Final answer:
Swift's 'A Modest Proposal' stereotypes the Irish as a burden on society, lacking in industry, honesty, and skill, which dehumanizes them and justifies English oppressive policies.
Step-by-step explanation:
In A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift, the narrator's stereotype of the Irish comes across as them being a burden on society. This perception is evident when the narrator discusses how converting the children into marketable commodities would supposedly solve the problem of poverty and population in Ireland. Swift satirizes the English perspective, presenting the Irish through a distorted stereotype that they lack industry, honesty, and skill, as seen in the proposal to promote dishonesty among shopkeepers to cheat their customers.
The details that reveal this stereotype include the absurdity of the proposal itself, which treats the Irish as mere commodities, and the narrator's critique of Irish people's alleged lack of prudence and temperance. Additionally, a stereotype of the Irish being ready to sell their country and consciences for nothing is presented. These stereotypes serve to dehumanize the Irish and justify oppressive policies by painting them as incapable of contributing positively to society or managing their own affairs without English intervention.