Question

In Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal, Swift says, "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." What does he mean when he says the landlords devoured the parents?

Answer 1

Jonathan Swift's 'devoured the parents' metaphor in 'A Modest Proposal' critiques the landlords' exploitation of Irish tenants, suggesting their economic practices figuratively consume the livelihoods of the poor.

Step-by-step explanation:

In Jonathan Swift's satirical work, A Modest Proposal, the phrase "the landlords devoured the parents" uses a metaphor to criticize the oppressive economic practices of landlords in 18th-century Ireland. Swift suggests that the landlords are figuratively consuming the well-being and resources of the tenants, leaving them impoverished and unable to care for their children. Therefore, in a bitterly ironic tone, Swift proposes that the children might as well be treated as a source of food, highlighting the dire economic exploitation of the poor by the wealthy landowners.