A Modest Proposal

“A Modest Proposal”

• Genre: Satirical prose
• Originally Published: 1729
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 1520L; grades 10-12; college/adult
• Central Concern: An unnamed narrator establishes the argument that something must be done about the number of destitute infants in 18th-century Ireland, then advocates satirically for those infants to be used as a food source for the wealthy.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Economic disparity; disturbing imagery

Jonathan Swift, Author

• Bio: 1667-1745; born in Dublin, lived in England as an adult, then returned to Ireland permanently in 1714; Anglo-Irish essayist, poet, and satirist; political journalist; wrote several great works later in life while serving as Dean of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin; well-known for his satirical prose
• Other Works: A Tale of a Tub (1704); “An Argument Against Abolishing Christianity” (1712); Gulliver’s Travels (1726)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• Reform Efforts’ Failure to Address Income Inequality
• The Dehumanizing Attitudes Held by the Rich Toward the Poor
• Political and Religious Tensions in Early 18th-Century Ireland

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Gain a deeper understanding of the effects of income inequality on societies
• Study paired texts and other resources to make connections via the text’s themes of Reform Efforts’ Failure and Dehumanizing Attitudes
• Develop a creative written response that demonstrates an understanding of satire
• Analyze Swift’s satirical approach and use of literary devices to draw conclusions in structured essay responses on religion, gender, and other topics