A Modest Proposal
Discussion Questions:
- Why do you think Swift takes so long to build up to his proposal?
- How does Swift dehumanize the people in the essay? What group of people is he dehumanizing? What is his purpose in dehumanizing these people?
- How does Swift make himself credible? How does he make himself appear like an expert?
- Find two examples of hyperbole or exaggeration being used in the essay.
- Find two examples of understatement being used in the essay. (Understatement: When a serious problem is trivialized or made to seem not that serious.)
- Find at least one example of logos, ethos, and pathos.
- Paragraphs 21-28 list the ways people will benefit from Swift's proposal. What aspects of society is Swift critizing in these paragraphs?
- Does Swift ever state what he wants the English and Irish governments to ACTUALLY do? Where does he bring it up? Why might it come at this point in the essay?
- Where does Swift use rhetorical modes like exemplification, cause and effect, narration,
definition, etc.
How do satire, irony, and hyperbole help Swift accomplish what a more conventional approach to persuasion would not?
What is worse, to be killed or to be impoverished and starved to death?
Rhetorical Analysis Practice:
Using the template provided, come up with a thesis statement as if you were going to write a rhetorical analysis of A Modest Proposal. Then, make a rough outline with evidence you would use to support your thesis. Thesis template: [Title of text]/ This [text] is [successful/unsuccessful] at accomplishing [its purpose] with [this audience] because of [strategies or context].
must be enjoyable Imagine who you're speaking to when you're on camera.
A Modest Proposal
Hailey Tinney
Created on October 31, 2025
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Transcript
A Modest Proposal
Discussion Questions:
- How does Swift dehumanize the people in the essay? What group of people is he dehumanizing? What is his purpose in dehumanizing these people?
- How does Swift make himself credible? How does he make himself appear like an expert?
- Find two examples of hyperbole or exaggeration being used in the essay.
- Find two examples of understatement being used in the essay. (Understatement: When a serious problem is trivialized or made to seem not that serious.)
- Find at least one example of logos, ethos, and pathos.
- Paragraphs 21-28 list the ways people will benefit from Swift's proposal. What aspects of society is Swift critizing in these paragraphs?
- Does Swift ever state what he wants the English and Irish governments to ACTUALLY do? Where does he bring it up? Why might it come at this point in the essay?
- Where does Swift use rhetorical modes like exemplification, cause and effect, narration,
definition, etc.How do satire, irony, and hyperbole help Swift accomplish what a more conventional approach to persuasion would not?
What is worse, to be killed or to be impoverished and starved to death?
Rhetorical Analysis Practice:
Using the template provided, come up with a thesis statement as if you were going to write a rhetorical analysis of A Modest Proposal. Then, make a rough outline with evidence you would use to support your thesis. Thesis template: [Title of text]/ This [text] is [successful/unsuccessful] at accomplishing [its purpose] with [this audience] because of [strategies or context].
must be enjoyable Imagine who you're speaking to when you're on camera.