Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich states that the individuals of a full time, low income job support the living conditions for the rest of the social classes through the work they need to do in order to survive. I agree with Ehrenreich’s claim, that the working poor are major contributors to our society, understand this is extremely useful because it sheds insight on the difficult problems individuals have to endure on a day to day basis just to survive.
Ehrenreich argues that the work available to the individuals in poverty, are all jobs the rich do not want to do. This can be seen when she takes on waitressing, explaining her experience with customers stating that their demands are “requests as if by bees”(17). She must come to every
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She does this by conducting her own investigation of what it is like to be apart of the lower class. She finds that living in this social group there are tips that are essential for survival “unknown to the middle class”(25). This is not hard to believe considering that the wealthier individuals do not have to worry about where their next meal is coming from. The individuals living in poverty must accommodate their way of life in order to survive for the next day. One concept the rich don't understand about the lower end of society is they did not choose to become poor, and there is not a “secret econom[y]”(27) to help them out. They have to work hard for every cent they earn and it certainly does not come easy. The side effects of working are what take the biggest toll on, not only the body but also the mind. After working long days and longer nights the mind starts to give up hope for a better life and accepts the fact that this is as high there quality of life is going to get. Not only do they have to work all day and night but if an injury were to happen they are encouraged to “‘work through it’”(110). The money they are earning to feed the mouths of their children is worth more to them than there own health. Living at the bottom of the pyramid is not a walk in the park but rather a vigouros journey through
...Even with the pitfalls in Ehrenreich's research, she managed to shine a light on the everyday plight of the low wage worker. She achieved employment at several different low wage service jobs and she also achieved friendliness with the coworkers there. Unfortunately, she could not achieve her goal of making enough money to pay the following month's rent at her accommodations, as she dictated to be her sign of success at the beginning of the project. Without this success, she can truly say that the plight of the low wage worker and the women leaving welfare is an extremely difficult one with great hardship and lack of fulfillment as these participants of the lower class work day to day to keep their chins up and make do with what, even if little, they have.
According to a 1997 report of the National Coalition for the Homeless, “nearly one-fifth of all homeless people are employed in full or part-time jobs”. In the book Nickel and Dimed, On Not Getting by in America, by Barbara Ehrenreich, the author goes undercover in order to investigate and experience first-hand how life is for America’s “working poor”. The “working poor” are defined as individuals who have a full-time job, sometimes more than one, but still cannot afford the basics of shelter, food and adequate healthcare. As one can imagine, this led to many public health concerns. In each of the three locations visited, Ehrenreich realizes that for many, “getting by” in America can sometimes be a daunting task.
But I think this book is more for those people who aren’t that aware of social class, or for the ones who feel that we live in a society that is classless, rather than the actual people who have realized the consequences that class really has on someone’s life. Many people can relate to what stories are told in the book; if not, they know of a person that can relate to these stories. As a person that grew up in the lower class, I can definitely relate to most of the stories told in this book. From experience, there is a big difference in this country between the rich, middle class, and the poorest that we see daily. Even those in the so-called working class have to make continuous sacrifices and live very differently from those positioned firmly in the middle class.
She sets out to explore the world that welfare mothers are entered. The point was not so much to become poor as to get a sense of the spectrum of low-wage work that existed-from waitressing to housekeeping. She felt mistreated when it was announced that there has been a report on “drug activity”, as a result, the new employees will be required to be tested, as will the current employees on a random basis. She explained feeling mistreated, “I haven 't been treated this way-lined up in the corridor, threatened with locker searches, peppered with carelessly aimed accusations-since junior high school” (Ehrenreich,286). The other problem is that this job shows no sign of being financially viable. Ehrenreich states that there is no secret economies that nourish the poor, “If you can 't put up the two months’ rent you need to secure an apartment, you end up paying through the nose for a room by the week” (286). On the first day of housekeeping, she is yelled and given nineteen rooms to clean. For four hours without a break she striped and remake the beds. At the end of the experience she explained that she couldn 't hold two jobs and couldn 't make enough money to live on with one as where single mothers with children. She has clarified that she has advantages compare to the long-term
The juxtaposed contrasts that she often uses are seen explicitly in anecdotes or implicitly in conscious thoughts. Such contrasts first appear in the first paragraph. Even before Ehrenreich makes any substantial effort to join the poor working class, she is hit with this sudden unease of being recognized. At that time, it is clear that she has not relinquished her middle class status since she feels ashamed of being identified as a poor worker. In the world that the author originally belongs to, name and reputation are considered important to one’s standing in society yet in the working class realm, as Ehrenreich later finds out, one is often “unnoticed” and names are “unuttered.” Not only are names forgotten but one’s ability and education are also ignored when looking for jobs. Oblivious to the “rule” for hiring for unskilled jobs, Ehrenreich initially worries about her over-qualification but only to be shocked when she realizes the employers are not even interested. Whereas jobs for the middle class often demand higher education and past accomplishments, jobs for the low-wage workforce are simply depended simply on luck or as Ehrenreich claims “ being in the right place at the right time.” One can convey this as part of a corporate scheme to ensure the
He meets Natalia who is a middle aged epileptic who expresses to him a story of anguish that starts in her childhood, when she was hurt by a poisonous tick, and then takes its descending turn after a wicked gypsy woman traps and possibly even kills her husband. Natalia exclaims that it is her epilepsy that is causing her to poor. Her children are no longer with her and were taken from her, or have possibly died, and or have been deserted. Natalia has trouble realizing what her illness is and is not capable to effectively clarify her illness to others. The meaning of poor as well as in other situations in life is because of the absence of guidance. Individuals should be able to recognize their own surroundings, and be capable to change their lifestyle on what will make them happy. Some people consider themselves rich even though they do not have much, and other poor when they have everything. People for the most part live life beyond their needs. It is unfortunate how people will get depressed for the smallest reasons, and others who are more financially restricted wish they could have their problems instead of their
Poverty and low wages have been a problem ever since money became the only thing that people began to care about. In Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich, she presents the question, “How does anyone live on the wages available to the unskilled?” This question is what started her experiment of living like a low wage worker in America. Ehrenreich ends up going to Key West, Portland, and Minneapolis to see how low wage work was dealt with in different states. With this experiment she developed her main argument which was that people working at low wages can’t live life in comfort because of how little they make monthly and that the economic system is to blame.
In the first chapter of Nickeled and Dimed, Ehrenreich begins her experiment in Key West, Florida, where she finds an apartment for $500 a month. Once she settles down, she began to apply to numerous jobs, and learns about the low-wage-job application process. When she does not hear from any of the jobs, she applies for a waitressing position. Ehrenreich is hired by the Hearthside,( she changed the names of of the people she met along the way). As a waitress she will work for two weeks from 2:00 in the evening until 10:00 at night for $2.30 an hour plus tips. Ehrenreich is trained by Gail on the ins and outs of waitressing, she gets to know some of the regular customers and bonds with her co workers.
Millions of Americans work full-time, day in and day out, making near and sometimes just minimum wage. In 1998, Barbara Ehrenreich decided to join them in part by the welfare claim, which promises that any job equals a better life. Barbara wondered how anyone can survive, let alone prosper, on $6-$7 an hour. Barbara moved from Florida to Maine to Minnesota, working in the cheapest lodgings available and accepting work as a waitress, hotel maid, house cleaner, nursing home aide, and Wal-Mart salesperson. She soon realizes that even the lowliest occupations require exhausting mental and physical efforts and in most cases more than one job was needed to make ends meet. Nickel and Dimed reveals low-wage America in all of its glory, consisting of
In the novel Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehnreich, there are many hurtles she must overcome to experience the life of a low income worker. She sets some ground rules for herself, such as always having a car, and starting out with a certain amount of money for her down payment on an apartment. Although the rules are doable, she admits that she broke all of the rules at least once. Even though Barbara didn't hold to her original plan, she was still able to reveal her appeals clearly.
Ehrenreich, Barbara (2001). Nickel and Dimed On (Not) Getting By in America. Published- New York, New York.
Cause and Effect The author of Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich, began her experiment in Key West because she lived near there. Then she moved to Portland, ME since it was mostly white.
The Rhetorical Triangle states that writing should incorporate ethos, pathos, and logos. Ethos is establishing credibility, pathos is showing emotion in the writing, and logos is stating logical facts. In “Shooting an Elephant” written by George Orwell and “Nickel and Dimed” by Barbara Ehrenreich powerful messages are conveyed. However, “Shooting an Elephant” is comprised of ethos and pathos. While Orwell’s writing lacks logos “Nickel and Dimed” by Barbara Ehrenreich includes ethos, pathos, and logos. Therefore, while both conveying powerful messages Ehrenreich’s writing includes all three aspects of The Rhetorical Tringle while, Orwell’s writing lacks logos but includes the emotion and credibility.
During the middle of the book, Ehrenreich writes, "Maybe, it occurs to me, that I 'm getting a tiny glimpse of what it would be like to be black (p. 100)." I found this interesting because African Americans continuously face inequality due to race, which correlates with the inequalities that lower classes in society face. Throughout Nickel and Dimed, Ehrenreich emphasizes that there are "hidden costs" to being poor, which includes those in poverty who cannot find a way out. The working poor, who Ehrenreich gets to know through work, live in hotels paying daily. These people in the book describe to Ehrenreich that that would rent an apartment, but they cannot afford the security deposit and starting costs. The working poor in the book also must buy unhealthy meals at fast-food restaurants because they cannot afford kitchen appliances or food to cook with. People suffering in poverty often believe they are stuck there and cannot get out, so they
Ehrenreich, Barbara. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America. New York, NY: Metropolitan Books, 2001.