To respond further to the satirical approach in "A Modest Proposal," Swift suggests that the English and Irish landowners are literally killing the poor Irish by causing the poverty and misery of the population. That his "modest proposal" is directed at England is unquestionable when Swift writes that since the meat of the babies would not withstand preservation in salt for long sea voyages, he could suggest a country that would be glad to eat up the entire nation. And, like all good satire, Swift does provide a realistic list of alternative solutions to Ireland's problems of poverty and neglect:
...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,....Of quitting our animosities and factions, nor acting any longer like those 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;...Lastly, of putting a spirit of honesty, industry, and skill into our shop-keepers,...
Unfortunately, this great work of satire did not obtain the reaction that it desired, for none of Swifts's real and truly "modest" proposals were followed.
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