This is discrimination against the poor and those who are not wealthy enough to afford unpaid internships. Unpaid internships are often a way for companies with money, such as fashion houses or investment banks, to offer low-paying jobs that will provide little experience in exchange for free labor. We can stop thinking that poor people are lazy or deserving of their social status because, like Swift, we need to realize these issues affect all levels of society across the world.Īn example of an issue in contemporary society that is highly related to poverty and hunger is the topic of unpaid internships.

The contemporary society can emulate Swift’s A Modest Proposal by eliminating the stigma associated with poverty and hunger. Some of the topics covered in the essay are now issues that we still deal with in society today. Apart from literature students, A Modest Proposal cannot be ignored when it comes to the topic of poverty and inequality. He claims he has already convinced many to adopt this measure, and “a man of three thousand pounds a year would be as well provided for, with eight children, as is now the person who has twice that estate without any.”Ī Modest Proposal is important, especially for literature students, because it is one of the first modern examples of satire.

In A Modest Proposal, Swift does not actually suggest eating children but instead using them as workers in the family home.

The basic premise of the essay is that Ireland’s poverty could be alleviated by selling their children as food for rich gentlemen and ladies, noting “it would provide some small relief to your excellency’s treasury, and enable you to make a suitable provision for the support of your Majesty’s ancient and faithful subjects.” Swift suggests that this would be a cost-effective method to reduce poverty without any need for more Irish to emigrate. A Modest Proposal is a satirical essay written in 1729 by Jonathan Swift.

J swift a modest proposal