2. Read the following excerpt from Jonathan Swift's 'A Modest Proposal": I do therefore humbly offer it to public 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.
How does the author's word choice in this excerpt imply a message other than the
one explicitly stated? Analyze specific phrases within the excerpt and explain how
they help the writing to function as satire. Support your answer with evidence from
this excerpt and from your general knowledge of "A Modest Proposal" (10 points)