2. paragraph 4
As to my own part, having turned my thoughts for many years upon this important subject, and maturely weighed the several schemes of other projectors, I have always found them grossly mistaken in the computation. It is true, a child just dropped from its dam may be supported by her milk for a solar year, with little other nourishment; at most not above the value of 2s., 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.
paragraph 6
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 couples 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 an 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 remains one 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; we 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.
paragraph 7
I am assured by our merchants, that a boy or a girl before twelve years old is no salable 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 nutriment and rags having been at least four times that value.
3. With the title as A Modest Proposal i think readers would know that the author is being ironic at paragaph 9 when the author starts talking about eating kids. That is anything but modest.
4. I think Swift's main target are the British for treating the Irish so poorly but i also think he feels the Irish have not tried their hardest to better themselves because he says that that the irish womans main occupation is begging and the boys become theives. it is clear that Swift doesn't think to highly of the Irish
5. I think the essay is more than a satiracle attack, Swift is making the point that the Irish need to get themselves together and they cant do that with the way things are in Ireland at the time.
6. In the last paragraph Swift says that he is not serious, but he calls the proposal a "nessacary work" and confesses that he has no children to donate to the cause because his youngest is nine and his wife is past child bearing. i think he is joking in his last paragraph, he leaves readers wondering if he is serious or not.
7. I can't spot any other techniques. I have worked in labor jobs before. I never rebelled. I think that anger and frustration play key roles in rebellion. If people are unhappy with the way they are being treated i think its their duty to speak up for their rights.
8. It could be done if you sold the meat labeled as La BaeBei no one could resist it.
