Question

Whom or what is Swift criticizing in his satire, and what techniques does he use to make his point? Write a two- to three-sentence response, using examples from the text to support your answer.

Answer 1

Swift attacks the British and Anglo‑Irish ruling classes and heartless economic thinkers who treat Ireland’s poor as mere commodities, blaming their policies and indifference for widespread suffering (he begins by lamenting “the streets... crowded with beggars”). He uses savage irony, hyperbole, and a mock‑economic tone—most famously proposing to sell and eat children as “a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food”—and frames his argument with faux‑scientific statistics and disclaimers like “I profess... I have not the least personal interest” to expose moral hypocrisy.