A Modest Proposal Foreignness and "The Other" Quotes Page 2
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| Quote #4 The number of souls in this kingdom being usually reckoned one million and half, of these I calculate there may be about two hundred thousand couple whose wives are breeders (6) |
Referring to someone as a "breeder" might not get you past a first date. Used in this context, the word is meant to be dehumanizing.
| Quote #5 They can very seldom pick up a livelihood by stealing […], although I confess they learn the rudiments much earlier, during which time they can however be properly looked upon only as probationers […] as I have been informed by a principal gentleman in the country of Cavan (7) |
The narrator draws a distinct boundary between "a gentleman" and the rapscallions who learn to steal from birth.
| Quote #6 I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London that a young healthy child well nursed is at a year a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food (10) |
The "knowing American" has been read as a Native American with knowledge of exotic foods. Why does Swift include this reference?
