A Modest Proposal and Other Satires Lesson Plan

Satirical Imagery and Cartoons

Kind of Activity:

Mixed Media

Objective:

To encourage students to consider the parallels between Swift's use of imagery and hyperbole and contemporary satirical cartoons

Common Core Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.4; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.1; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.2

Structure:

(10 min) Ask students to divide up into small groups to examine "The Battle of the Books" in greater detail. Ask each group to assign one member the role of scribe. All other members will go through the text and identify the moments when Swift employs a particularly compelling image to advance his point. These may include the spider, the bee, the books...