Taking the exaggerated approach

by Arthur Wilson, fact checker

After weeks of studying the facets of satirical writing, students in Ms. Sackstein’s AP Literature class each completed a proposal relevant to a current issue.

This project was organized through the College-readiness Performance Assessment System (C-PAS). Ms. Sackstein intentionally sanctioned this method to allow students to track their progress, from formulating a hypothesis to gathering research (some of which was obtained by the class at a trip to the QCC library).

“For a while I struggled with my topic, but the work we did in class studying satire combined with the C-PAS method’s organized plan helped me complete this assignment,”  senior Simone Irish said.

Students produced a hypothesis that would outline the purpose behind their satirical writing, then conduct research to provide support to their allegations. Drafts were completed as individual copies to demonstrate the revision process. A final reflection summed up each student’s learning process against the standards upon completion of the paper.

Jonathan Swift’s satirical essay ‘A Modest Proposal’ was analyzed in class before the assignment was officially assigned. Students observed how Swift utilized certain satirical devices to form a social critique out of his exaggerated idea of selling infants for consumption by the English aristocracy.

Students chose from a wide variety of topics – ranging from the controversial to daily occurrences – such as dogs, red light cameras, or gambling and medication.

Final drafts of exceptional quality will be posted to the school website in their own section for anyone’s viewing.