English 422
Kent-Drury Study Questions--Modest Proposal

1. Swift's Modest Proposal is a persuasive essay that attempts to convince you of the benefits of a particular project.  What is the problem he is trying to solve? How will his project solve it?
2. What is the structure of Swift's argument?
3. What persuasive techniques does Swift use to convince you that his argument is correct? What kinds of evidence does he use?
4. Metaphor and other kinds of figurative language are indirect methods of persuasion. What kinds of figurative language does Swift use in the essay? How does the figurative language persuade subtly?
5. Scholars have described Swift as an expert in the use of the "unreliable narrator." How is this narrator unreliable? How do you know whether or not to believe the narrator? When are you supposed to believe the narrator, and when not?