Book Review Nickel and Dimed and the Working Poor | Abstract In this book review we were asked to read Nickel and Dimed by Ehrenich and The Working Poor by Shipler. After reading the two books throughout the first half of the semester I would like to answer; the reactions the readings gave to me. What impact did the books have on my thinking? Also describe the experiences of the people that are in the readings closely resembling myself. I would also like to answer what I have learned in how
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Kaitlin Yates 14 August 2010 Contemporary Social Problems A sociological evaluation of Nickel and Dimed. “To be a member of the working poor is to be an anonymous donor‚ a nameless benefactor‚ to everyone else”.(221) Barbara Ehrenreich in her book Nickel and Dimed explored life as a low wage earner by working several “unskilled” jobs in different areas of the country and attempted to live off the wages she earned. I will evaluate some assertions she made and make some assertions of my own based
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poverty paralleled many of the experiences that Ehrenreich faced in her endeavor to make ends meet as a minimum-wage worker. Most of the connections I made between Seccombe’s research and Ehrenreich’s experiences fell under the pathway of “Housing Problems‚” in which there were several similarities between the two. Seccombe (2006) writes that “the United States currently faces a severely limited supply of affordable housing units” (p. 73). Ehrenreich‚ in her attempt to find somewhat affordable housing
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Nickel and Dimed was published in 2001 during the blow up of the internet. The book was spreading and a group of college freshmen were even assigned to read it. Ehrenreich even learned that a young man set out himself to try what she did but he started out in a homeless shelter and at the end‚ he had an apartment and thousands of dollars saved. He went on to write his own book and actually accuse Ehrenreich about her lack of motivation to succeed. She was even called “The Antichrist of North Carolina”
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Although authors Barbara Ehrenreich and Matthew B. Crawford both obtain a higher degree from a university‚ both continue to work low-income jobs for different reasons. Ehrenreich believes minimum wage work is challenging in all aspects of the employment. She has the option to remove herself from this lifestyle but continues to stay in order to gain experience for her book "Nickel and Dimed". Crawford on the other hand finds a deeper appreciation for the working class‚ and even though he has an option
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the low wage market and they hinder potential applicants while violating freedoms and having little perceptible and positive impact on work performance. In chapter three of Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America‚ Ehrenreich comes to her realization how much real low wage workers are required to act (Ehrenreich‚ Barbara‚ & Christine 13). She is seen to be distressed by the difficulty of the personality test. She describes it as excruciatingly draining‚ yet‚ still looking cheerful and compliant
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26 April 2010 Nickel and Dimed – Book Report America encourages the value of self-reliance to achieving one’s goals and dreams. There is a common belief that poverty can be defeated with hard work and that the poor are simply too lazy to earn a better living. The idea of self-sufficiency is the cause of controversy for welfare programs. Poor single mothers were looked down upon for having the option to be unemployed and living solely off welfare. When President Clinton’s 1996 Welfare Reform was
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Jack Nguyen Mrs. Wright AP English 3 30 July‚ 2015 Nickel and Dimed Rhetorical Strategies and Notes Thesis: Ehrenreich’s personal use of varied rhetorical strategies allowed her to divulge the working conditions and struggles of the poverty-stricken class to the readers in order to provoke them to realize that something has to be done about poverty. First Body: What: Allusion Pg. 2‚ Logos Pg. 37. How & Effect: Ehrenreich uses these personal‚ rhetorical strategies based on her experiences as a low-wage
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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
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The book Nickel and Dimed was a refreshing easy read. With consideration to my workload for the semester I appreciated this small favor‚ however‚ nothing could have prepared me for the pages ahead. As I conceptualized this paper I was battling my criticisms and trying to keep an open mind. I ended my conceptualization feeling helpless and not knowing where to begin. Where better then the beginning? I was initially thrilled to read the things she was writing about serving in Florida. Not only
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