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Synthesis Essay In Barbara Ehrenreich’s work of fiction called Serving in Florida, she describes the struggles of an average waitress trying to survive a minimum wage job. In this work, the speaker reveals how workers are not allowed breaks and â€Å"for six to eight hours in a row, you never sit except to pee† (pg. 3). She also talks about the physical pain she’s in from carrying trays saying â€Å"I start tossing back drugstore-brand ibuprofens as if they were vitamin C† (p. 4). Even with all this painstaking work, the speaker can only afford to live in a dingy trailer park because she is working off of minimum wage. As shown by the chart titled Poverty Rate Rises, the number of people living below the poverty line in 2010 was 15. 1% and it continues to increase. People are working hard as shown in Ehrenreich’s Serving in Florida, yet many are unable to rise above the poverty line because minimum wage is too low. The gap between the rich and the poor continues to widen, and nothing helpful is being done to end this. In the satire titled â€Å"Gap Between Rich and Poor Named 8th Wonder of the World†, the author shows his disapproval of the gap through sarcasm. The author describes how many people have attempted to cross the gap but â€Å"only a small fraction have ever succeeded and many have died in the attempt† (para. 11). This sarcastic quote brings out the point that very few are able to rise above poverty and be successful. The author describes how the gap has been preserved â€Å"due to a small group of dedicated politicians and industry leaders† (para. 12). This quote means that because of wealthy politicians and selfish industry leaders who do not want to pay their employees more, the minimum wage is not raised, and the gap remains. A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift is another satiric piece of work about how England should handle the increasing poverty in Ireland in 1729. Though this was written many years ago, it is still relevant now, because like the English, our government is doing little to help the poor. Swift presents his solution to the hunger problem in Ireland. He suggests that a child is â€Å"most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food† (p. 395). In this essay, Swifts explains how children should be sold as food and that would solve many problems. Swift shows how insensitive and ignorant the government and the wealthy can be of the impoverished population. Instead of resorting to eating children, the minimum wage should be raised so people do not have to worry about how they will be able to afford food and other necessities for survival. The minimum wage should be raised so Americans can live a comfortable life and not worry about where they are going to get their next meal from or where they are going to sleep that night. The evidence provided showed how hardworking Americans deserve to have a higher minimum wage because that is the only way they can live without struggle.