A Modest Proposal
Group Project—2 to 4 members
Now that we have read Swift’s “A Modest Proposal,” your group is going to propose its own outrageous
solution to a pressing contemporary problem. This problem can exist at school, in the community, the state, the
country, or the world. Like Swift’s proposal, your essay should include appeals to logos, pathos, and ethos, and
make heavy use of verbal irony. Follow Swift’s framework of setting up the problem, offering your solution,
and then persuading the reader that it is the best and most logical answer. Also follow Swift’s example of
offering more legitimate but supposedly “unfit” solutions somewhere in the essay. Try to close with a chilling
justification for your solution (Swift argues that the homeless, starving poor in Ireland will readily tell you
they’d be better off if they had been sold for food as infants).
1. As a group, brainstorm a list of at least three possible contemporary problems. For each problem,
come up with one or two “over-the-top” solutions.
2. Agree upon one problem and solution from your list and run with it. Research the problem (appeals
to logos include data) and failed attempts to solve it.
3. Write your rough draft, following Swift’s model as instructed above. Make sure to include appeals to
logos (logic), pathos (emotion), and ethos (why should we listen to you?). Remember that this is satire,
and satire relies heavily on verbal irony. This is a formal essay. Your speaker may use first-person
pronouns, but avoid excessive use of phrases like “I think, “I feel,” or “I believe,” as these will make
your argument sound weak. (You can also speak as “We” to acknowledge that your “committee” agreed
upon this solution.)
4. Revise and edit. Your final draft should be completely free of spelling, grammatical, and punctuation
errors.
5. Publish! We will type these up and distribute them just like Swift did.
Notes:
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Complete the tasks in boldface today. End of class -- Turn in 3 contemporary problems with
satirical solutions.
•
Fee free to satirize a situation at CHS or in Helena, but Do NOT satirize specific persons at CHS
(No hurt feelings, okay?). Public figures in state and national politics are okay.
•
You must work with a group today, but if you prefer to write your own satire, go right ahead.
•
5/1 or 5/2—One day in computer lab to work on this project with your group. Your dazzling,
scathing satire is due Monday, 5/ 7
To Get You Started. . . .
A satire ridicules certain behaviors or attitudes in society. In Swift's case, he was mocking the
condescending attitude of English society of his time regarding the problem of dealing with poor Irish families
and their children. The British are known historically for a sense of superiority (feeling they are better than
others).
Your assignment has to be an idea that works for you, but look for a current problem and propose an
outrageous solution for the problem (such as Swift's proposal that the rich eat the poor Irish children to
reduce the burden on society). Try to include some real life statistics or opinions on the issue and then
exaggerate the solution. One example might be illegal immigration from Mexico. Some have proposed ideas
like building a giant wall along the entire border or rounding up all illegal immigrants, putting them on
buses, and dumping them across the border. Not very practical solutions, but you might come up with
something even more over the top.
Also, search through news items and see if they have any potential for satire. What about the recent
controversy over the costumes of the Russian skaters who participated in the dancing on ice? They were
dressed as Aborigines and some native Australians took exception to certain aspects of the routine as well as
the costumes. Perhaps, you can suggest what can be done to prevent offending any ethnic or cultural group
in the next Olympics. (Remember if you think what happened is a little carried away, then your satire makes
things even more carried away.)
George Orwell satirized political correctness in his novel 1984 as he had characters use doublespeak and
newspeak. So, another idea is to satirize our society's supreme efforts to be careful not to say anything that
can be misconstrued as offensive to any group in order to not end up on the news or in the unemployment
line. So, a guidebook can be published for people, or something that is extreme.
A controversial group is the PETA organization that has saved lobsters from the restaurants. One woman
drove a lobster over a hundred miles to return it to Maine. If you think this is rather excessive, you could
satirize this, suggesting that flies and mosquitoes that are lost are returned to their place of birth--or
something as preposterous. Research PETA—they’ve done lots of satire-worthy stuff (throwing red paint on
models wearing fur, for one)