A Final Thought On Nickel And Dimed

A Final Thought on Nickel and Dimed In an age where the gap between the top one percent of the nation and the bottom nine ninety percent continues to grow, it becomes paramount for those that enjoy a life of privilege and opportunity to build and evoke a sense of empathy and understanding for those that struggle to get by on a daily basis. Barbara Ehrenreich’s, in her novel Nickel and Dimed, explores the struggle to achieve the American Dream, by placing herself in the shoes of a blue collar worker and defines the American Dream for the poor and the working class. Ehrenreich’s testimony is important to include in Emery’s curriculum because it forces the average emery student to step away from the comforts and luxuries that make up our lives and open our eyes to the harsh reality of the world in which we live in.
Emery is very different from the school I went to for middle school in regards to the social and economic dynamic of the two schools. Most of the kids that went to my middle school were in the working class or lower middle class. At my old school, I was able to see first hand, the struggles my fellow classmates faced on a daily basis, compared to my own blessed and privileged life. Some of the kids at my old school couldn’t afford a basic five dollar meal, something that most kids at our school will never have to experience. The problem is that most of the kids that go to Emery never have to see what happens to those individuals who are in these situations. Even though we are centered in the middle of Houston, students aren’t really exposed to individuals in these