In her bestselling book‚ “Nickel and Dimed‚” author Barbara Ehrenreich aims to give the reader a firsthand account of life as a worker on the poverty level. For her story‚ Ehrenreich‚ a writer from an upper-class family‚ decided to live the existence of a minimum wage worker‚ taking five low-level jobs at various locations around the United States‚ including positions as a waitress‚ health care aide‚ and Wal-Mart associate. To fulfill her objective‚ the author tried to obtain food‚ shelter and miscellaneous
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In the book Nickel and Dimed on (Not) getting by in America‚ the author lived a life of a low wage worker. This experiment‚ while deemed insightful by some people‚ was considered dull and unrealistic to one of my classmates. In response to the question‚ “What parts of the book made Ehrenreich’s experience unrealistic?” my peer said‚ “She didn’t experience what low wage workers really went through. In Into the Wild‚ McCandless really went into the wild and experienced everything‚ but Ehrenreich didn’t
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Nicked and Dimed: A Bourgeois Woman’s Attempt to Enlightenment Barbara Ehrenreich‚ a political journalist‚ found her writing inspiration a couple of years after the birth of her first child. Filled with political opinions and an itch to write‚ she took to her first successful pamphlet Witches‚ Midwives‚ and Nurses: A History of Women Healers. This started a wave of inspiration and success‚ leading to her New York Times Bestseller‚ Nickel and Dimed. While originally Ehrenreich started with a Biology
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Sarah Levy Professor M.Marca English 97 2 December 2008 Shame and Humiliation Nickel and Dimed‚ written by Barbara Ehrenreich has been published in 2001 for the first time. This book explains and describes the condition of the working poor in United States in the 21st century. To write this book the author who is a well-known journalist at the New York Times decides to experience being a low-wage worker for a few months. She gives up her middle class life to become and live as a working poor
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In the reading Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America written by Barbara Ehrenreich the struggle of living for most Americans is modeled and is also the main focus. Ehrenreich whose a sociologist writer goes undercover to what the “low-wage economy...has to offer” (Ehrenreich 245). The image portrayed by Americans of the lower class makes it difficult for one of the middle class to understand. Survival of both parties are no way‚ shape or form similar and this struck Ehrenreich’s curiosity
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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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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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References: Ehrenreich‚ B. (2001). Nickel and dimed: On (not) getting by in America. NY: Henry Holt and Co. Seccombe‚ K.‚ & Ferguson‚ S.J. (2006). Families in poverty. NY: Pearson Allyn and Bacon.
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Ed Fleming Rhetorical Analysis Paper English 102 Thurs Hybrid In Barbara Ehrenreich’s book "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by In America" we read about a middle aged journalist undertaking a social experiment of the greatest magnitude. The journalist is Ehrenreich herself and the experiment was to find out how a woman‚ recently removed from welfare‚ due to policy reform‚ would make it on a six or seven dollar an hour wage. The experiment itself started out as just a question in the
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Essay In Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich‚ Ehrenreich goes undercover as a low-wage worker‚ when she is really a reporter for New York Times. In Barbara’s journey‚ it explains all of the hardships workers have with low-wage jobs and makes your think: Does the accumulation of money and power inevitably lead to a loss of spirituality? Ehrenreich states that workers work long and stressful hours for almost no pay whatsoever but many people believe that these certain jobs are too easy and SHOULD
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