jonathan swift a modest proposal 1729 (satirical essay)

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A Modest Proposal

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A Modest Proposal , satiric essay by Jonathan Swift , published in pamphlet form in 1729.

Presented in the guise of an economic treatise , the essay proposes that the country ameliorate poverty in Ireland by butchering the children of the Irish poor and selling them as food to wealthy English landlords. Swift’s proposal is a savage comment on England’s legal and economic exploitation of Ireland. The essay is a masterpiece of satire , with a blend of rational deliberation and unthinkable conclusion, and its title has come to symbolize any proposition to solve a problem with an effective but outrageous cure.

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — A Modest Proposal — A Rhetorical Analysis of “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift

A Rhetorical Analysis of "A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift

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Published: Aug 1, 2024

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The audience: a modest proposal for the elite, the rhetorical strategies of swift, the broader implications.

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A Modest Proposal

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A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of Poor People From Being a Burden on Their Parents or Country, and for Making Them Beneficial to the Publick , commonly referred to as A Modest Proposal , is a Juvenalian satirical essay written and published anonymously by Jonathan Swift in 1729. Swift suggests that impoverished Irish might ease their economic troubles by selling their children as food for rich gentlemen and ladies. This satirical hyperbole mocks heartless attitudes towards the poor, as well as Irish policy in general.

In English writing, the phrase “a modest proposal” is now conventionally an allusion to this style of straight-faced satire.

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A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift | Summary & Analysis

Who is Jonathan Swift? Jonathan Swift was an Irish writer, poet, and satirist best known for his novel “Gulliver’s Travels” and his satirical essays. One of his most famous works, “A Modest Proposal,” is a satirical essay published in 1729. This essay is often studied for its biting social commentary and clever use of satire.

Table of Contents

Background of “A Modest Proposal”

“A Modest Proposal” was written during a time of great social and economic turmoil in Ireland. The country was suffering from poverty, famine, and overpopulation, and the British government’s policies were exacerbating these issues. Swift wrote “A Modest Proposal” as a way to draw attention to the dire conditions in Ireland and to criticize the British government’s handling of the situation.

Summary of “A Modest Proposal”

In “A Modest Proposal,” Swift presents a shocking solution to Ireland’s poverty problem: he suggests that impoverished Irish families should sell their children as food to wealthy English landlords. Swift argues that this solution would not only alleviate poverty but also provide a new source of income for the Irish people.

Swift’s proposal is presented in a straightforward and logical manner, but it quickly becomes apparent that he is using satire to critique the British government’s indifference to the suffering of the Irish people. By proposing something so outrageous and morally repugnant, Swift forces his readers to confront the reality of the situation in Ireland and to question the policies that have led to such extreme poverty and desperation.

Analysis of “A Modest Proposal”

Swift’s satirical approach is what makes “A Modest Proposal” such a powerful and effective piece of writing. By presenting his proposal in a calm and rational tone, Swift lulls his readers into a false sense of security before shocking them with the absurdity of his suggestion. This technique allows Swift to highlight the absurdity of the British government’s policies and to make a powerful statement about the moral bankruptcy of those in power.

In addition to its satirical elements, “A Modest Proposal” is also a scathing indictment of the social and political conditions in Ireland at the time. Swift uses his proposal to criticize the British government’s economic policies, which he argues have contributed to the poverty and suffering of the Irish people. He also highlights the hypocrisy of the wealthy English landlords who exploit the Irish peasantry for their own gain.

Impact and Reception of “A Modest Proposal”

When “A Modest Proposal” was first published, it caused a sensation and sparked a heated debate about the state of Ireland and the ethics of Swift’s proposal. Some readers were shocked and outraged by Swift’s suggestion, while others recognized it as a brilliant piece of satire that exposed the injustices of the time.

Over the years, “A Modest Proposal” has continued to be studied and analyzed by scholars and students alike. Its enduring relevance is a testament to Swift’s skill as a writer and the power of satire to provoke thought and inspire change.

READ MORE :

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In conclusion, “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift is a masterful work of satire that uses humor and irony to expose the social and political injustices of its time. Swift’s biting critique of the British government and its policies continues to resonate with readers today, making “A Modest Proposal” a timeless classic of English literature.

Was “A Modest Proposal” actually intended to be taken seriously?

No, Jonathan Swift wrote “A Modest Proposal” as a satirical piece intended to criticize the British government’s policies in Ireland. It was not meant to be taken literally.

What was the reaction to “A Modest Proposal” when it was first published?

The essay sparked a heated debate, with some readers outraged by its content and others recognizing it as a work of satire.

What are some of the literary devices used in “A Modest Proposal”?

Swift employs irony, sarcasm, and exaggeration to make his point in “A Modest Proposal.”

What is the significance of the title “A Modest Proposal”?

The title is ironic, as Swift’s proposal is anything but modest. It is a scathing critique of the British government’s policies in Ireland.

Why is “A Modest Proposal” still studied today?

The essay remains relevant because of its powerful social and political commentary, as well as its timeless exploration of the use of satire as a tool for social change.

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A Modest Proposal

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Eating Kids As A Solution To Food Shortages: Why One Famous Writer Once Proposed It In “A Modest Proposal”

After several attempts to instigate policies with parliament, irish writer jonathan swift channeled his ire into a modest proposal , a satirical pamphlet that posited child-eating as the only viable solution to the country's famine..

Wikimedia Commons Johnathon Swift, author of A Modest Proposal .

In 1729, Ireland was struggling.

The country had been under England’s rule for almost 500 years, and economic and social conditions were deteriorating as a direct result of their rule. Trade restrictions had greatly hurt the economy and the lack of work led to rampant poverty and hunger. The sight of beggars in the streets, was a common sight. Overpopulation and overcrowding contributed to the dismal conditions, and there seemed to be little hope that things would improve.

Jonathan Swift was an Anglo-Irish writer, born in Dublin in 1667 to Anglican parents. Although he was part of the ruling class, by the early 1700s Swift had become very involved in Irish politics, and was particularly interested in pointing out how disastrously the unfair politics of the English were impacting the Irish people.

He made several appeals to Irish Parliament to put into place policies that would help the populace, but nothing ever came of them. Frustrated at the lack of progress, he turned to writing.

A Modest Proposal Is Proposed

In his most famous piece of satire, “A Modest Proposal For preventing the Children of Poor People From being a Burthen to Their Parents or Country, and For making them Beneficial to the Publick,” Swift called attention to the plight of the Irish by proposing an outlandish plan to help Ireland’s poor.

He begins A Modest Proposal by describing the sorry state of the majority of Ireland’s population in detailed terms, leading the reader to believe he has a compassionate solution in mind, thus making it even more shocking when he states his proposal:

“I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee, or a ragout.”

Wikimedia Commons The original pamphlet for A Modest Proposal .

Swift wasted no time in calling out the wealthy landowners, whose unfair practices contributed to the Irish struggle, saying “I grant this food will be somewhat dear, and therefore very proper for landlords, who, as they have already devoured most of the parents, seem to have the best title to the children.”

Complicating the problem, Ireland at the time was a largely Roman Catholic country that was being ruled by an English Protestant minority. This contributed significantly to Ireland’s resentment towards English rule.

In A Modest Proposal , Swift called particular attention to this tension, saying that:

“Infant’s flesh will be in season throughout the year, but more plentiful in March, and a little before and after; for we are told by a grave author, an eminent French physician, that fish being a prolifick dyet, there are more children born in Roman Catholick countries about nine months after Lent, the markets will be more glutted than usual, because the number of Popish infants, is at least three to one in this kingdom, and therefore it will have one other collateral advantage, by lessening the number of Papists among us.”

By drawing attention to the large Roman Catholic population, Swift meant obviously parody the anti-Catholic sentiment that was rampant in England at the time.

He closed his argument by challenging politicians, saying:

“I desire those politicians who dislike my overture, and may perhaps be so bold to attempt an answer, that they will first ask the parents of these mortals, whether they would not at this day think it a great happiness to have been sold for food at a year old, in the manner I prescribe, and thereby have avoided such a perpetual scene of misfortunes, as they have since gone through, by the oppression of landlords, the impossibility of paying rent without money or trade, the want of common sustenance, with neither house nor cloaths to cover them from the inclemencies of the weather, and the most inevitable prospect of intailing the like, or greater miseries, upon their breed for ever.”

Despite its shocking premise, the pamphlet did little to shock the public when it was first released. It was largely ignored by critics , and those who did read it recognized the absurdity of its argument and did not take it as a serious proposal.

Of course, Swift most likely never meant for it to be taken seriously by anyone.

But by making such a shocking and distasteful suggestion, he meant to call attention to the severity of the problem that was at hand. In doing so, he also cemented his place in history as the father of Western satire, a form that has been going strong ever since.

Next, check out the Kindlifresserbrunnen, the child-eating statue of Bern . Then, read about the dark side of these beloved children’s books .

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Historical Context in A Modest Proposal

By the time “A Modest Proposal” was published in 1729, Ireland had been under English rule for over 500 years. In the early 1600s, the English crown tasked a small Protestant aristocracy with governing a largely Catholic population. Extant poverty was exacerbated by trade restrictions imposed by England. Ireland was a desperately poor and dangerously overpopulated country, kept poor and weak by English rule. Swift was a member of the Anglo-Irish ruling class and therefore had allegiances to both England and Ireland. In the 1720s, Swift became politically involved in Irish causes, specifically England’s exploitation of Ireland and religious suppression. “A Modest Proposal” was written in response to worsening economic conditions in Ireland and Swift’s perception of the passivity of the Irish people. Swift made multiple appeals and proposals to Irish Parliament to tax landlords, fund Irish industry, and adopt modern agricultural techniques, but he was consistently ignored. His “Modest Proposal” was a frustrated parody of these serious proposals to chastise the ineffectual Irish government, apathetic Irish people, and exploitative English rule.

Historical Context Examples in A Modest Proposal:

A modest proposal by dr. jonathan swift.

"Therefore let no man talk to me of other expedients..."   See in text   (A Modest Proposal by Dr. Jonathan Swift)

Swift hated the English exploitation of his native country and began writing essays in support of Ireland in 1720, culminating in "A Modest Proposal" in 1729. While he sometimes argued that the Irish were also partially to blame for Ireland's problems, he believed that the English were responsible for essentially destroying Ireland's economy and culture.

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"Popish..."   See in text   (A Modest Proposal by Dr. Jonathan Swift)

Swift uses this term, along with papist later to disparagingly refer to Roman Catholics. In the satirical character of his narrator, Swift uses these terms to appeal to anti-Catholic sentiment in London and illustrate attitudes towards Irish Catholics at the time.

"the Pretender..."   See in text   (A Modest Proposal by Dr. Jonathan Swift)

At the time of this essay's publication, Ireland was under the control of Great Britain, a Protestant nation whose main rivals were Spain and France. Swift's early reference to the Pretender—James Francis Edward, the exiled Prince of Wales and a Catholic who claimed the throne—sets some of the foundation for his proposal's support by using the threat of Irish Catholics defecting to further establish the dire conditions.

"they have already devoured..."   See in text   (A Modest Proposal by Dr. Jonathan Swift)

Having written so much about Irish poverty in other essays, Swift deliberately drops some of the objectivity of the projector and breaks character in this passage. Through the use of this metaphor, deliberately chosen to parallel his proposal, he specifically blames the wealthy landlords and the English for abusing the lower classes and creating the poverty that the Irish poor are suffering from.

"having of late destroyed their deer..."   See in text   (A Modest Proposal by Dr. Jonathan Swift)

In addition to blaming England for the conditions in Ireland, Swift continues to target the Irish gentry as being equally at fault for destroying many of the land's natural resources. Note how he crafts this subtle accusation into support for his proposal.

"the famous Salmanaazor..."   See in text   (A Modest Proposal by Dr. Jonathan Swift)

In an attempt to add credibility to his friend’s claim, Swift recalls a conversation with Salmanaazor—Swift’s pseudonym for the historical person George Psalmanazar, a Frenchman who impersonated a Formosan (Taiwanese) and wrote a completely fictitious and gruesome account on the culture of Formosa. By the time Swift published A Modest Proposal, Psalmanazar had confessed to the fraud. Incorporating “Salmanaazor” into his essay as an authority figure further highlights the irony and ridiculousness of his proposal.

A Modest Proposal

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Summary and Study Guide

Summary: “a modest proposal”.

A Modest Proposal For preventing the Children of Poor People From being a Burthen to Their Parents or Country, and For making them Beneficial to the Publick is a satirical essay published anonymously in 1729 by Irish author Jonathan Swift . Using irony and hyperbole , the essay mocks heartless attitudes toward the poor among English and Irish elites by proposing that impoverished families sell their infant children to be killed and eaten by the rich. One of the earliest and most influential examples of satire in the English language, A Modest Proposal continues to serve as a reference point in political debates over issues as varied as climate change, abortion, and health care. The book also helped birth the term “Swiftian,” which is used to describe similarly hyperbolic political parodies.

This guide refers to the Dover Thrift edition first published in 1996.

Swift’s narrator begins his essay in apparent earnest, bemoaning the abject poverty that afflicts families in Dublin, Ireland, and the surrounding countryside. Of particular concern to the narrator are impoverished infants, for whom he sees no future aside from a life of thievery. He therefore resolves to put forward a “fair, cheap, and easy method of making these children sound useful members of the commonwealth” (52).

The narrator goes on to make a diligent accounting of the number of infants born annually in Ireland to indigent mothers, concluding that out of the country’s 200,000 wives of reproductive age, 170,000 are unable to care for their children. From this sum, he subtracts 50,000 to account for miscarriages and infants who die within a year. Here, the narrator’s analysis takes a startling turn, as he offers his thoughts on how best to handle the majority of these 120,000 infants. He writes:

I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee or a ragout (53).

Having established that Ireland would be best served by cannibalizing its poor infants, the narrator supports his argument using the same measured tone as before, despite the barbarity of his proposal. He even puts forth cooking, seasoning, and serving methods to make the most out of an infant carcass. In the interest of thrift, the narrator proposes that buyers also flay the infants and use their hides to make ladies’ gloves and men’s boots.

Concerning why older children should not also be consumed—an idea attributed here to George Psalmanazar , a noted French imposter and contemporary of Swift’s—the narrator cites his aforementioned “American acquaintance” who assures him that schoolboys are too tough to serve as suitable sources of meat, and schoolgirls are too valuable as “breeders” (55). As for the old and infirm, the narrator is satisfied to report that they are presently dying of starvation and cold as quickly as one can expect.

In summary, the narrator lists six major advantages of his proposal: First, it would thin out the number of Catholics in Ireland, given that Catholic infants outnumber Protestant infants three to one. Second, it would give poor tenants something of value to use to pay their landlords. Third, the money normally spent raising children past age two would instead circulate in the local economy. Fourth, each mother would earn a salary of eight shillings a year, should she be in a state of constant breeding. Fifth, infant meat would be a boon to chefs who stand to earn great renown for their unique preparation techniques. Finally, given the profit potential of newborns, men would become as fond of their pregnant wives “as they are now of their mares in foal” (57).

With these benefits in mind, the narrator can see no legitimate objection to his proposal. He is quick to dismiss a series of alternatives, including a tax on absentee landlords, a reliance on goods manufactured in Ireland, abandoning factionalism in favor of unity, and a series of other more sensible reforms and attitudes. Here, the narrator hits on one more advantage of his proposal: It in no way inconveniences England. Finally, the narrator assures the reader that he has nothing to gain financially from such a proposal, given that his youngest child is nine years old and his wife is past her reproductive age.

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A Modest Proposal

Background of the essay, historical background, literary background of a modest proposal, a modest proposal summary, a modest proposal analysis, the pattern of rhetoric, a modest proposal as a a satirical essay, on the irish government, on the irish people, on the english rulers, on utilitarianism, tone of the essay, more from jonathan swift.

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Jonathan Swift, A Modest Proposal

• The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.05 : English Writing and Culture from the Glorious Revolution to the French Revolution , 1689-1789.
• Vol. editors: Paul Baines (University of Liverpool) , Daniel Cook (University of Dundee) , Pat Rogers (University of South Florida) , Nicholas Seager (University of Keele)
• First circulation or publication 1729
• Ireland, Republic of (Eire) (Country of Origin)

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Jonathan Swift’s ironical essay “A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of poor People in Ireland, from being a Burden to their Parents or Country; and for making them beneficial to the Publick”, commonly shortened to “A Modest Proposal”, was printed anonymously in late October 1729. It is the most original of the several tracts that Swift wrote in the 1720s, when he was Dean of St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, to draw attention to the plight of Ireland, the country of his birth. Repressive laws, heavy taxation, and absentee landlordism had for decades crippled the Irish economy. The situation worsened in the late 1720s, when successive harvest failures caused widespread famine and increased beggary. On 11 August 1729, Swift wrote to his friend the poet Alexander Pope…

Citation: Fachard, Alexandre. "A Modest Proposal". The Literary Encyclopedia . First published 02 January 2014 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=7048, accessed 28 September 2024.]

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Seeking Social Justice Through Satire: Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal"

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Jonathan Swift's 1729 pamphlet “A Modest Proposal” is a model for satirizing social problems. In this lesson, students complete multiple readings of Swift's essay: a guided reading with the teacher, a collaborative reading with a peer, and an independent reading. The online Notetaker tool helps students restate key ideas from Swift's essay as they read and elaborate upon these ideas postreading. After independent reading, pairs of students develop a mock television newscast or editorial script, like those found on Saturday Night Live's “Weekend Update,” The Daily Show with Jon Stewart , or The Colbert Report , including appropriate visual images in PowerPoint.

Featured Resources

“A Modest Proposal” : Based upon the text taken from Project Gutenberg, Swift’s essay has been edited to conventionalize spelling and usage, with explanatory footnotes to provide historical and social contexts.

Mock Television Newscast or Editorial Assignment : This printout guides students in the development of their own satiric television newscast or editorial script based on a contemporary social issue.

Evaluation Rubric for Mock Television Newscast or Editorial Assignment : This rubric helps in the evaluation of students’ newscasts and editorial scripts.

From Theory to Practice

• To address students’ needs, teachers should cyclically return to a variety of instructional practices that include (among other things) use of modeling, guided practice, collaboration, and independent practice.
• Pearson and Gallagher’s (1983) gradual release of responsibility model includes three parts: modeling and guiding acquisition of new content, collaborating to refine students’ understanding of it, and presenting opportunities for students to try out new content independently (p.75).

The teacher’s use of guided reading provides students with a model for critical reading and for the sharing of the moves that an experienced reader uses to comprehend a difficult text.

• Langer’s (2002) call for balancing instruction includes separated, simulated, and integrated instruction.
• Separated instruction presents students with concepts, simulated instruction allows students to apply the concepts in specific contexts, and integrated instruction provides students with opportunities to apply their learning within a large and purposeful context of their own creation.

Common Core Standards

This resource has been aligned to the Common Core State Standards for states in which they have been adopted. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, CCSS alignments are forthcoming.

State Standards

This lesson has been aligned to standards in the following states. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, standard alignments are not currently available for that state.

NCTE/IRA National Standards for the English Language Arts

• 1. Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
• 2. Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience.
• 3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
• 6. Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.
• 8. Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
• 12. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

Materials and Technology

• Computer with Internet access and projector
• Computers with word processing (such as Word) and presentation (such as PowerPoint) software
• “A Modest Proposal”
• Guided Reading of “A Modest Proposal”
• Commonly Used Satiric Devices
• Mock Television Newscast or Editorial Assignment
• Evaluation Rubric for Mock Television Newscast or Editorial Assignment
• Rubric for Assessing Guided Reading

Preparation

• Print and review the printouts for the unit: “A Modest Proposal,” Guided Reading of “A Modest Proposal,” Commonly Used Satiric Devices , Mock Television Newscast or Editorial Assignment , Evaluation Rubric for Mock Television Newscast or Editorial Assignment , and Rubric for Assessing Guided Reading .
• Download and make a copy of the deer cartoon from Narrative Magazine: Literary Puzzler: Famous Last Words . Work through the “Analyzing a Single-Panel Cartoon” section of the Guided Reading of “A Modest Proposal” printout.
• Select a mock newscast from a recent episode of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart , The Colbert Report , or the “Weekend Update” segment of Saturday Night Live for your students to view. Schedule any audio-visual equipment you may need to present it to the class. Work through the “Viewing an Episode of a Satiric Television Program” section of the Guided Reading of “A Modest Proposal” printout. Take note of the metacognitive moves that enable you to appreciate the humor of the broadcast.
• Review the websites providing background information on satire on Hodgart on The Conditions of Political Satire and on Swift’s biography and career at Jonathan Swift.biography .
• Read Swift’s “A Modest Proposal,” noting the essay’s overall structure and Swift’s use of various satiric techniques.

I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricasie, or a ragoust. (ll. 58-61)

• Complete a copy of the printout Commonly Used Satiric Devices based upon your reading of “A Modest Proposal.”
• Using the division headings on the Guided Reading of “A Modest Proposal,” jot down your own paraphrases of Swift’s ideas with the online interactive Notetaker .
• Review the PowerPoint Tool Tips .
• Review the Mock Television Newscast or Editorial Assignment and the Evaluation Rubric for Mock Television Newscast or Editorial Assignment .

Student Objectives

Students will

• Enhance their comprehension of an edited and footnoted text of Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” through multiple readings: guided, collaborative, and independent
• Identify Swift’s use of specific literary techniques in “A Modest Proposal” through collaboration
• Collaboratively identify a contemporary social problem, analyze it, and develop an outrageous satiric solution to resolve it
• Write the script for a fake newscast—supported by a PowerPoint presentation as a substitute for the blue screen graphics seen in broadcasts—as a means of presenting a satiric solution for a social problem to an audience

Session 1: Introduction to Guided Reading

• To introduce the idea of guided reading to students, begin by presenting a copy of the single-panel cartoon of two deer from Narrative Magazine: Literary Puzzler: Famous Last Words , and work through the first section, “Analyzing a Single-Panel Cartoon,” on the printout Guided Reading of “A Modest Proposal.”
• As you work with students, ask them to share what specific cognitive steps they used to understand the joke. You may need to share your steps first; however, emphasize that there are likely to be many sets of steps involved, all resulting in getting the joke.
• Introduce the idea of satire to students by presenting, reviewing, and discussing the website Hodgart on The Conditions of Political Satire .
• Ask students to give examples of books, essays, movies, and radio or television programs that employ satire. Ask them what issues these media criticize through the use of satire.
• Prepare students for their viewing of the episode of the satiric television program that you selected by reviewing the “Viewing an Episode of a Satiric Television Program” section of the printout Guided Reading of “A Modest Proposal.”
• Watch the program and discuss students’ various responses, again encouraging students to share the cognitive processes that allowed them to comprehend the satire.

Sessions 2 and 3: Swift’s “A Modest Proposal”

• Distribute the edited text of “A Modest Proposal.” Have students read background material on Swift’s life and career from Jonathan Swift.biography.
• Direct students to turn to the edited version of Swift’s pamphlet that you just distributed, pointing out the title, date of publication, and footnotes and how to use them.
• Complete the Guided Reading of “A Modest Proposal” printout. For each section, pose the question(s) before reading, and allow students to read the section and record their responses before asking them to share their understandings. Be prepared to answer their questions about how you, as an experienced reader, process Swift’s ideas. Use the Rubric for Assessing Guided Reading to evaluate students’ understanding.

Session 4: Techniques Commonly Used in Satire

• Distribute and review the printout Commonly Used Satiric Devices .
• Divide the class into pairs of students. Working collaboratively, have each pair fill in the printout with personal examples.
• Have each pair work collaboratively to locate examples of the techniques within Swift’s “A Modest Proposal.” Note that students’ responses are likely to vary widely. They may not find examples within Swift’s essay for all of the techniques.
• At the end of class, have students share their responses in either small or large groups.

Session 5: Independent Reading

• Have students review their responses to the Guided Reading of “A Modest Proposal” and their work on Commonly Used Satiric Devices .
• Working independently and using the section headings from the Guided Reading of “A Modest Proposal,” have each student paraphrase the major ideas of each section of “A Modest Proposal.” Have them use the online interactive Notetaker .

Session 6: Prewriting for Mock Television Newscast or Editorial Assignment

• Distribute and review the Mock Television Newscast or Editorial Assignment and the Evaluation Rubric for Mock Television Newscast or Editorial Assignment .
• Divide the class into pairs, and have each pair complete the prewriting section of the first printout. Note that you may wish to prescreen specific episodes of the television programs that students viewed and analyzed during Session 1 now in this prewriting section, which repeats the analytical questioning used in Session 1.
• If time permits, have students begin drafting the announcer’s script.

Sessions 7 and 8: Drafting the Mock Television Newscast or Editorial Assignment

• Have students begin or continue drafting their scripts, consulting the Web for supporting information as necessary.
• Once students are satisfied with their drafts, have them begin determining and locating appropriate visual images to accompany the script. (Note that the Mock Television Newscast or Editorial Assignment printout provides suggestions for locating these audio-visual components.)

Session 9: Refining and Rehearsing Their Presentations

• Have students revise and edit their scripts.
• While sitting at computers, have students quietly rehearse their presentations, incorporating their PowerPoint content. Direct students to the PowerPoint Tool Tips printout if they need extra guidance using PowerPoint.

Additional Sessions for Presentations

• Determine the order of students’ presentations. You may wish to have the pairs of students draw numbers to do this. Once students are prepared and know when they’re expected to present, you should be able to complete 5–6 presentations in a class session. For example, for a class of 24 students making 12 presentations, you’ll need two to three class periods.
• To encourage better listening, ask students to complete their own Evaluation Rubric for Mock Television Newscast or Editorial Assignment printouts to evaluate each presentation.

As a means of publication, digitally record and post several of the presentations to the website for either your class or your school. Be certain to secure written consent from your students’ parents first.

Student Assessment / Reflections

• Observe student participation in the guided reading sessions. Collect students’ Guided Reading of “A Modest Proposal” printouts. On these, make comments about students’ work and address any individual questions that students pose. Because students’ responses to the activities are designed to scaffold their reading of satire, view these responses as pieces of expressive discourse where the emphasis is upon exploring ideas and understandings, not upon getting correct answers or writing well. With this type of writing, it’s better to ignore grammar, usage, and mechanics. To guide assessment of student participation in these activities, see the Rubric for Assessing Guided Reading .
• Collect, quickly review, and briefly comment on students’ work on Commonly Used Satiric Devices. Check for completion and in order to monitor students’ understanding and application of concepts.
• Use the Evaluation Rubric for Mock Television Newscast or Editorial Assignment to evaluate both students’ scripts and their presentations.

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