”I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled ...”
Fair warning: Here is a modern version of the same message and some may find it as offensive as those who read the original in 1729.
See what happens when I have extra time on my hands?
Having read Swift's "A Modest Proposal" more times than I can count (trying to teach to satire), I have to admit both that he did a pretty good job and that many will, indeed, be just as horrified as many of Swift's readers were!
ReplyDeleteI can't proofread even one long sentence!
ReplyDeleteThe whole effort made me smile. Do you think that this would work in a high school English class? It might actually reach some students who otherwise would remain totally oblivious to Swift.
ReplyDeleteThat's sooo bad! But I did like the little crockpot. I read Swift in high school--I really need to read him again, as remember liking his work. I wonder how many other "literary" YouTubes are out there.
ReplyDeleteI haven't found many "literary" efforts on YouTube but every so often I do stumble onto something like this one. I wonder what the target audience for this one is?
ReplyDeleteThis effort is one of those things that I would make subtle comments about to increase their curiosity, but would not show in class. It is one of those things that kids like to feel is a little off limits. I was frequently sneaky that way...
ReplyDeleteThey often remember and appreciate what they have to do by their own efforts, but it really is a perfect, contemporary companion piece.
That's a brilliant piece of psychology, Jenclair. I can see how that would work. I would bet that a similar approach was taken in quite a few high school classrooms...I have to admit that the piece still makes me smile.
ReplyDelete