1. A Modest Proposal
For Preventing The Children of Poor People in Ireland From Being A Burden to Their Parents or Country, and For Making Them Beneficial to The Public
By Jonathan Swift (1729)

2. Background…
“It is a ghastly masterpiece, cunningly devised, horribly plausible, deviously manipulative” – Victorian Web
Written in 1729
Swift lived in Ireland when it was a colony of England
England kept Ireland a desperately poor country; it was overpopulated, and full of beggars who were overtaxed, wracked by illness, with no political representation.

3. Satire Related Terms
Parody – copying the style of what you’re criticizing
Caricature – exaggerating dominant features
Hyperbole – using exaggerated language
Understatement – intentional minimization
Juxtaposition – placing opposite things side by side
Irony – difference between expectations and reality
Situational irony – the outcome of the situation is opposite of what you’d expect
Verbal irony – sarcasm; saying the opposite of what you mean
Feigned Author Persona – when an author uses a voice that is opposite or different from his or her true personality