The+Political+Landscape

Politics, Government, & War

We begin our study with Jonathan Swift's //A Modest Proposal//. This text is a social commentary and criticism of policies that contributed to the poverty in Ireland. In his sardonic way, Swift proposes to ameliorate the suffering of the poor and stimulate the economy: Let's eat the children! Unfortunately, Swift's piece elucidates the issues ever-present in the running of government; there can be no easy solution. Even war provides no easy answer. Yet, it is often where we ultimately we choose to resolve our conflicts.

As we read March by Geraldine Brooks, we should consider the complexities of war. First, however, we must resolve the complexities of the language and the text..