My take on "A Modest Proposal" from a posted artilce

In Jonathan Swift’s satirical story, “A Modest Proposal,” Swift argues that the solution to poverty and prostitution would be to convert their society into cannibalism. Clearly, Swift is making this argument to draw attention to the mistreatment of the impoverished in Irish society and mocks the lack of government intervention in the matter. I believe this proposal causes attention to the poor and demands a change and a possible uprising from the poor, the women, the begging children, and force attention from the men that are responsible.
Swift starts out with proposing of change to the newborns. Malnourishment, and by the age of one, extermination. “…a child just dropped from its dam, may be supported by her milk for a solar year with little other nourishment; at most, not above the value of two shillings…”(Swift, 484). This starts the emotional uprising of the poor by threatening the lives and value of their children. It is there to open their eyes as to what the Government is causing and how their actions are valuing the children of Ireland. His sarcasm brings light that the Government views the poor as a “useless burden” and returns the favor by providing a horrible solution. In Louis Landa’s Journal article “A Modest Proposal and Populousness” she states “the people are the riches in a nation” even in Ireland. People meaning the citizens, not who they work for, being the Government. They can rise against the ridiculousness of poverty and begging and demand freedom and rights and attention. “…a portion of the population is a useless burden and that under certain condition useless people could become a source of wealth to the nation.” (Landa, 162). Only the people have the opportunity to change, a riot is needed to regain their wealth and reputation of the nation of Ireland.
Continuing on throughout the text, Swift introduces the idea of eating the young children for nourishment and depletion of ‘burdens’. “…a young healthy child, well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled;” (Swift, 485). Swift makes it obvious in his proposal that the people of Ireland are indeed, not the richness of the nation. The way he is demining the children’s value, comparing them to “sheep, black cattle, or swine” (Swift 487). It’s a rhetorical tactic to wake the people up. “Swift seemed to be aware…of the contradiction in the mercantilist attitude that the wealth of a country was based on the poverty of the majority of it’s subjects.” (Landa 165). Swift doesn’t seem to believe that a reduction of the population solves the problem in Ireland. If he did, he wouldn’t be using cannibalism as a problem solving tactic, as his rhetoric sarcastic strategy. If he did, he would’ve suggested the popular move, immigration to the Americas. He mentions the benefits of Ireland by this crazy proposal, children being “ valuable” but not in the humanistic way, in a trade way. “[children] can help pay their landlord’s rent; their corn and cattle being already seized, and money a thing unknown.” (Swift 487). He then goes on to put a money price on the children, what they’d be worth, but does not mention how the population would decrease.
http://www.helium.com/items/307579-literary-analysis-a-modest-proposal-by-jonathan-swift