A Modest Proposal
Global Warming, Middle East tensions, and Renewable Energy are
arguably the more important issues of the 21st Century. Many factors
contribute to the problems, but all of them are partially originate from a
single variable- the automobile. It is surely the culprit: spewing carbon as it
burns unclean energy and gobbling up the Middle Eastern, non-renewable fossil
fuel.
Look around: three cars parked in your garage, trucks whizzing
by on the highway, the uber app on your phone. Cars are such a hassle to not
only the environment, but also to your wallet! $25,000 comes out of your pocket
for an automobile in this day and age, and you need to feed this baby $2.60 a
gallon every month. Not to mention thousands of dollars toward the common
breakdowns, oil changes, tire replacements, and ACCIDENTS. Thousands of
Americans die every year from car accidents and millions more are injured (Road
Crash Statistics). These unwieldy beasts are weapons of death- an untamed rhinoceros.
I shall now therefore humbly propose my own thoughts, which
I hope will not be liable to the least objection. Automobiles should be replaced
by a cleaner and safer mode of transportation- horses.
Mankind had been dependent on horses since the ancient
times- the Greeks considered it a gift from Poseidon. For almost 2,000 years, man achieved greatness with horses; cavalries tipped the scales of victories and Paul Revere rode fast enough to alert everyone. Horses, reaching top speeds
upwards to 25-30 mph, are a much safer option compared to a car. DUIs and
falling asleep at the wheel will no more kill innocents: well-trained horses
take their intoxicated or tired passengers safely to their residence.
Running on hay and water, the only wastes it produces are
biodegradable fecal matter. The use of fossil fuels will significantly reduce.
In effect, OPEC will trouble us no more- gasoline is irrelevant. The greatest
gain of all is that horses bear offspring- the transportation lasts for time to
come. Breed your horse with a neighbor and voila! a horse for your teenager. The
economic gain is exponential- you can even sell the foal for monetary gain. Purchasing
a horse will only set you back about $500-$1,000, plus maintenance costs of
about $2,500 (American Association of Equine Practitioners).
I profess, in the sincerity of my heart, that I have not the
least personal interest in endeavoring to promote this necessary work.
~~
*Based on A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift

Nice post Wonyoung! The way you took A Modest Proposal and incorporated it into your own version was really great. The way you added statistics really made it seem like, although ridiculous, this was a viable option.
ReplyDeleteWonnie, I completely agree with you. Horses are the best option for us in the future, and I firmly stand behind your position. All jokes aside, this was a great adaptation of "A Modest Proposal." I really loved how you utilized the way in which Swift delivers his proposal. Great Job!
ReplyDeleteWow! This parody of A Modest Proposal is perfect. I loved the calculations and the Poseidon reference :)
ReplyDeleteNice post you got here boss. I like the irony of the clean horses when they definitely would have the streets be dirty real quick.
ReplyDelete