The Unreasonable Essayist Strategic Irony

After discussing the importance of presenting a reasonable essay, Professor Cognard-Black explores the world of unreason... (more)

After discussing the importance of presenting a reasonable essay, Professor Cognard-Black explores the world of unreasonable essays, often written for the sake of humor or irony, or to be provocative, such as Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal." You'll explore an example of an essay that showcases conflicting views yet remains reasonable, and then look at examples where unreasonable writers use pure demagoguery to play on readers' emotions. (less)