A Question Why would someone strip you of your rights slowly over time, rather than all at once?

Discriminatory Acts All Catholic clergy must leave the country. Eventually, some low level clergymen could stay but had to register (pay large sums of cash) and had to stay within x number of feet away from major cities at all times. Cannot possess any weapons

More Discriminatory Acts Children cannot be educated abroad Cannot buy land if you’re Catholic Cannot inherit land if you’re Catholic Cannot lease anything for longer than a term of 31 years if you’re Catholic

Even More… Cannot practice law Cannot hold a government office Cannot be a part of a jury Cannot join/serve in the military There can be no gatherings of more than five people, unless those people are related.

Swift’s Reasoning The consequences of these laws and the state of the Irish Catholics are what he addresses in “A Modest Proposal”. He sees that no one is doing anything to change the conditions (starvation, poverty, overpopulation, etc.) so this is his call to arms.

Why would he do it that way? Swift’s Proposal Instead of revisiting the facts that everyone already knows he arms himself with the tools of satire and he writes a serious essay with a preposterous/monstrous solution…but hidden within the essay are actual real solutions… Why would he do it that way?