A euphemism is a presentation of something less important than it actually is. Jonathan Swift uses euphemisms to portray statements as less important than they actually are, in order to draw attention to them. For example, "And further, it is not improbable that some scrupulous persons may be inclined to censure such a practice, (though indeed very unjustly) as a little bordering on cruelty..." (Jonathan Swift, Paragraph 17, Lines 128-129). Jonathan Swift writes that some moral people might find this practice of eating children a bit cruel. This is a huge understatement of human life, as Swift only describes eating children as an act bordering on cruelty. The use of euphemisms helps show how absurd Swift's proposal is and requires the creation of a rational plan. Thus, Jonathan Swift uses euphemism to call attention to statements by making them seem less