A Modest Proposal

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. Based on your own understanding, observations, studies, and experience, consider some of the effects of poverty on societies. How does income inequality contribute to the relationship between the wealthy and the poor in society? What other facets of society are impacted by wealth disparity?

Teaching Suggestion: This question dives into the heart of Swift’s satire and broaches the theme of Reform Efforts’ Failure to Address Income Equality in 18th-century Ireland. Students might make connections between the problem in Swift’s sphere to similar issues witnessed worldwide, nationally, regionally, or in their own communities. Students might discuss the effect that income inequality has on relations between social classes; if so, you might introduce the narrator of the essay as a presumably wealthy individual who proposes an absurd solution to addressing income inequality, thereby indicating that he is out-of-touch with the needs of the impoverished.

• This research article entitled “New Perspectives on Global Inequality Throughout History”  (Luiten van Zanden, et al) provides an academic analysis of income inequality and other societal disparities on a global scale. While complex in content, this article might be useful in showing how income inequality is a historically pervasive subject.
• This entry from Britannica on “A Modest Proposal” precedes a biography on Swift which discusses his work’s context within 18th-century Anglo-Irish literature.

Short Activity

Jonathan Swift is well known as a satirist. With your class, discuss the definition of the term satire. What are some additional examples of satirical works? Independently or in a small group, select another of Swift’s texts to research briefly. Does the text demonstrate satirical characteristics? In what way does Swift convey his personal opinions in the text?

Teaching Suggestion: Students unfamiliar with the nuances of satire may benefit from a supplied definition or a few teacher-generated examples to inspire their thinking. For those reviewing the term, discussion and examples at a more advanced level might include elements and types of satire. As students investigate a second Swift text, complementary articles that evaluate the use of satire might aid in analysis. If time permits, students might share their findings to cap the activity.

• This overview from Britannica on satire gives a historical account of the form and places it contextually in popular media and art.
• This biography from Encyclopedia.com on Jonathan Swift provides a compilation of various published biographies on Swift’s life, works, and role in the literary context.

Differentiation Suggestion: For struggling readers, consider providing the option of a historical political cartoon or brief, appropriate “article” from The Onion, a satirical online publication, in replacement of a second Swift work for the purpose of analysis.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the essay.

Consider an issue in society and/or your community about which you are particularly passionate. What is this issue? What are some steps that you would like to see toward reform? Is there a person, institution, company, and/or government body that you could speak to about the reform? If so, how would you present the issue to them?

Teaching Suggestion: Swift’s motivation for writing this satire surfaces in the theme of Reform Efforts’ Failure to Address Income Inequality. Students might brainstorm lists of possible topics before choosing one that motivates them. You might point out that Swift’s satire was targeted to government officials and raise discussion on the effectiveness of different methods of initiating reform (e.g., petitions, protests, flyers, letter-writing campaigns) before students write.