Extra Credit: Swift's "A Modest Proposal"

DUE - Tuesday, October 16
POINTS - Up to 10 
Length - 750-1,000 words

In class, we brought up the cultural value of children in our society,
and to illustrate the deeply held beliefs we have about protecting them,
I referred to Swift's essay and promised extra credit on it.


Read the following article on Jonathan Swift's "Modest Proposal"

Remember, this is a SATIRE!! (If you don't know what that means, look it
up!) Papers that fail to recognize it as satire and don't indicate the
point and some brief discussion of the context of the piece will receive
only partial, if any, credit.

And then answer the following in about 750-1,00 words:

1) What is the author saying? (that is, what is satire, and what are the
author's real points?). What's the real point of the piece?

2) Does the author get you thinking about things a new way?

3) In discussing culture and cultural taboos, and then looking at how
we can use extreme examples to make a real point, how might this article
be used to address such issues as the high infant mortality rate in the
U.S., the lack of health insurance for the poor (and their children),
and related issues that affect children in our society?

The goal is for you to demonstrate that you understand the piece and
can apply it to contemporary situations. Remember: Write it as an essay,
and NOT just a short-answer response to the three points.

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