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Your assignment for this weekend is to write your own modest proposal in the style of Swift's . . . erm, "Modest Proposal." I want sarcasm; I want irony; I want scathing, acerbic wit. I do not want BS. Think about your topic. It can be whatever you like; I know you all hate it when I say that, but this should be a personal reflection.

Requirements:
500 word minimum, 750 word maximum.
Typed, double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman, 1 inch margins, header, and a really good title.
No obscenities or profanity (we will be sharing them in class).
Have fun. Really. Do it.

As always, post your questions for the good of the community.

Also, if you would like to know your current grade in the class, please let me know. We have around 16 days in class (by my shaky count) before the end of this semester. Email me, don't jump me en masse in class. (Careful, poet.)

Also also, I have regained contact with my friend from the local elementary school. I will pick up your pen pal letters this Wednesday, which means we will begin writing the Monday after next (the 22nd). This will be extra credit, but not much. This is more in the vein of "let's do our part to help the littluns of our community."

Edit (Also also also): Somehow I forgot about the test tomorrow. Your proposals will be due Tuesday in place of the article analysis. Some of your grades are suffering because you aren't turning in your analyses, so if you fall into this category you may turn in one (or more) on Tuesday to replace missed assignments. This assignment is worth 50 points. If you did not turn in the 9 questions over "Letter . . ." (also worth 50 points), do so.

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Responses to ... Several Modest Proposals For Preventing the Grades and Humor of AP Students From Falling Flat, and For Making Much Fun in the Classroom
Anonymous said... October 14, 2007 at 7:42 PM

Uhm.. I haven't been angry much lately, so this seems way harder than it is. Funny how everything lately seems harder than it actually is. Does that mean, since we have IOWA tomorrow morning, I can try and think about it tonight and write it tomorrow? Or should I buckle down and try to finish this tonight with as much passion as I can muster? I'm totally willing to do the latter, but the former might result in a better proposal. Hope you get this!

Anonymous said... October 14, 2007 at 7:43 PM

Also: What is your email address?

Anonymous said... October 14, 2007 at 8:08 PM

Can we use personal pronouns? Swift did.
-Sparks

JStallings said... October 14, 2007 at 8:24 PM

KO-I will edit the post to answer your questions. Thanks for bringing the test to my attention.

Sparks-You may, because you backed your argument.

Anonymous said... October 15, 2007 at 3:32 PM

HAHAHAHA.

The Onion on the Sears Tower encased in Jello. HA. So great. Great article. Thanks you for that, Stallings.


For articles, are we allowed to annotate Onion articles? I know they're satirical, and fake, etc, but... it's still writing.. does it matter if it actually happened or not? :]

JStallings said... October 15, 2007 at 7:59 PM

It is still writing... I'll have to think about that. If you find one to annotate I will certainly consider it, but you should let me know before the due date. There is a fine line between humor with a purpose and plain mockery.

Anonymous said... October 16, 2007 at 8:53 PM

Since none of our group will be in class tomorrow, Kathryn, Andy and I chose Prozac Nation for our nonfiction. Does that count? It's a book I've been told is good, but we all thought it may be a little bit too angsty. We just didn't want something that read like an electronics assembly manual.

Let me know soon if that book isn't going to work. Thanks.

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