1. A Modest Proposal English 3 Ms. Batchelor March 7, 2017
“Satire is a sort of glass wherein beholders do generally discover everybody’s face but their own; which is the chief reason for that kind reception it meets with in the world, and that so very few are offended with it.”—Jonathan Swift
A Modest Proposal
English 3
Ms. Batchelor
March 7, 2017
Please take out your notes and your Norton Anthology. Put away your ipads!

2. Objectives Students will be able to define satire
Students will be able to recognize, identify, and explain satire using modern works
Students will be able to read A Modest Proposal through the lens of satire

3. A Modest Proposal—Jonathan Swift
What does the title suggest to you? From the title, what do you expect this essay to be about?

4. Satire—What is it? Application…
What is satire?
What is being satirized in this clip? What literary device is being used to satirize….?
What is satirized by SNL?

5. What do you notice about this cartoon?

6. Relevance
What are some topics that are satirized today? Where/when have you seen satire?
One of the fundamental flaws of satire is that most often the only people who understand its meaning are the ones who already agree with the satire’s criticism.  To the rest it comes across as crude or stupid.   A perfect modern example of this is the show South Park.  South Park is arguably one of the most brilliantly satirical productions in the history of television.  Yet it is frequently criticized and reviled for its content.  To those who don’t understand its message, it is simply a despicable program that’s nothing more than cartoon-ish violence and toilet humor.
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7. Relevance continued…
 Satirists, often, serve as the harbingers of error in society.  While journalists uncover the horrible events going on in the world, it is the satirist who makes us confront the evils that we ourselves commit.  As people, we tend to take for granted that our convictions are most often in the right, and the satirist stands against that notion to ensure that at least someone knows that we are not always acting in an appropriate way.  Take Jonathan Swift’s “A Model Proposal,” or Mark Twain’s “Huck Finn.”  These two works unrepentantly illuminate the ills of their respective societies.  I cannot imagine a news report more powerful than those finely crafted works of satire.  It is the honesty and humanism of satire that make it so valuable, in that it forces the reader/viewer to reflect upon his own shortcomings.
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8. Richard Hodgart's Satire points out that "political satire requires special conditions for its appearance in strength:"
First, a degree of free speech either through design or through inefficiency.
Secondly, there must be a general readiness of the educated classes to take part in political affairs and spread democratic ideas.
Thirdly, there must be some confidence on the part of writers that they can actually influence the conduct of affairs.
Fourthly, there must be a wide audience that enjoys wit, imagination and the graces of literature, and that is sophisticated enough to enjoy their application to serious topics.
According to Hodgart, such conditions "existed to the full in England from about 1680 to 1820, and they have reappeared since in other parts of Europe, usually in pre-revolutionary rather than revolutionary situations; and as commonly associated with nationalistic as with social conflict" (77).

9. Homework
Work through the guided reading questions for “A Modest Proposal”
Re-read the text