Some friends of mine were talking about "A Modest Proposal" the other day and how amazed they were that so many college students didn't know about it. I reluctantly admitted I was among those who had never heard of it. So my question is this - is this something that knowledge of is as widespread as my friends believe, or am I in the majority?

2/1/2010 2:34:32 PM

facepalm

2/1/2010 2:35:24 PM

2/1/2010 2:35:37 PM

2/1/2010 2:36:10 PM

College students not knowing about history? SHIT. SOMEONE ALERT THE PRESS.

2/1/2010 2:36:27 PM

Shoulda tried the lounge

2/1/2010 2:37:41 PM

wtf are schools teaching these kids?! ANYTHING?!

2/1/2010 2:38:30 PM

well babies are delicious and nutritious

2/1/2010 2:38:39 PM

Errr I read this first in high school then like two more times in college.... : \

2/1/2010 2:40:53 PM

new to me

2/1/2010 2:40:56 PM

Quote :

"well babies are delicious and nutritious"

Quote :

"something that knowledge of is as widespread as my friends believe"

2/1/2010 2:41:06 PM

I didn't have to read it in highschool and didn't take any classes in college that this would have come up in...

2/1/2010 2:42:24 PM

actually it was one of my favorites from high school english...but then again my english teacher was cool as hell.

....also, i believe they reference it in 'The Birdcage'?

2/1/2010 2:44:03 PM

everyone know A Modest Proposal is a Juvenalian satirical essay written and published anonymously by Jonathan Swift in 1729

2/1/2010 2:45:38 PM

We read it in AP English IV for high school. Then I had to read it for "Contemporary Moral Issues" or something like that (some philosophy class) and I believe it came up in bioethics.. not sure about the second one though.

[Edited on February 1, 2010 at 2:46 PM. Reason : .]

2/1/2010 2:45:47 PM

Quote :

"I didn't have to read it in highschool and didn't take any classes in college that this would have come up in..."

I've never seen 'The Birdcage' either.

Next question...is this something that would be appropriate to make jokes about to my irish boss?

2/1/2010 2:46:33 PM

Feed the poor to the hungry: problems solved!

2/1/2010 2:46:53 PM

I've never heard of it.

2/1/2010 2:46:57 PM

That writing was the forefather of modern day trolling.

2/1/2010 2:47:36 PM

haha, i thought the same thing when I read it

2/1/2010 2:48:03 PM

You know what? Tell your friends to fuck off.

It's basic reading in a study of satirical literature, but unless you're studying literature in University then most people get exposure to it in high school. The problem with this is that while some individuals will instantly grasp the concept of satire and the presence of it in A Modest Proposal, the majority of the persons in this age group will not, and in my experience, have not. If they can't understand the difference between parody and satire before reading it, then there's really no point. Their knowledge of the subject will linger until it can be discussed, probably with great pretentiousness, as some kind of intellectual fodder as they stuff their faces at lunch.

What people have or haven't been "exposed to" shouldn't amaze anyone. I don't know why I even cared about this, but I have this sinking feeling that your friends are just trying to taunt in some fashion.

2/1/2010 2:51:48 PM

I really don't think they were, I think in their minds it was as common knowledge as, say, The Odyssey, or something like that, and it was genuine surprise when they discovered that it wasn't as well known as they had thought

2/1/2010 2:54:05 PM

What is amazing, though, is that I roomed with a Freshmen my Sophomore year who, born and raised in North Carolina, had never had corn bread or meatloaf, wasn't sure what grits were, and was shocked that sweet potatoes were a different color than normal potatoes. Kill it with fire.

And not this Meat Loaf before and if someone tries it.



[Edited on February 1, 2010 at 2:56 PM. Reason : ^]

2/1/2010 2:55:26 PM

I agree...that is just awful

2/1/2010 2:56:23 PM

eh, gullivers travels is better

people only talk about this because of shock value "OMG EATING BABIES!"

2/1/2010 2:57:47 PM

The fact that you had never heard of this, at the very least, nor read it is an indictment of the education system you were put through.

2/1/2010 3:37:44 PM

Quote :

"Is this something that knowledge of is as widespread as my friends believe, or am I in the majority?"

Can't speak for other schools, but at public school in Wake County we had to read it. And for that matter, had to do a similar satire addressing a relevant social / societal issue of the day.

Mine had something to do with nuking the 'hood. I definitely recall being criticized by friends and colleagues for the overtly racist undertones (not actual racist language.)

Though the teacher, who for the record wasn't white, gave me an A+.

You should definitely know about it.

[Edited on February 1, 2010 at 4:20 PM. Reason : .]

2/1/2010 4:19:20 PM

I think its pretty strange that ya'll read it in high school and I didn't...I thought the curriculum was standardized throughout the state

2/1/2010 4:21:44 PM

Quote :

"I thought the curriculum was standardized throughout the state"

:carlface:

2/1/2010 4:25:41 PM

Whats wrong with that?

2/1/2010 4:33:42 PM

oh, just the part where you're so casually admitting to a dearth of critical thinking skills, and a history of ignoring current events

2/1/2010 4:38:14 PM

Why in the hell would you think that?

2/1/2010 4:38:35 PM

I don't see how me thinking that there is a standardized curriculum does all that...

2/1/2010 4:40:11 PM

You wouldn't.

2/1/2010 4:41:03 PM

When one finds oneself in a hole, it is best to stop digging.

2/1/2010 4:41:54 PM

Right. Because I'm a logical person

2/1/2010 4:42:00 PM

yeah, shame on you Pete for not doing extensive research on the different curriculums in the state! Let us all wag our finger at him.

2/1/2010 4:42:40 PM

It doesn't take extensive research to figure out the the curriculum in Wake County is going to be different than the curriculum in Bertie County.

2/1/2010 4:44:21 PM

It wouldn't be the fact that extensive research on various curricula has not been done. It's the assumption that they are all standardized that would lead others to believe that there is a critical thinking problem here.

It would also seem bmel may have an issue in this area as well.

[Edited on February 1, 2010 at 4:45 PM. Reason : *]

2/1/2010 4:44:33 PM

I think perhaps ambrosia is confusing my statements. I would like to clarify that simply because I thought there was a standard curriculum (a reasonable thought in my mind due to the fact that that the end of course tests are all the same throughout the state) doesn't mean I am in agreement with the statement that there should be a standard curriculum.

2/1/2010 4:44:43 PM

yeah, I know whats going on and I've done research because I'm going to be a teacher and shit. There is a "standard course of study" but luckily we're still allowed some leeway in how we teach this standard course of study

http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/curriculum/

2/1/2010 4:50:00 PM

soo...correct me if I'm wrong, bmel, but that makes me right, right?

2/1/2010 4:52:54 PM

well you can use different book to teach the same thing
For instance:

Literary Text
* Integrate their personal experiences with ideas in complex text to draw and support conclusions.
* Explain the author's use of literary devices

the teacher can pick from a variety of books to get this point across, so that is why you didn't read the same books as the kids in another school

2/1/2010 4:57:24 PM

Ah, gotchya. That makes sense.

2/1/2010 5:00:36 PM

BTW -North Carolina does have a Standard Course of Study, but it focuses on learning outcomes not specifying seminal works.

--

And I read "A Modest Proposal" in high school and again in college as an English major. I have always assumed that educated people at least had some vague knowledge of it. I would be shocked if anyone in my social circle did not know of it or "get it" if someone alluded to it.

[Edited on February 1, 2010 at 5:03 PM. Reason : bmel beat me to it.]

2/1/2010 5:03:05 PM

bmel - is there still a specific lists of books that can be chosen from?

am i just thinking AP stuff? didn't they add something like Othello this year?

2/1/2010 5:25:41 PM

GET IN MY BELLY

2/1/2010 5:28:28 PM

There are statewide approved textbooks for the school systems to choose from. The specific book lists are county wide or for classes who have some kind of culminating test like an AP class.

From what I recall, I am licensed to teach HS English, but don't teach.

2/1/2010 5:29:14 PM

bump for the parody

4/19/2010 4:01:24 PM

For the most part, my coworkers at this new, seasonal gig are my age or younger - but still 18+. There's only one I'd count as downright fucking retarded. There's one who has his master's in finance (and, apparently, just got into a doctoral program not far from here.) Minnesota, CO, and NC are represented.

I forget EVERYONE who was in the conversation, but the (Nepali-born, CO resident) grad student was in the conversation, as was at least one of the Minnesotans. I.e., I was having a conversation with those who weren't the dumb one.

Not a one of them had ever heard of this.

6/23/2010 5:50:26 PM