A Modest Proposal and Other Satires Lesson Plan

A Critique of Religion

Kind of Activity:

Classwide Discussion

Objective:

To engage students in thinking about Swift's intended critique and compare and contrast this with its reception

Common Core Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.1; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.3; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.4

Structure:

(5 min) Give students a brief overview of the negative reception that Swift received following the publication of A Tale of a Tub. For reference, use biographical sites such as Encyclopaedia Britannica. Although Swift published the work anonymously, his identity was quickly discovered. Critics, including Queen Anne, decried the book, accusing it of being a criticism of...