Question

"A Modest Proposal" What problem does the speaker describe in the opening paragraph of "A Modest Proposal"? a. Too many Irish people are immigrating to other countries. b. Many Irish people are too poor to feed their children. c. The Irish government has caused poverty by over-taxing the people. d. Traveling throughout Ireland is difficult.

Answer 1

Answer:

B). Many Irish people are too poor to feed their children.

Explanation:

'A Modest Proposal' is one of the most admired and acknowledged satires of Swift which primarily intends to portray the reality of extreme prevailing poverty in Ireland and critique England's constant legal as well as economic exploitation of Irish people by using parody and exaggeration along with irony and absurdity.

As per the question, the key issue that Swift highlights in the very opening paragraph of the essay is 'several Irish people suffering even to feed their children.' He exposes the chronic poverty that Irish people were undergoing which was a consequence of the relentless pursuit of power and wealth by English hypocrites. He satirizes how these wealthy monsters have utterly exploited these poor people(and their resources) that they are not even left with food to feed their little children. Therefore, option B is the correct answer.