Name ____________________________ Period _______ Date _________________
Satire: Bitter Laughter
“Satire is a literary technique in which ideas, customs, behaviors, or institutions are ridiculed for the purpose of
improving society. Satire may be gently witty, mildly abrasive, or bitterly critical, and it often uses exaggeration to force readers
to see something in a more critical light. Often, a satirist distances himself or herself from a subject by creating a fictional
speaker—usually a clam and often naïve observer—who can address the topic without revealing the true emotion of the
writer….Whether the object of a satiric work is an individual person or a group of people, the force of the satire will almost
always cast light on foibles and failings that are universal to human experience.
There are two main types of satire, named for the Roman satirists Horace and Juvenal; they differ chiefly in tone.
Horation satire is playfully amusing and seeks to correct vice or foolishness with gentle laughter and sympathetic
understanding….Juvenalian satire provokes a darker kind of laughter. It is biting and criticizes corruption or incompetence
with scorn or outrage. Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” is an example of Juvenalian satire,” whereas Geoffrey Chaucer’s
Canterbury Tales is an example of Horation satire (British Literature. Holt-McDougal, R119-120).
“A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift describes the desperate conditions in Ireland and protests the English treatment of the
Irish. For three years before Swift published this pamphlet in 1729, the Irish harvests had been so poor that little remained for
the farmers, after selling their crops, to pay rents demanded by their English landlords. Beggars and starving children were
everywhere. Money was in short supply. In “A Modest Proposal,” Swift offers an outrageous solution to these problems of
human misery—perhaps the most outrageous solution offered. In this pamphlet, he assumes the role of a “practical” economic
planner, pretending to be objective, full of common sense, even benevolence. It is this difference between its straightforward
style and its appalling content that gives the pamphlet its force. (Elements of Literature. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 500-502)
Reading Questions for “A Modest Proposal”
(Read the essay on p.622-631 in your textbook and answer the following questions)
1. What problem does Swift identify in lines 1-15?
2. What is Swift’s proposal for easing poverty in Ireland?
3. How will the proposal benefit Irish parents?
4. Reread lines 35-45.
 What is Swift calculating? What exceptions does he list as he adjusts his final number?

Why does Swift use this mathematical language to discuss the issue?
5. Reread lines 43-54. What social problem does Swift blame for the widespread thievery in Ireland?
6. On page 625, what is Swift’s shocking proposal in the 3rd paragraph? What language does he use to make it seem rational or
“modest”?
7. On page 626, Swift uses an overstatement to exaggerate his satirical solution to poverty by suggesting that poor children be
used for food. What other examples of overstatement do you find in lines 90-100? How do they further sharpen Swift’s satire?
8. On page 628, what are the two ways that Swift’s proposal will make money? Why does Swift supply these cost and profit
calculations? What type of persuasive appeal does it represent?
9. According to Swift in lines 175-184, how would his proposal improve family life?
10. In lines 185-191, Swift uses nouns such as carcasses and flesh to emphasize the dehumanization of the Irish by the English.
Find other examples of disparaging nouns used to refer to the Irish in lines 23-75.
11. Reread lines 222-229. Why does Swift feel that his proposal is superior to others that have been put forward?
12. Reread lines 240-248.
 Restate what the speaker says about poor adults wishing they had benefited from his proposal when they were
babies.

What final point is Swift making?
13. How is the title of this essay an example of verbal irony?
14. Instead of directly attaching injustice and flawed behavior, Swift uses irony to convey his ideas indirectly. What conclusions
would you draw about his attitude toward each of the following?
 Irish landlords (lines 79-81)

The way most English and Irish Protestants view Irish Catholics (lines 82-89)

Irish Protestants living abroad (lines 149-155)
15. Based on “A Modest Proposal,” Swift’s satirical response to the problem of poverty in Ireland, do you think satire is an
effective means of fighting injustice? Why or why not? [Your response needs to be at least one well-developed paragraph in
length.]