Compassion in the Workplace in Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich

554 Words2 Pages

Why might people in the workplace share a good common goodwill, generosity, and solidarity amongst each other? They most likely will share these things because they are all in the same boat. For example, as hard and difficult as work may be, it may be an escape for most of the workers. The feeling of care and support may come from other workers because at that moment, they are all together, and they are away from the hardships they might face. They all know how their co-workers feel, and to share a smile, it may help someones day.
The novel Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich shows the hard working, fast paced environment of the work place. Even the smallest jobs can take a toll on a person. Along with taking a toll, the novel also references the main point of workers showing compassion on the job. From the story, Barbra talks with one of her co-workers, and tries to help her out. “ ‘Her back has long since given out but she’s leaving now because she’s scheduled for knee surgery in a couple of weeks. I know this because I offer her a ride home that day when it appears that her us...

Show More
Related

  • The Working Poor In Nickel And Dimed By Barbara Ehrenreich

    1451 Words  | 3 Pages

    The working poor are those whose incomes fall under a given poverty line. Depending on how one defines "working" and "poverty," someone may or may not be counted as part of the working poor, but even though anyone who may not be counted, each one of them are from the working poor who ultimately don’t earn enough money that is required to survive. Barbara Ehrenreich, a journalist and an author of Nickel and Dimed, is not literally a low-wage worker, she acted as an undercover low wage worker. She establishes and realizes there is not much difference between someone who is professing to exist as a waitress and someone who is waitressing. As well as a documentary 30 Days episode one “Minimum Wage” done by Morgan Spurlock and his fiancee Alex,

    Read More

  • The Work Ethic, In A Modern Guise author Joanne B. Ciulla

    599 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the essay, “The Work Ethic, In A Modern Guise”, author Joanne B. Ciulla talks about how the modern style of working is different from the traditional and old work ethic, and how the young and coming generation does not want to work hard but instead wants instant results. The long lasting formula of working hard and performing seems to be fading away. Instead of mastering the subject, students care about the final results and brownie points. Moreover, Ciulla asserts that students engage in activities that pay-off well in the end rather than the excellence of the work. In the article, Ciulla describes the situation of today’s students being more centred about the idea of getting a higher grade. According to Ciulla, students do not show determination but they want second-chances so that they can have a better grade than before. Students want that better grade simply because they have put a lot of time. Sometimes, professors unreasonably give students a higher grade which leads to a false confidence among students which is the root of other causes. In the end o...

    Read More

  • Analysis Of A Job Was The Ticket Out Of Poverty By Barbara Ehrenreich

    1995 Words  | 4 Pages

    You know the economy is bad when a person is working 40 hours a week and they are still not making enough to get by and living in poverty. When there are more foreclosed and vacant homes, but an increase in the opening of motels and efficiencies. And recent college graduates are settling for mediocre jobs that do not require much skill. Yet, we brainwash them to obtain an education to avoid such occurrences. Who is to blame for the misfortune of such a vast amount of people? This is one of the questions Barbara Ehrenreich sought to answer as she went undercover to see if the wages the unskilled earn in certain jobs are livable.

    Read More

  • Barbara Ehrenreich's 'Serving In Florida'

    266 Words  | 1 Pages

    In “Serving in Florida,” author Barbara Ehrenreich describes her month-long project: living in relative poverty as a minimum wage worker. Her thesis is that earning only minimum wage contributes to a life of struggle and finds that she cannot make ends meet. Ehrenreich describes her job hunting journey and how she tries to survive in a low-wage job, working as a diner waitress in Key West, Florida. Finding a job, Ehrenreich describes her trials working with non-sympathetic management and rude customers. An example she mentions is that “managers can sit—for hours at a time if they want—but it’s their job to see that no one else ever does, even when there’s nothing to do.” She also expresses in the article

    Read More

  • Ehrenreich's 'The Not So Arbitrary Matters Of Life'

    909 Words  | 2 Pages

    For example: during her stay in Minneapolis she could have worked for Mountain Air or Menards. Both of these jobs would have paid better than Walmart, yet the tasks they demanded of her were daunting and she was unsure she could fulfill them. Her coworkers also had similar experiences. Because of this, they decided to stick with what was familiar and safe to them. Another issue that prevented the LWW's from switching to higher paying jobs was that they had developed a sense of pride for their occupations. When a persona takes pride in their work, no matter how menial it is, they shall try their best and stick with it as long as they can. This could clearly be seen when Ehrenreich was a maid in Maine. Even though her job as a maid was destroying her health and that of her coworkers they had a fierce amount of pride for their jobs and nothing short of severe injury would stop them from getting it done. Conversely, depression and apathy had the same impact as pride on Ehrenreich's coworkers. The jobs the had in the past had simply beaten the fight out of them either physically or mentally. Between the insecurity a new job elicits, the pride they had for their current occupation, or the apathy they held towards life in general many of the LWWs Ehrenreich worked with simply couldn't bring themselves to change their already

    Read More

  • Upton Sinclair And The Progressive Era

    1725 Words  | 4 Pages

    The corporation had no compassion towards its laborers. This extract from Sinclair’s novel The Jungle explains the terrible conditions in which employees work: “.your hand slips up on the blade, and there is a fearful gash. And that would not be so bad, only for the deadly contagion. The cut may heal, but you never can tell,” (Sinclair, 12).

    Read More

  • Numbers Man By Shil Kay Analysis

    416 Words  | 1 Pages

    Have you ever felt emotion, or had to make a choice in your life? Shared humanity is something that every single one of us has, and use everyday. Shared Humanity characteristics are relationships, loss, survival, choice and morality. When we use shared humanity, we may not even realize it. Emotions, Morality, Choice, Survival are some of the things we use every day of our lives. Shared humanity plays a major role in Numbers Man, Scarlet Ibis, and Drums Girls and Dangerous pie.

    Read More

  • Aspects of Friendship throughout Different Stages of Life

    663 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sias, P. M., Pedersen, H., Gallagher, E. B., & Kopaneva, I. (2012). Workplace friendship in the

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Barbara Lazear Ascher's On Compassion

    208 Words  | 1 Pages

    Writer, Barbara Lazear Ascher, in her article, "On Compassion", portrays scenes from New York City. Ascher's motivation is to represent that compassion must be learned through "adversity that becomes so familiar that we begin to identify and empathize it." (13) She additionally addresses what propels compassion. As a New Yorker who has seen acts of compassion on different events, she can undoubtedly depict the scenes for her audience. She effectively does this – using rhetoric devices to convey her attitudes towards the subject such as pathos.

    Read More

  • Unpaid Work Case Study

    4073 Words  | 9 Pages

    Forrest (1998) documents how women carry out unpaid work on-the-job outside their formal job requirements. These activities include cleaning, informal caregiving, serving other individuals, and maintaining interpersonal relations. The latter activity can involve empathy work: the often

    Read More

  • Charlie Gordon The Value Of Compassion

    203 Words  | 1 Pages

    Charlie’s statement translates into that people who value intelligence will not be given the same satisfaction they desire if they don’t contain a heart. To inaugurate, in the novel, Charlie Gordon states, “What you value is intelligence, but the mind without the heart isn’t worth a damn…”(Film). I agree with him in virtue of people without love aren’t living. There are those who are smart, but don’t have lovers. Gordon was facing trouble with loving Ms. Kinnian because he knew he would leave her intellectually. Charlie still knew himself. He couldn’t step away from his former being because that Gordon was equipped with soul, unlike the other. He shifted from a human into an android and he hated it. In his statement Charlie states how his older

    Read More

  • Elf Program Proposal Essay

    566 Words  | 2 Pages

    Wonderful things happen when a group of enthusiastic people come together with one simple goal: to help those in need. Acts of benevolence in a community can help to ease a financial burden, feed a hungry child, provide transportation to important appointments and so much more. Helping hands extended with kindness, compassion and respect. It makes a community stronger.

    Read More

  • An Analysis Of What Work Is By Philip Levine

    1156 Words  | 3 Pages

    The poem, “What Work Is” by Philip Levine is an intricate and thought-provoking selection. Levine uses a slightly confusing method of describing what work actually is. He gives the idea that work is very tedious, however necessary. It is miserable, however, it is a sacrifice that is essentially made by many, if not all able-bodied members of society. Many have to sacrifice going to a concert or a movie, but instead works jobs with hardly a manageable salary. This poem seems to have a focus on members of the lower-class or middle-class who live paycheck to paycheck and are unable to put money away for a future for their children or for a vacation and how difficult life can be made to be while living under this type of circumstance. Levine

    Read More

  • The Importance of Serving Others

    1183 Words  | 3 Pages

    If we open our lives and give service to those less fortunate than ourselves, we allow our hearts to receive immeasurable happiness. When we sacrifice our time to help someone in need, whether it is a great or small need, we become a part of their life and can help alleviate heavy burdens. Making time to help people in need creates opportunities for us to develop new and lasting relationships. Serving our fellowmen allows the best in each of us to shine through and we can become examples to our children.

    Read More

  • Essay About Compassion

    1447 Words  | 3 Pages

    Compassion recognizes the humanity of our society and accepts that all of us have our weaknesses we all cannot be kind-hearted, but trying is worth it. Yet, compassion does not mean you cannot carry feelings of intensity which compares with passion. You’re not obligated to feel compassionate all of the time, but it doesn’t hurt if you are. You may come across people who make you angry, I was raised in a household where karma existed. If you did everything you needed too; to treat people, the right way and they didn’t do the same, karma would get them. Karma and compassion do not contradict one another but complement each other.

    Read More

More about Compassion in the Workplace in Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich

Open Document