A Modest Proposal was an essay based on satire,by Jonathan Swift. He depicted the horrific conditions of Ireland and the lives of the Irish people in 1729. The problem being that England controlled Ireland, and due to the growing population at the time, the population had to be cut down. This would "Prevent the Children of Poor People from Being a Burthen to their Parents, or the Country, and for Making them Beneficial to the Public" p. 284.
Their were overcrowded living conditions, and overpopulation was a problem. Absentee landlords was also a very common problem, so even if people did have a place to live, chances were it was a mess, and was run down. Living conditions were so bad that Swift was outraged that the government allowed people to be living they way they were (being Irish himself).
Swift felt it was his duty as a human being to express to the English the horrific conditions of the Irish people were in.
Jonathan Swift, by Charles Jervas (died 1739). See...
Jonathan Swift, one of the foremost prose satirist...
Bust of Jonathan Swift near his burial spot in St....His use of irony was his way to get the point out to the people of England, in hopes that they would offer a better social plan that could benefit the economies of Ireland and England, and more importantly, the people themselves.
Swift begins by outrageously describing the streets of Ireland. He is so outraged at what little is being done to solve the poverty issue, that he satireley makes his own solution to the problem. Perhaps he thought if he made such an outrageous solution, the government would realize what a problem it really is. The message Swift wanted to get out was if children must live in these poor conditions, they mise will die now, where at least society can benefit somewhat.
Swift just wanted to end the economic crisis of the country.