman history.

Edmentum WORD FOR WORD

Help please will give brainliest.

→ How does Grendel's power compare to what you've read about Beowulf's abilities?

Grendel's power does not compare to Beowulf's abilities because his power was used for a destructive purpose while Beowulf's power was used to redeem the victimized people. Moreso, Beowulf defeated Grendel so he is more powerful than him.

In the poem Beowulf, we learn of a vindictive monster named Grendel who used his powers to terrorize the people of the Dane Kingdom. Then came Beowulf a Scylding who left his kingdom to redeem the Dane's people from the monster. He wrestled him fiercely, giving him some wounds and eventually killing him. When his mother tried to avenge his death, Beowulf still destroyed her.

So, Beowulf was a lot more powerful than Grendel and he did not abuse his powers which was unlike Grendel.

Grendel's power compare  to what you've read about Beowulf's   abilities because:

Based on the complete text from the epic poem Beowulf, we can see that there is a narration about the atrocities of the monster Grendel with the great warrior Beowulf.

As a result of this, we can see that Beowulf comes to the aid of his friend and fellow King so that he could help him kill the monster and return peace to the kingdom.

We are told that no metal or weapon could penetrate the skin of Grendel, but Beowulf fights with his bare hands and after a long fight, he comes out victorious and kills the beast and peace returns.

This shows that both Grendel and Beowulf are both powerful and their battle was fitting.

Read more here:

https://brainly.com/question/19581207

What are the character traits of heroes? Check any that apply. brave in the face of danger determined not to give up motivating because of their actions committed to helping to others selfless; not expecting a reward

its not a right or wrong answer choose the ones you want

READ THE QUESTION

What is theme? How do you determine the theme of a story?

2 examples of ethos in we’ll go forward from this moment?

wdy you mean

Read the excerpt from "A Poem for My Librarian, Mrs. Long." The implicit details in this excerpt best support th conclusion that Mrs Long asking what are you looking for today When I wanted Leaves of Grass or alfred north whitehead She would go to the big library uptown and I now know Hat in hand to ask to borrow so that I might borrow O Mrs. Long feels angry about having to ask to books O the speaker asks for books that were often di to find the speaker appreciates the librarian's efforts her books young children are not allowed to borrow bool their own​

C, the speaker appreciates the librarian’s efforts to get her books

took the test

Answer:the speaker appreciates the librarians efforts to get her books

Edgar Allen Poe’s real mother died at what age

24 years old is when she died

1) what is the ideal business email response time?​

Based on the dialect used throughout The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which of the following statements about the characters within the story is most accurate? Jim’s use of dialect suggests that he is working hard to gain favor with the duke and the king. The king’s use of dialect suggests that he may not actually be a king and is simply posing as one. Huck’s use of dialect suggests that he is just a young boy who wants to fit in with the crowd. The duke’s use of dialect suggests that he really is a duke, attempting to act as a common swindler.

B. The King's use of dialect suggests that he may not actually be a king and is simply posing as one.

The answer is B.

The answer above is right.

Question 1 Part A Which inference can be made about Marie Curie based on "Marie Curie and the Discovery of Radioactivity"? Marie Curie wanted to make money with her discovery of radium. Marie Curie broke gender barriers in the field of science. Marie Curie was not a good businesswoman when it came to her discovery. Marie Curie resented Pierre's work with radium. Question 2 Part B Which evidence from the passage best supports the answer in Part A? "Finally, one day in 1902, they were able to make their announcement to the world." "While Marie had labored to purify radium, Pierre had been experimenting with her samples." "The Curies were awarded the Nobel Prize for physics. Marie Curie became the first woman ever to win a Nobel Prize." "Marie and Pierre refused to charge a penny for their discovery. They believed that the true spirit of science meant sharing knowledge free.

Answer: for part a the answer is murie curie broke gender buriers in the feild of science

for part b the answer is the curies were awarded the nobel prize for physics  murie curie became the first women ever to win the nobel prize

Explanation: i did the test and got it right

Marie Curie broke gender barriers in the field of science is the inference can be made about Marie Curie based on " Marie Curie and the Discovery of Radioactivity .  "The Curies were awarded the Nobel Prize for physics . Marie Curie became the first woman ever to win a Nobel Prize ." is evidence from the passage best supports the answer in Part A. Hnece, options B and C are correct.

Obstacles placed in the way of progress by society that are based on gender bias. The difficulties that female business owners experience in this situation as a result of their gender .

Women face occupational segregation , numerous obstacles, including a lack of access to land, financing, financial resources, and technology , as well as gender-based violence in both the public and private spheres as a result of cultural mindsets and prejudices .

These obstacles could have a variety of effects on people. Someone may find it difficult to obtain the services they may need for their health and well-being as a result of them .

Thus, options B and C are correct.

For more information about gender barriers, click here:

https://brainly.com/question/14100295

Complete the sentences using the past simple or present perfect simple tense of the verbs: 1) I (never/be)...to the USA​

I have never been to the USA. (present perfect)

or simpler:

I have not been to the USA (still present perfect)

Would really appreciate it if anybody knows the Answer

The second one

Spain's empire was coveted by the English, leading to numerous skirmishes between English pirates and privateers and Spanish vessels. English sailors deliberately targeted Spanish shipping around Europe and the Atlantic. This included Sir Francis Drake's burning of over 20 Spanish ships in the port of Cadiz in April 1587.

Hope this helps!

How do the three stanzas of “To Autumn” relate to each other thematically?

Which is the best summary of paragraph seven of the Iroquois Constitution? At the beginning of each council meeting, the Lords must thank one another for attending the meeting. At the beginning of each council meeting, the Lords must acknowledge one another. At the beginning of each council meeting, the Lords must give thanks to one other, the elements of nature, and their Great Creator. At the beginning of each council meeting, the Lords must thank elements of nature such as the winds and the Sun.

Answer:I believe the answer is C

Explanation

What does summarizing a text require you to do. (A). it requires you to use sensory language (B). it requires you to use every single detail. (C). it requires you to decide which pieces of information are the most important (D).it requires you to rewrite an entire passage from a source in your own words

A summary is a shortened version of a text. It contains the main points in the text and is written in your own words. It is a mixture of reducing a long text to a short text and selecting relevant information. A good summary shows that you have understood the text.

the term "genres" as applied to literature refers to

Answer: it refers to the use of different themes used within a novel/ poem. eg class divide

What kinds of divisions led to social tensions and conflicts in North America?

The causes of conflict in North America are primarily political, social, and religious.

Divisions between beliefs, lifestyles or political parties always lead to conflict in a society.

In North America this type of division has been seen a lot in the streets lately, and you can see now that the elections are near.

The divisions by political parties are also very noticeable and make these divisions even more clear.

Each person's ideology is something to be respected, as well as their race , and we have seen a lot of tension around this issue in the last few months.

Editor’s Note

A modest proposal

If there is a word associated with retail pharmacy in recent years, it’s “reboot.” You could also use “restructure,” if you like.

We’re not picky. The bottom line is that major retailers (and regionals) are taking stock. Rite Aid has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and is reportedly closing hundreds of locations. Walgreens, too, has been restructuring to address changing realities and to improve its financial outlook. In addition to naming a new CEO, the company closed stores, cut staff and is eyeing the sale of some divisions.

And after profits fell 37% last year, CVS announced a restructuring plan to terminate certain initiatives as well as its intention to eliminate 5,000 jobs.

So what does all of this have to do with this month’s cover story? Plenty, actually. The way we figure it, companies have been forced to look at all aspects of the business—from staffing to SKUs—and store footprint is an important part of that. Our cover story looks at states that have potential for pharmacies as they right-size their store count and reposition for growth.

Market conditions are tough, but Americans are getting older, leading to consumer demand for pharmaceuticals and other products and services related to health ailments. States with older populations tend to need more pharmacy services.

Age is just one factor to consider when evaluating potential markets, however. Others include population growth, employment levels, education and the competitive landscape. But perhaps the most critical variable in the mix is the state regulatory environment, which has a direct impact on revenue, profitability and staffing.

Naturally, these aren’t the only states that are promising, but the list gives retailers a nice place to start as they retrench and position themselves for the future. You’re welcome!

More Blog Posts in This Series

Forging ahead

Industry, check

Blog Author

Nigel f. maynard.

Nigel F. Maynarad is editor in chief and editorial director of Drug Store News.  Read More

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Guest Essay

Aaron Sorkin: How I Would Script This Moment for Biden and the Democrats

By Aaron Sorkin

Mr. Sorkin is a playwright and screenwriter.

Update: Joe Biden announced on Sunday that he would not seek re-election.

The Paley Center for Media just opened an exhibition celebrating the 25th anniversary of “The West Wing,” the NBC series I wrote from 1999 to 2003. Some of the show’s story points have become outdated in the last quarter-century (the first five minutes of the first episode depended entirely on the audience being unfamiliar with the acronym POTUS), while others turned out to be — well, not prescient, but sadly coincidental.

Gunmen tried to shoot a character after an event with President Bartlet at the end of Season 1. And at the end of the second season, in an episode called “Two Cathedrals,” a serious illness that Bartlet had been concealing from the public had come to light, and the president, hobbled, faced the question of whether to run for re-election. “Yeah,” he said in the third season opener. “And I’m going to win.”

Which is exactly what President Biden has been signaling since the day after his bad night.

Because I needed the “West Wing” audience to find President Bartlet’s intransigence heroic, I didn’t really dramatize any downward pull that his illness was having on his re-election chances. And much more important, I didn’t dramatize any danger posed by Bartlet’s opponent winning.

But what if the show had gone another way?

What if, as a result of Bartlet revealing his illness, polling showed him losing to his likely opponent? And what if that opponent, rather than being simply unexceptional, had been a dump truck of ignorance and bad intentions? What if Bartlet’s opponent had been a dangerous imbecile with an observable psychiatric disorder who related to his supporters on a fourth-grade level and treated the law as something for suckers and poor people? And was a hero to white supremacists?

We’d have had Bartlet drop out of the race and endorse whoever had the best chance of beating the guy.

The problem in the real world is that there isn’t a Democrat who is polling significantly better than Mr. Biden. And quitting, as heroic as it may be in this case, doesn’t really put a lump in our throats.

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Budget 2024: What the new proposals mean for your taxes and finances

• The Budget introduces minor changes for individual taxpayers, with modest adjustments to tax slabs and new deductions. While there are targeted incentives and employment schemes, overall relief is limited.

Individual taxpayers eagerly awaited the Union Budget 2024, anticipating significant tax relief from the Modi 3.0 government. Many expected enhanced deductions or revised tax slabs that would lower overall tax rates.

The Reserve Bank of India's optimistic economic outlook and repeated affirmations of India as the fastest-growing major economy fuelled these expectations. Additionally, the government's strong financial position, buoyed by robust tax revenues and a substantial central bank dividend, had led to hopes for meaningful tax reforms.

However, the actual relief offered by the Budget seems modest by comparison. While the finance minister proposed a slight adjustment in tax slabs and an increase in the standard deduction to ₹ 75,000—resulting in a reduction of approximately ₹ 17,500 in tax burden—the changes fall short of the anticipated overhaul. The deduction for family pensions will also rise from ₹ 15,000 to ₹ 25,000, alongside a boost in the pension scheme deduction from 10% to 14% for those in the new tax regime.

Read this | Budget 2024: How to choose between the old and new tax regimes

The anticipated overhaul of the old tax regime, including enhancements to deductions like those under sections 80C and 80D, did not materialize, reinforcing the government’s push for taxpayers to transition to the new regime. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had highlighted that over two-thirds of individual taxpayers have already opted for this new scheme, and it appears, the government aims to increase this number further.

A notable change involves the tax collected at source (TCS) credit for foreign currency payments, which will now be integrated into the TDS (tax deducted at source) credit calculation, offering significant relief to expatriate employees.

On the capital gains front, the Budget introduced a unified tax rate of 12.5% for long-term capital gains across various asset classes, aiming for simplicity and parity between domestic and foreign investors. However, the abolition of indexation benefits for long-term capital assets could have adverse effects, depending on individual circumstances.

More here | Budget 2024: What changes in capital gains taxes mean for investors

The finance minister also unveiled three employment-linked incentive schemes for first-time employees. Scheme A, in particular, offers a direct benefit transfer equivalent to one month's salary, distributed in three instalments of up to ₹ 15,000, for new hires registered with Employees' Provident Fund Organisation.

Additionally, the introduction of employment-linked incentives, including direct benefit transfers to first-time employees, adds a layer of encouragement for new entrants to the job market.

Overall, while the budget offers some relief, it is a mixed outcome for individual taxpayers. The minor adjustments, coupled with the push towards the new tax regime, suggest that the government’s focus is on streamlining and incentivizing specific tax behaviours rather than delivering broad-based relief.

Ajay Rotti is founder and chief executive, Tax Compaas

• #budget 2024

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