Jonathan Swift - "A Modest Proposal"
My copy of 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die finally came! I enjoyed flipping through and seeing all the recommended books, and skimming some of the summaries. The artwork is very nice too, they have a lot of author photos and pictures of some of the book covers and posters from movies based on the books. It’s very well put together. I wanted to start with something short since I just received the book and I’m late posting. I've also been down with a rather nasty cold this week so I haven't felt up to doing very much. I chose Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” not only for its length but also because it’s Halloween season and the subject matter is a little macabre so it’s fitting. First, a little background on Swift and the history behind his essay. Swift was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1667. His father passed away prior to Swift’s birth and his family were taken care of by his uncles. Swift was sent to Kilkenny School when he was a boy and later graduate