My Modest Proposal | Teen Ink

My Modest Proposal

January 24, 2019
By 21lharkness BRONZE, Spring, Texas
21lharkness BRONZE, Spring, Texas
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

In the efforts of the common people to solve this ongoing and increasing problem of dropping literacy rates in America. 


It is a persistent problem that affects many people in our world today, but in our culture, it could damage you without even realizing. It is a peaceful disaster, really, of which it silently occurs and grows in you, without you being even alerted. We are surrounded by rich literature, in colorful stores, vintage libraries, colorful apps, and aesthetical bookshelves.  
 
Oh. But it is a shame of how many illiterate citizens pass up these opportunities to read, they instead watch a marvelous movie or attentive television show for joy and peace. The stupidity of what the Americans are known for is broad, but, be warned, if we all stop reading, we all need not for education. Since the literacy rates from all of us are dropping rapidly, we shall all stop reading as a population. There cannot be a literacy problem if we are all illiterate, thus, creating a solution to a problem. 


Firstly, we shall remove all bookstores, libraries, and apps that shall allow people to read and become literate. If they have the power to raise the rates, then they should not be able to do it. 


Secondly, we shall burn all books. Like in the book (Alleged – there will be no way prove if there was once a book), Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, we shall designate book seekers who burn all books. No one shall be literate in this new lifestyle. 


Thirdly, the person with the lowest literacy rate shall be abducted into the ‘Hall of Fame’ of sorts. They shall prize members of our society, as they have done so much to help us. 


In our fourth step, the nation, as a group, we shall all take down the society's education, as that will only weaken our attempts to become illiterate. If it is our overall goal to become the most illiterate country, we shall not have any challenges that hold us back. 


Fifthly, we shall create hidden-subliminal messages in books, so when people secretly find a way to read them, we slowly insinuate to them that reading is not good for improving their lives. 


And lastly, we shall have a giant nation-wide meeting where we share our steps with the entire nation of our plans. If none agree, we shall brainwash and trick them into doing it. This plan has no flaws, and it seems to be the only viable answer to this situation. 


Although this may be a slight ‘shock’ to you, as it is not a common approach to this situation, there seems to not be a consensus of this issue. This generation of people does not prefer to read, so taking the option to will force them to do something they prefer anyway, like watching movies. This solution on slightly pushes them in the right direction, the people can take care of their own lives. If we help them do something they already love, they fall deeper in love with something they enjoy doing. 


In the end, dropping literacy rates are no joke. They are dropping way too slowly for this plan to succeed. We shall stop producing books to increasingly lower them, allowing them to drop below zero. This scheme is foolproof and having no literacy rates shall solve the problem of dropping rates. 


The author's comments:

My Modest Proposal : I came up with this idea by researching the literacy rates of the citizens in our current generation, ages 13 – 55. This nation’s literacy rates are continuously dropping, as we (as a nation) have been increasingly relying on technology for entertainment. I modeled this proposal off Jonathon Swifts’ My Modest Proposal by using humor and outlandish rhetoric to further my ideas. I tried to use shocking approaches and ‘off-the-wall' tactics to grab the attention of the readers. I tried to have a laid-back writing style, to come off relaxed and non-threatening to the readers. I believed that if it was too absurd, it would scare readers away. I was hoping to create a proposal that was so crazy to spark a conversation, but not outlandish enough to drive away the audience. 


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