Literature
Literary criticism and analysis
- A Modest ProposalA Modest Proposal
Jonathan Swift’s satirical pamphlet proposes that impoverished Irish families sell their children as food to the wealthy, exposing the cruelty of treating human lives as economic commodities. Its deadpan argument condemns the exploitation of Ireland and elite indifference to poverty, making it a landmark of political satire.
- Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American SlaveNarrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave
Frederick Douglass recounts his enslavement in Maryland, his struggle to acquire literacy, and his eventual escape to freedom. A landmark of American autobiography and abolitionist literature, the narrative exposes slavery’s brutality while asserting the humanity and intellectual independence of enslaved people.