At one point in her career, Barbara Ehrenreich thought that it would be a good idea to get into the life of a person who works for the minimum wage and tries to live of it. As she went through her quest, Barbara met many people who were in fact, struggling. Unlike her, these people had to work multiple jobs, cut down their eating, live in terrible places, and just suffer all because of the lack of money and the need for as much of it as the could get. Some of these employees had others that they
Nickel And Dimed: Occupations Barbara Ehrenreich provides evidence in “Nickel and Dimed” that she’s an outstanding author with this book. Its engaging and compelling, no question about that. But it’s hard to get from side to side at times since of the authors attitudes. Her key summit is to carry concentration to the scrape of the working deprived, but she manages to be both abusive and divisive. Occupation on attacking our industrialist system, she fails to become aware of that the endurance of
Barbara Ehrenreich employed the use of humor multiple times in Nickel and Dimed; it was perhaps her most frequently used rhetorical device. Ehrenreich was trying to portray the tragedy and heartbreak of the situation by using that sort of hopeless, sardonic humor. She also used her humor as a way to camouflage topics that would otherwise be off-limits. Although some of the humor included in the narrative may have seemed distasteful, it all had a purpose and was rarely used inappropriately. The
In Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America, the author, Barbara Ehrenreich, takes on an experiment where she leaves her job as a highly acclaimed writer and decides to become part of the working class in order to better understand them and their continuous strains and worries. Throughout the novel, the author cleverly utilizes statistical data, her own personal experiences and the previously untold experiences of others to bring to light the harsh reality facing many Americans who, despite
Kaitlyn Imada “Nickel and Dimed” by Barbara Ehrenreich In Barbara Ehrenreich’s book “Nickel and Dimed” a social experiment of the greatest magnitude is taken underway. The journalist is Ehrenreich herself and the experiment was about a woman, who was recently removed from welfare, would survive on a six to seven dollar hourly wage. In addition to this experiment, Ehrenreich promised herself that she would never use her college degree to land a job, always take the highest paying job if offered
Use of Rhetoric in Nickel and Dime by Barbara Ehrenreich In her expose, Nickel and Dime, Barbara Ehrenreich shares her experience of what it is like for unskilled women to be forced to be put into the labor market after the welfare reform that was going on in 1998. Ehrenreich wanted to capture her experience by retelling her method of “uncover journalism” in a chronological order type of presentation of events that took place during her endeavor. Her methodologies and actions were some what not
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
good idea for Barbara Ehrenreich to put herself in the minimum wage jobs to actually learn or get to know and feel how some of the things people at low-income jobs go through just for them to make a living. Ehrenreich has to take a series of unglamorous jobs like waitressing, housecleaning, retail sales which pays a minimum wage but income she earns from these jobs were not enough so she has to do two minimum wage jobs at a time in order to get a better living. Ehrenreich first had two
have seen a dramatic increase in the number of women entering the labor force market, we are still seeing a majority of these women being placed into a sex-segregated labor market that devalues the work that these women do. In Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich showcases how the women were devalued in the workplace, by showing how devaluation led to these women facing health issues, housing issues, and horrible working conditions as well. Why are most doctors and CEOs mostly male? Why are most nurses
Getting By In America by Barbara Ehrenreich. The book was written to look at the low-wage workforce and how the people who make up this society, live their lives. Ehrenreich does first hand investigations by working in some of these minimal wage jobs across the country. While conducting these investigations to help get the full understanding of these lifestyles, Ehrenreich had to accept the lowest costing place to live, as well as the highest paying job she could find. Ehrenreich also had self proclaimed
1.) Rhetorical Analysis – pages 1 – 19 (Introduction and part of Chapter 1) Barbara Ehrenreich’s use of logos in order to gain the reader’s support and approval was prevalent throughout this section. She clearly outlines her credibility and aptitude in the introduction of her novel - she mentions her education as well as statistical facts about hourly wages in the United States and how they will relate to her experiment. She points out her “…PhD in biology, (which she) didn’t get by sitting at a
on the table for their families, and in many cases that is not even enough. In the article, “Why We Work” by Andrew Curry, Curry examines the complexities of work and touches on the reasons why many workers feel unsatisfied with their jobs. Barbara Ehrenreich writes an essay called, “Serving in Florida” which is about the overlooked life of being a server and the struggles of working off low minimum wages. Curry’s standpoint on jobs is that workers are not satisfied, the job takes control of their
“How to (not) get by in America?” That is a question we’ve all wondered and seemed to find the answer to whilst reading Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich. In this novel, Ehrenreich breaks down her adventures as a low class, low income worker and all the things she must do to survive in such a demanding economy. Each journey throughout this book was broken down into three main parts. Firstly, we take a stop in Key West, located at the very end of Florida. From personal experience, Key West isn’t
In Nickels and Dimes by Barbara Ehrenreich, the author decides to experience the life of an average worker in the service industry in order to record and show to the world how they survive with a minimum wage, long working hours, and tiring jobs without much compensation with health insurance or being allowed to take breaks. As she journeys fourth she also discovers new things about herself that she didn’t ever think would happen to her unless she actually worked as a waitress or in hotel service
Barbara Ehrenreich’s story, in her book “Nickel and Dimed,” was humbling to read. Her quote at the end of her book left me speechless. She states, “I grew up hearing over and over to the point of tedium that hard work was the secret to success: ‘Work hard and you’ll get ahead’ or ‘It’s hard work that got us where we are.’ No one ever said that you could work hard—harder even than you ever thought possible—and still find yourself sinking ever deeper into poverty and debt (220).’” When I first started
New Side of Gratitude In Barbara Ehrenreich article “The Selfish side of gratitude” we are given a new aspect of the word gratitude. She defines gratitude as an oxymoron claiming that the gratitude we as a society tend to use is mainly a selfish gratitude. She argues that we shouldn’t do away with gratitude because expressing gratitude is important but rather “it should be a more vigorous and inclusive sort of gratitude than what is being urged on us now”. This selfish side of gratitude has caused
“ “Somebody should research that.” (Ehrenreich, 2001). During the final course of her 30.00 lunch with Louis Lapham, editor of Harpers, Barbara Ehrenreich wondered how people could survive on minimum wage. She would soon be eating her words as Lapham pointed to her and said, “You”. Reluctant at first to be the one doing the research, Ehrenreich finally capitulates and begins life as a minimum wage worker in America. The main idea of her experiment was to spend one month in each place and make
Can someone really live and prosper in American receiving minimal income? Can someone create a good lifestyle for themselves on just six to seven dollars an hour? In Nickel and Dimed Barbara Ehrenreich goes undercover to find out if it is indeed possible. Giving herself only $1,000 she leaves the lifestyle that she has come accustomed too and goes to join all the people living the low class way of life. Before setting out, she gave herself a list of rules she had to follow so that her experience
Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed 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
as, expressing concern for those missing. I recognized that the homeless may live in a non-traditional way, but they have established their own communities and are successful in forming and maintaining cohesive relationships. References Barbara, E. (2001). Serving in Florida. Nickled and Dimed (pp. 18-20). New York: Henry Holt and Company, LLC. The Beacon | Respecting Human Dignity, Improving Lives. The Beacon | Respecting Human Dignity, Improving Lives. Retrieved January 27, 2014, from