Reading

Worksheet: A Modest Proposal

1) Analyze the rhetorical situation to which the essay responds. Who seems to
be the audience? What seems to be the problem? What are some of the
constraints (cultural, textual, or otherwise) shaping the message?




2) What is the proposed solution to the problem? In what ways does the
solution appear to be serious? In what ways does the solution appear to be
absurd?

3) What are some advantages of the proposal?

4) How does Swift anticipate and respond to counterarguments?

5) How would you characterize Swifts tone? What strategies does he use to
convey that tone?

6) Analyze the arrangement of the essay. What are the major parts? How do
they work together?

7) Who does Swift criticize? What is the implied argument? How do you know?