I really should be writing an argumentative essay for my English class. I'm not.
My thesis is supposed to revolve around Jessica Mitford's "The American Way of Death" and Jonathan Swift's always cool "A Modest Proposal." The former looks at the practices of American funeral parlors - it's a selection from a book that specifically focuses on what exactly happens during the embalming process. Swift's essay, as you probably know, proposes that since the poor are constantly reproducing, why not eat their babies. That way they can make money doing what it is they're doing anyway, and the problem of overpopulation will be controlled.
The general idea of the thesis is to narrow down how the authors want their audiences to react. Swift's essay is satire, Mitford's was meant to fly in the face of American avoidance of knowing the process of what happens to us after we die. I have to draw some sort of link between the two and argue that link, and not only that, but this teacher actually wants the thesis to be interesting to read outside of simply doing the assignment. So I have to figure out a link that not everyone else will think of and write the paper by tomorrow afternoon.
In fairness, it's my own damned fault for procrastinating.
My thesis is supposed to revolve around Jessica Mitford's "The American Way of Death" and Jonathan Swift's always cool "A Modest Proposal." The former looks at the practices of American funeral parlors - it's a selection from a book that specifically focuses on what exactly happens during the embalming process. Swift's essay, as you probably know, proposes that since the poor are constantly reproducing, why not eat their babies. That way they can make money doing what it is they're doing anyway, and the problem of overpopulation will be controlled.
The general idea of the thesis is to narrow down how the authors want their audiences to react. Swift's essay is satire, Mitford's was meant to fly in the face of American avoidance of knowing the process of what happens to us after we die. I have to draw some sort of link between the two and argue that link, and not only that, but this teacher actually wants the thesis to be interesting to read outside of simply doing the assignment. So I have to figure out a link that not everyone else will think of and write the paper by tomorrow afternoon.
In fairness, it's my own damned fault for procrastinating.
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I doubt many of us have come up with his solution to overpopulation, or the cycle of poverty, but HAVE thought for at least a split second about the problem and some non-PC, possible grisly solution to it. Some might even say that the current treatment of the world's poor is akin to eating their babies.
Mitford's is meant to make people face the tangible reality of death- another uncomfortable subject preferably swept under the rug. Truth be told, both essays serve to confront the reader with the reality of human suffering and therefore mortality.
Wow, I really miss being in college. Thanks for that.