A “Modest” Proposal
In this essay, “A Modest Proposal,” Jonathon Swift, the author, writes perhaps the most
famous and most skilled example of persuasive writing used for the purpose of satire. Satire is
a kind of writing that ridicules human vice or folly for the purpose of inspiring social reform.
Satirists often use irony to emphasize important points. In this piece, Swift risks appearing as
a monster himself in order to expose the monstrous behavior of others.
Consider some of the issues that plague our own society. Explain an issue that is close to your
heart, and explain what our society does to remedy the issue. Determine how effective it is.
What would you do, if you were king of the world, to fix the issue once and for all?
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When reading Swift’s essay, take a look at how he uses persuasive techniques. Find an example
of each of the following techniques and describe the effects of each one (include page number).
1) Logical appeal: Using evidence such as facts or statistics to support a position
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2) Emotional appeals: Passages that use words that arouse strong feelings
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3) Ethical appeals: Passages that establish the writer’s qualifications and sincerity
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The critic Victoria Glendinning writes that Swift “sought to shock and shame the British
government by taking their unthinking inhumanity to its logical, horrible conclusion. The Modest
Proposal. . .is still shocking today. It is also funny, which makes it doubly shocking.”
Discuss whether you agree with Glendinning. Provide reasons and examples to justify your
thinking.
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Pretend you are a modern social worker, educator, environmentalist, or military advisor to the
president. Attack an evil you see in the world by writing an ironic proposal for its solution—a
proposal so outrageous that readers will see at once the severity of the problem. Remember
that some readers may miss your irony and attack your for insensitivity, just as some people
attacked Swift. To lessen this possibility, make your moral outrage clear by the sheer
outrageousness of your exaggerations. Your proposal should be a minimum of 2 pages. Be
certain to include logical, emotional and ethical appeals. Highlight and label each appeal in your
writing.
Use the space provided below in order to brainstorm your ideas.
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