Respond to one of the following:
• Discuss the political landscape of the Restoration and the eighteenth century. (You may mention the rise of the modern parliamentary system, the addition of a Prime Minister, and the major differences between the Tories and the Whigs.) How was the English system of government during the 18th century similar to or different from today's political climate in either England or the United States?
• Swift is famous for his use of satire. Satire works on at least three levels. One is the surface level, the literal level, in which the reader takes the author at "face value." The second level is where the reader has an "aha" reaction. This occurs when the reader understands that the author does not mean what is written literally; in fact, the author means just the opposite (sarcasm often works on this level). Third is the metaphoric level. Here the reader realizes what the author does mean what was said on the surface level but not literally. At what point in "A Modest Proposal" did you have an "aha" reaction? How does this essay work on all three levels?
• A mock epic is a long, humorous narrative poem that treats a trivial subject in the grand elevated style of a true epic such as ParadiseLost. What is Pope mocking in TheRape of the Lock? What does he borrow from other epics to achieve his purpose? Is he successful in making his point? Why or why not?
• Which of the poems from the debate about women was the most convincing, or which was your favorite? Why? Be specific.