“A Modest Proposal” is one of my favorite little works in the English canon. Honestly, it’s just hilarious. What’s more hilarious, however, was the girl in my English class that was horrified by the essay and thought Swift was being serious. Satire is lost on some people.
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20 Comments
I actually had the same problem with my HS English class. Which is weird because it was the Honors class, and they weren’t idiots most of the time. The teacher and I were both shocked.
I had to read this for University… no regrets! I’m so glad you did this one.
I am so glad you did this! One of my favorite pieces as well!
Swift intended his essay to horrify. The idea was absolutely to set forth a position that earnestly and forthrightly opposed his own so that people would recoil in horror from it.
And he did it so well that his work stands as perhaps the pinnacle of sarcasm in the English language.
It is only in apprehending his true purpose and appreciating the cleverness of his technique that Swift’s essay becomes even remotely funny. The audience can be forgiven for reacting as intended.
Somehow, I’m reminded of Colbert’s appearance at the White House Correspondent’s Dinner in 2006.
I just finished an Irish Lit course – sending this to the prof.
Cool!
Satire, like sarcasm, are usually wasted upon those who need it the most.
Satire was lost on some people when Swift wrote it. Today it is a completely dead artform.
I see what you did there…
This poses a tricky question of etiquette. Do you then eat all of Seamus or not? What’s the polite response? Do you order seconds? It’d be a shame to let him go to waste…
It all depends on how badly you want to be able to leave the restaurant alive, I suppose.
My sister was studying this in high school last year and sent me an email asking to tell her what I knew about “The Proposal.”
So I told her it was a B-movie starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds.
What a mean brother you are
No no, Fishamaphone was totally right. The title of the Jonathan Swift Essay is “A Modest Proposal.” That moronic Sandra Bullock movie was called “THE Proposal.”
Also, perhaps I am wrong but I think Fishamaphone is a sister.
I’m only a sister every third Tuesday, and that involves more silicon prosthetics than I care to admit. The rest of the time I’m a brother.
So every Tuesday you’re a sister, doing it for yourself?
My apologies. I perhaps mixed you up with another fellow longtime poster.
Mr Ak: every *third* Tuesday. And let’s be completely clear: that was a joke, and I don’t really do that.
TsunamiJane: No worries. There are worse things to be confused for than a woman :-p
True… like being confused for a man.