Swift used satire in "A Modest Proposal" to an aspect of English society.

The use of satire in "A Modest Proposal" is directed to the rich people in the society. It is a way of criticizing the lack of concern and the feeling of apathy of the rich towards the poor, particularly the poor children. Of course, it would be inhuman to use the poor children as food for the rich but this illustration is tantamount to the brutal reality that the rich landlords ignore the plight of their poor tenants. The grim apathy is equivalent to killing the children silently yet intentionally. This is not simply physical death but the death of their future and their dreams.