In 2019 a climate activist group interrupted a town hall meeting and made waves across the country by suggesting that we “eat babies” to stop climate change. As the media ate this up (sorry), I was screaming into the void: HAS NO ONE READ A MODEST PROPOSAL!? Sadly, I think the answer is no, but that’s about to change because YOUR students will be more educated about Swift’s satire and how it applies to modern commentary. So, whether you’re introducing satire for the first time or digging deeper into literary analysis, teaching A Modest Proposal has endless potential to engage, enlighten, and sometimes even gross out your students (in the best way).
Grab your forks because I’ll show you exactly how to transform this 18th-century text into a lively, meaningful, and genuinely fun learning experience. Plus, we’ll even write our own mini-modest proposals!
A Modest Proposal Summary
If you’ve taught A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift before, you know it’s not your average reading assignment. At first glance, it can seem like a horrifying suggestion from a twisted mind—eat babies to solve economic problems? However, once students decode Swift’s dark humor, the piece becomes a masterclass in satire.
Published in 1729, Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal is a satirical essay addressing the dire poverty in Ireland. Swift suggests, with an exaggeratedly calm and logical tone, that impoverished Irish families could solve their economic woes by selling their infants as a new food source for the wealthy upper class.
Of course, Swift doesn’t mean this literally! His piece uses savage irony and hyperbole to criticize the British exploitation of Ireland and highlight the inhumane attitudes of the time toward the poor. The shocking proposal grabs attention, but the deeper critique of societal issues is where the heart of the text lies.
Hook Students to Introduce A Modest Proposal
Most great lesson plans start with a strong hook. However, when teaching “A Modest Proposal,” I’m always cautious about giving too much away because I love the shock factor of the text! So, for this “A Modest Proposal” lesson plan, you can either jump right in or warm students up by showing some examples of satire without giving away the irony just yet. For instance, you could consider showing this “eat babies” video or host a gallery walk of appropriate headlines from The Onion and have students discuss what they notice and their initial reactions. Or, you could simply pose the question: “Is cannibalism ever the answer?” and let them run with it.
Help Students with a Modest Proposal Reading Guide
Once you’ve sparked their curiosity with those wild ideas, it’s time to guide them into the heart of the text. Swift’s satirical edge can be challenging for students, so this is where a close reading strategy becomes essential. Start by breaking the text into manageable sections, encouraging students to analyze the language, tone, and purpose behind each part. In this “A Modest Proposal” lesson plan, students practice what good readers do by previewing, visualizing, questioning, predicting, inferring, connecting, summarizing, and evaluating as they go. This active reading not only makes the text more accessible but also prepares them for a deeper understanding of satire. Want ready-to-use resources? Check out this close reading guide for Swift’s work: A Modest Proposal Satire Study
Teach A Modest Proposal with Satire
Once your students comprehend “A Modest Proposal” on the surface level, it’s time to reveal its satire and what makes it so powerful. Satire is difficult to teach, but breaking it down helps students see how writers use this tool. For example, this “A Modest Proposal” lesson plan breaks down satire into these elements:
- Satire- Explain that satire doesn’t just call out bad behavior—it ridicules it to inspire change. Swift identifies a real issue (poverty) and takes it to a ridiculous extreme as a form of critique.
- Parody- Swift mimics the detached tone and overly logical style of academic writing. Ask your students why making it “academic” helps disguise his outrageous idea.
- Irony- The essay is practically bursting with irony! Swift’s title (a modest proposal) itself creates situational irony. Break down other examples within the text where Swift says something outrageous with a straight face.
- Hyperbole- Hyperbole (exaggeration taken way too far) is satire’s bread and butter. Swift’s idea of selling babies is laughably over the top—yet it’s crafted with such calm reasoning.
- Incongruity- Point out the tension between the serious tone and absurd content. Why does such a stark contrast make the essay even more effective?
Use Modern Day Satire Examples
Satire in the modern day continues to thrive, with outlets like The Onion leading the charge in combining humor with sharp social criticism. Similarly, shows like Saturday Night Live and satirical news programs such as The Daily Show use parody and exaggeration to shine a light on politics and society. Teaching “A Modest Proposal” provides the perfect opportunity address such a huge part of our culture and unique way of processing the news. Satire abounds, but the challenge is finding modern-day examples that are appropriate and not politically one-sided. This “A Modest Proposal” lesson plan, uses satire examples about shopping locally. Though vanilla, these satire examples layer absurdity over societal truths, inviting readers to laugh but also to reflect on deeper issues.
Create Mini-Modest Proposals
After students have read “A Modest Proposal” and analyzed satire, now it’s time to move them up the Bloom’s taxonomy to the creation zone. Challenge your students to write their own mini-modest proposals by brainstorming big issues across three “spheres”:
- World Issues (e.g., climate change, political tension)
- Society (e.g., social media, access to education)
- School (e.g., cafeteria food, dress codes)
Encourage them to exaggerate as Swift does. For instance, a “solution” for school stress might propose mandatory nap classes—but written in an academic tone! For a novel tool for writing, use this newspaper clipping generator. It’s silly but surprisingly engaging and will help students stick to the “mini” part of the assignment with a word count limit. Students can download the clipping then upload to Padlet or your LMS to show their work. The process of brainstorming, drafting, and sharing these proposals will solidify your students’ understanding of both Swift’s techniques and the art of satire itself.
Inspire Thoughtful Connections
Teaching “A Modest Proposal” is challenging but in a good way. It’s rewarding to help students see how humor and absurdity can hold a mirror to society—and their own lives. As aspiring writers and thinkers, students will quickly see the power that satire holds in sparking change.
Don’t be surprised if your students walk away from this lesson empowered to critique the world around them. After all, isn’t that what teaching is really all about?
