Jonathan Swift: Poems
when does the reader begin to relize the essay is ironic?
a modest proposal
a modest proposal
I think as soon as Swift proposes the solution to poverty in Ireland, is eating babies primarily to the babies of the poor; the title of the piece states that this is a proposal for making the “children of poor people” ultimately “beneficial to the public.”
http://www.gradesaver.com/a-modest-proposal-and-other-stories/study-guide/major-themes/
I also think that "satirical" would fit better than "ironical".