Coursework Essay Introductions
How does Jonathan Swift satirise contemporary attitudes towards the poor in Ireland in A Modest Proposal? Consider:
- The language and rhetorical devices Swift uses and their effects
- The structure of the piece
- How Swift’s writing may have been influenced by his social, cultural and historical context.
Here are 3 sample introductions to your coursework essay. They have some good points.
Task 1: See if you can identify these good points and explain why they are good.
However, as you can tell having studied the assessment criteria, they could be improved. Remember, a good introduction immediately begins to answer the question in a focused and analytical way.
Task 2: Why do these introductions fail to reach the highest grades? How do you think these sample introductions could be improved?
1. Jonathan Swift wrote A Modest Proposal in 1729. He wrote it because he was angry at the treatment of the poor in 18th century Ireland. He uses lots of rhetorical devices to express his opinion, such as hyperbole. These rhetorical devices are very effective.
2. A Modest Proposal is a highly fluent and erudite piece of writing. It explores a range of different issues linked to the writer’s social and historical context and allows the reader to understand the writer’s point of view. The carefully structured piece...
