Introduction to

Jonathan Swift’s
A Modest
Proposal
Art & Society Quote
“And unless it
wants to break faith
with its social
function, art must
show the world as
changeable. And
help to change it.”
—Ernst Fischer (1899–
1972)

What does this quote

mean? Discuss in small
groups.
Opening Others’ Eyes
• What if you had good ideas for solving
a terrible social problem, but no one
would listen to you? What would you
do to get people to listen to you?
• Make a list of at least 3 things you’d
do to get people’s attention about the
issue.
The Social Issue Swift Brought Attention
to
Jonathan Swift faced such a situation in the late
1720s, when starvation was widespread in Ireland.
• Irish harvests (crops) had been poor for years.
• Farmers couldn’t pay the rents demanded by their
English landlords.
• Beggars and starving children filled the streets.
• England’s governmental policies kept the Irish
poor
Why Swift Responded
• Appalled by the misery in Ireland,
Jonathan Swift set out to make the
English more responsive to their
neighbors’ suffering.
• Meaning, he wanted the English to
understand what the Irish people
were going through
• He wrote a pamphlet—a shocking
satire that offered an outrageous
“solution” to the problem of famine.
 Literary Satire
Written criticism of something or
someone, through the use of irony,
wit and sarcasm.
The goal of satire is not just to abuse
or offend, but to shine light on vice
and folly to provoke reform or
change.
 A Modest Proposal

Let’s read the essay as a

class!
Keep an eye out for
any words which you
might not
understand!
 Reading Comprehension

What was the essay about?

What is the author’s

proposal?
Literary Satire
 Satirical Devices
Written satire is achieved
using the following
devices…
 Verbal Irony
Verbal Irony: This occurs when a
speaker or narrator (written) says
one thing but means another.
Example: “My uncle told me that
it is easy to quit smoking; he does
it all of the time!”
 Situational Irony
Situational Irony: This occurs when a
situation turns out differently from
what one would normally expect.
Often the twist is oddly appropriate.
Example: A highly trained scuba-
diver drowns while taking a bath in
his tub.
 Dramatic Irony
Dramatic Irony: This occurs when the
audience knows more about a situation
then the characters, and therefore the
character’s actions can be seen to be
foolish or misguided.
Example: When a character in a horror
film runs into a room where the audience
knows the murderer is waiting.
 Puns
Puns: A pun is a play on words that
sound or are spelled the same, but
have very different meanings.
Example: When Mercutio is dying in
Romeo and Juliet he says “Ask for me
tomorrow, and you shall find me a
grave man.”
 Puns
Puns: A pun is a play on words that
sound or are spelled the same, but
have very different meanings.
Example: When Mercutio is dying in
Romeo and Juliet he says “Ask for me
tomorrow, and you shall find me a
grave man.”
 Oxymoron
Oxymoron: A form of paradox that
combines a pair of opposite terms
into one unusual expression.
Example: Cold fire, sweet sorrow, etc.
 Sarcasm
Sarcasm: A form of Verbal Irony in
which something or someone
appears to be praised, but is
actually being insulted.
Example: “It’s raining again?
London has such nice weather.”
 Hyperbole
Hyperbole: A deliberate and often
outrageous over exaggeration.
This can be used for comedic
effect.
Example: “I am so hungry, I could
eat a horse.”
 Understatement
deliberate description of a
situation to make it seem less
important than it is in reality.
“It rained a bit more than usual” –
When describing an area flooded
by heavy rainfall
 Reversal

Opposite of the working of

natural world
 Incongruity

• something that is out of place or

doesn’t fit in with its
surroundings.
• Example: The sight of a clown at
a funeral was an incongruity that
left everyone feeling uneasy
Create your own examples for
each of the devices we just
learned about!
Recall: Satirical Devices
Can anyone recall the various satirical
devices that we learned in the last
lesson?
 Close Reading
In pairs, re-read back through
Swift’s “A Modest Proposal.”
Locate, highlight and annotate the
devices we discussed yesterday:
 Analysis
“therefore very proper for landlords, who,
as they have already devoured most of the
parents”
What Language Device is being used here,
and what is the comment being made by
Swift?
 Reflection
Based on our close reading of the text, and our
analysis of the various satirical and language
devices used throughout:
• What do you think that Jonathan Swift was
trying to say in this essay?
• Who was this essay written to ridicule?
• What action might he wanted to come about
as a result of the publication of this essay?
 PEEL
How and why does Jonathan
Swift use Satirical Devices in “A
Modest Proposal”?
 Writing Satire
Learning Objective:
• Produce a piece of satirical writing
What do Satirists attack?
 Topic Selection
• You could choose to write your
satire about any topic which
interests you, but you must have
knowledge of the issue in order to
write an effective satire!
 Topic Selection
As a class let’s brainstorm some topics:
1. ____________________________________
2. ____________________________________
3. ____________________________________
4. ____________________________________
5. ____________________________________
 Planning
You should be aiming to write two to three
paragraphs, so plan out in advance what
kinds of things you are going to write about
in each paragraph.

Create a spider diagram for each paragraph

in your workbook!
 Planning
You may wish to structure your paragraphs one of two ways:
Paragraph 1: Introduce your topic
Paragraph 2: Discuss the problems with it (using satire)
Paragraph 3: Propose a solution (also using satire)
OR
Paragraph 1: Introduce one aspect of your topic, discuss the
problems and possible solution
Paragraph 2: Introduce another aspect of your topic, discuss
problems and possible solution
Etc….
 Satirical Devices
Do not forget to use as many Satirical
Devices as possible in your writing.
- Irony
- Hyperbole / Exaggeration
- Puns
- Sarcasm
 Form
You can write your satire in the
form of an essay, letter or article.

Consider which form would best

suit your topic before making
your decision!
 Application and Production
You are now going to begin writing your piece of satire!
Remember, you may wish to follow one of the below structures…
Paragraph 1: Introduce your topic
Paragraph 2: Discuss the problems with it (using satire)
Paragraph 3: Propose a solution (also using satire)
OR
Paragraph 1: Introduce one aspect of your topic, discuss the
problems and possible solution
Paragraph 2: Introduce another aspect of your topic, discuss
problems and possible solution
Etc….
 Homework

Complete your piece of satirical

writing for homework!

The due date is: 15 September

2023