By focusing on elements such as how the babies should be fattened up, served, and prepared Swift actually minimizes the horror of his proposal. In addition, by mentioning the fact that some of his "breeders" already seek to terminate their children, whether through abortion or by killing newborns, Swift continues to minimize the horror of his proposal. After all, the thought of ripping a year-old babe from the arms of a loving mother so that it can be served up as a meal is absolutely awful, it does not compare with the horror of a mother doing something to willfully hurt her child.

Because Swift's argument did not go far enough, his satire does not make me feel as uncomfortable as one might imagine. There is something very flippant about the author's tone, which detracts from the seriousness of his proposal. Because it never seems like a serious proposal, it...
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