A Modest Proposal - Annotated Modernized Paraphrase

Your students will be masters of satire after they read and analyze Jonathan Swift's outrageous and historic essay A Modest Proposal. The heart of this product is an annotated paraphrase of the classic satirical essay, rewritten from the ground up for a modern high-school audience. Included in this document you will find:

• Context for A Modest Proposal: A thorough introduction to Swift, Swift's England, the form and function of satire, and how to read a satire for the author's true meaning. This serves as both an introduction to critical context knowledge and a helpful guide for how to read Swift's satire.
• A Modest Proposal - paraphrased, annotated, and abridged: A modernized, approachable paraphrase of the original text with extensive footnotes that serve as a valuable teaching tool. Like a fine diet soda, the annotated paraphrase is slightly abridged, but retains all its effervescent satirical flavor. My goal was to stay true to the spirit and aim of Swift's original essay while streamlining the author's language into terms accessible to today's teens.
  • For example, the original opening sentence in Swift's version reads,
    • "It is a melancholy object to those, who walk through this great town, or travel in the country, when they see the streets, the roads and cabbin-doors crowded with beggars of the female sex, followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags, and importuning every passenger for an alms."
  • In the paraphrase, this is rendered,
    • "When a person walks through our capitol or travels in the countryside, they are met with a depressing sight: the streets, roads, and doors are crowded with beggar women, followed by three, four, or six children. All dressed in rags, they harass every traveler by begging for money.
• Side-by-Side Text Comparison: A three-column layout which allows for easy comparisons between the original text, my own complete (unabridged!) paraphrase, and the abridged paraphrase. This easily allows anyone to see what is omitted from the annotated abridged paraphrase.
• Historical Currency Conversion: A chart converting the monetary values mentioned in Swift's original to modern American dollars, adjusted for inflation