A Modest Proposal
by Jonathan Swift
History:
By 1700, Ireland was so completely dominated by England that it seemed like a
conquered territory. All the laws governing Ireland came from the English
Parliament. The English also strangled the country by restricting Irish trade
economically by restricting Irish trade and agriculture so that few jobs were
available. Even in the best years, life was harsh for Ireland’s poor. When crops
failed—as they did several years during the 1770s—many faced starvation.
Religious and class divisions fostered by the English added to Ireland’s political
and economic woes. The vast majority of Irish were Roman Catholics, who
according to English law could not own land and consequently had to pay high
rents. Most of the landowners and officeholders were Anglo-Irish Anglicans—
people like Swift who were of English ancestry and members of the Protestant
church of England. (The Language of Literature)
Key terms:
Verbal irony – saying the opposite of what is meant
Horatian satire – playful, seeks to correct vice gently and sympathetically
Juvenalian satire – dark and biting, criticizes social injustice and corruption with
scorn and outrage
Vocabulary:
animosity
deference
deplorable
emulation
encumbrance
expedient
perpetual
prodigious
proficiency
rudiment
All vocabulary words MUST be used in your own Modest Proposal. Make sure
that you know what they mean and how to use them correctly.
Prewrite:
Write for 7 minutes – without stopping - about a situation that has upset or
angered you. Think about a social situation that you feel is unjust. Get on your
soapbox and write as much as you can.
Discussion Questions:
 What tone is conveyed by the mathematical calculations?
 How does Swift view Americans, the poor, the Roman Catholics, the
Protestants?
 Identify three specific examples of satire.
 When is Swift most serious in this essay?
Homework:
Using either Horatian or Juvenalian satire, and mimicking the style used by Swift,
write your own Modest Proposal. It should be 500 - 700 words long and should
address a serious issue that you feel strongly about. The more strongly you feel
about the issue, the easier it will be for you to write about it. Chose a current
issue like the education budget cuts, the pending war with Iraq or terrorism.
Try to shock, amuse and arouse your readers to outrage.
In the introduction: make the reader aware of the issue that you are addressing.
This should be a 50 – 75 word section in which you provide facts about your
issue.
In the body: Go for it. Explain your proposal; be as shocking as you can without
becoming offensive or inappropriate. Remember, you want to arouse outrage not
disgust.
In the conclusion: Explain why a more conventional approach will not work in this
situation. Explain why your proposal is the best for this situation at this point in
time.
Homework is due on March 13/14, 2003 and is worth 100 points.
Talk Show:
You will be assigned a specific role in the show. All roles will be taken from
Swift’s Modest Proposal. There will be characters like: Swift himself, Irish
peasants, clergy, English Royalty, Irish children, Americans and so on.
You may dress, act and speak the part – points will be given for participation.
The director and host will run the show and will lead the debate.
The situation is this: It is 1729 and Swift’s Modest Proposal has just been
published. All the characters are either outraged or enthusiastic about the
proposal.