Why do Swift refuse to consider young boys as a replacement for venison in modest proposal?

In Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal," he refuses to consider young boys as a replacement for venison primarily because it underscores the absurdity of his satirical argument. By suggesting that the poor should sell their children as food, he highlights the inhumanity of treating human beings as commodities. Swift’s focus on children, rather than just boys, emphasizes the broader social critique of how society neglects the impoverished and their plight. Ultimately, his proposal serves to shock readers into recognizing the moral failures of contemporary attitudes toward poverty and social responsibility.