Write Your Own Modest Proposal Five-Paragraph Essay Assignment
***** 55 points ******
Assignment: After reading Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal,” write your own half-serious satirical
solution to a problem in modern American society.
Some specifics: Your final product should be at least five paragraphs long. It should have a structure similar
to Swift’s essay, should contain a similarly sarcastic tone, and should implement some (if not all) of the four
major satirical techniques: exaggeration (hyperbole), incongruity, parody, and reversal. Your argument
should also include all of the rhetorical appeals: logical, ethical, and emotional (logos, ethos, pathos).
Grading: This essay is worth 55 points (plus a possible 5 points extra credit). It counts as a term grade but
also is included in your CRES Portfolio as ECR and LU scores.
Process:
1. Read and analyze Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal.” Note the structure and tone of the
essay, as well as Swift’s use of satirical techniques.
2. Brainstorm societal problems that you might want to address (i.e., the famine in Ireland, which
Swift addresses). Your problem should be something that impacts our nation’s society as a
whole, so don’t pick something that only applies to Tuscarora High School.
3. Outline and write your essay. You may feel free to add additional paragraphs where
appropriate, but your essay should follow the basic model below:
a. 25-30 word subtitle. Your essay should be called “A Modest Proposal,” but the subtitle
should flesh out what societal problem you are trying to solve (without giving away your
“shocking” element). (Swift’s full title is “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 Public.” Shoot for something like that.)
b. Paragraph 1: A clear first paragraph that contains an indelible image of your societal
problem. (Swift’s image in his first paragraph is that of the mother with six children
dressed in rags begging for alms. Try to include an image of your problem that elicits
the readers’ sympathies – pathos – in a similar way.)
c. Paragraph 2: A paragraph description of your shocking solution. (This is like the
paragraph in which Swift talks “delicious and nourishing” babies and appeals to readers’
sense of right and wrong – ethos.)
d. Paragraph 3: A list of six clearly labeled “logical reasons” (logos) for why your solution
would work. (Label your sentences “firstly,” “secondly,” “thirdly,” as Swift does.)
e. Paragraph 4: An italicized paragraph describing your response to the opposition’s
argument. (Note Swift’s italicized points, which are realistic and sensible solutions, on
pages 586-587 for guidance on this.)
f.
Paragraph 5: Conclusion. State the problem again (reword it though) and how your
proposed solution will solve it.
4. Remember to proofread your final essay. MS Word’s spell check does not catch everything!
5. DUE DATE: _____________________________________________
Turn in your essay on time. The late policy states that 10% will be deducted from your final
grade for each day late. Essays will not be accepted after five days past the due date.
Name: ________________________________ Date Submitted: _____________________ Block: _____
Write Your Own Modest Proposal
Five-Paragraph Essay Assignment
55 Points
Grading Rubric (Please attach to your assignment when you hand it in):
Possible Points
Subtitle
P1: Indelible Image
P2: Shocking Solution
P3: “Logical” Reasons
P4: Opponent’s Argument
P5: Conclusion
Total Score
10% deduction for each day late
Extra Credit*
5
10
10
10
10
10
55
-5.5 x____ days
5
Your Score
+
FINAL GRADE
*Note on Extra Credit: Up to five points of extra credit will be awarded for your use of elevated
vocabulary – like “melancholy” and “prodigious,” both of which Swift uses in his first few paragraphs.
Comments:
CRES Scores
ECR
LU
%
%