Ehrenreich Embarks On A Difficult Journey

Throughout the novel, Ehrenreich has a very reflective tone as she discusses the difficult tasks of the jobs she takes on. At the beginning of the novel, Ehrenreich believes that managing a lifestyle on low wage job was possible but quickly came to the realization that to make ends meet one must work multiple jobs. She as well believes that she may be too overqualified for these jobs but as well comes to the realization she is under-qualified as not only do these jobs prove to be physically but mentally tiring. Ehrenreich appeals to emotion to create sympathy for low-wage workers. An example of appeal to emotion would be where Marge states that the owners of homes they clean believe “They thinks we’re stupid”(100) and “ We’re nothing to these people”(100).

The criteria that was chosen for this paper showed that Ehrenreich demonstrated effort and experienced real life scenes as a low-wage worker for the sake of the project. Ehrenreich's project has taught me to appreciate the low-wage workers around me such as the maintenance workers. They work so hard and at times I do appreciate what they do because I am to concerned about myself at times and without them our school wouldn't be as clean as it is. I have now started to to greet them and say a simple thank you. Thank you Barbara Ehrenreich, because of you, I am more thoughtful of workers and

She wanted to shift the people’s attention to the fact that it isn’t the working class’s fault for not prospering, but instead to realize that the system is corrupted. Wages are set low, while rents and things necessary for survival are set at a high price. The working poor often have to in endure endless hours of hard labor to be able to survive. Ehrenreich stated that, “What [we] don't necessarily realize when you start selling your time by the hour is that what you're really selling is your life” which makes the working

Generally-speaking, the primary reason behind why Ehrenreich asserts that low-wage workers are “the major philanthropists of our society” is that they essentially neglect their own children and personal lives alike, for the sake of satisfying wealthier individuals. From housekeeping to waitressing, “wage slaves” often carry out arduous, back-breaking work for extensive periods of time: an indisputable sign of philanthropy. Although a great deal of work is indeed accomplished at the end, to the benefit of owners, the workers’ families themselves receive little to no compensation. Evidence from the text that further bolsters this claim is shown when the author states,“They [the “working poor”] neglect their own children so that the children

In Barbara Ehrenreich's bold and honest book she tackles the issue of poverty in America head on, by becoming a low wage worker herself. Ehrenreich delves into the often unheard of issues relating to poverty and low wage work, providing her readers with a new perspective on America's working poor and manages to give her audience a stark emotional, yet logical and factual, look into the working class' poverty epidemic. She uses her own anecdotal evidence and supports it with statistics and facts, appeals to ethos by challenging the ethics of corporate America and it costs, finally she hits an emotional chord with readers by reminding them of what low wage workers must endure so that we can live in our America.

In her personal essay “Serving in Florida,” Barbara Ehrenreich offers to show her experience as a middle class citizen living on a low income. Ehrenreich asserts that an average middle-class employee’s life is not like one would expect it to be, implying that it is just a mask. Many of such workers’ way of life is unpredictable, which Ehrenreich characterizes in her ethnographic essay. She portrays her argument in a specific structure which defines the life of low-paid employees. She describes the whole management system in the beginning and how the system affects each of the employees. Ehrenreich’s use of language emphasizes to the reader how much this issue sickens and annoys her daily. She expresses her argument through the appeal to pathos

Barbara Ehrenreich 's showed that she didn't have the mind set or worries of a working class person by reminding us as readers the fine line between the kind of performance she is doing and the kind her fellow coworkers do every day on the job. Time and again she lets us sink into her new world of a low-wage worker, only to pull us back with a reminder of the act. 1 She does this experiment to determine whether or not she could both live off the money earned and have enough money at the end of the month to pay the next month's rent. Working class people depend on the money they make on these jobs to survive and provide for their families. She could drop all these jobs she experimented with and go back to her real life without a worry in the

As the author moved from locale to locale she identified a variety of recurring hardships faced by the working poor. The chief concern for many was housing. Finding and maintaining economical housing was the principal source of disruption in their lives. For many of the working poor it’s not uncommon to spend more than 50% of income on housing. These leaves a scarce amount of money left over for anything else and creates a situation where the person is always worried about losing their shelter. In a nutshell, it’s Ehrenreich’s conviction that wages are too low and rents are too high. She does speak with many individuals who simply cannot afford the high rental rates and are forced to live with family, friends, or in some

Ehrenreich goes into this experience knowing that she is above everyone and knowing she has money in her back pocket for any scenario where she is in need. Not even realizing that she was talking down on the working class, Ehrenreich refers to the working poor people's lives as ¨this parallel universe¨. As Ehrenreich gets into her first job working for minimum wage, she says ¨At least Gail puts to rest any fears I had of appearing overqualified.¨ Ruling out things was something that Ehrenreich did from the beginning. Choosing to rule out homelessness, she would never be without a car, and no shelters or sleeping in cars for her. Attitude played a big role in how she began her experience right from the start. The people who are actually living in poverty do not have any options to fall back on. Ehrenreich’s attitude is not of one who actually goes through the daily struggles to get by in this world. Being above everyone was something she made clear to all readers right in the beginning. On the other hand, Turkel’s attitude is very uplifting and appreciative of the working poor and how they have so much pride and passion in the work they do. While interviewing the working class, Turkel gets invited to eat dinner at some man's house, and without even realizing it, Turkel is leaving the dinner on short notice not fully appreciating that this stranger invited him into his home and used money he probably did not have to buy him Italian. Turkel says ¨I found myself neglecting the amenities and graces that offer mutual pleasure and host.¨ Realizing these people take huge pride in what they are doing, and love doing what they do, Turkel started to see how working like they do is actually

Ehrenreich is a guinea pig in her own experiment of establishing a stable income with the help of a tight budget to get her to her goal, which is to build a financially stable life, as well as the help a minimum wage job. She performs this in three different locations; each having a lasting impact on her as she learns the difficulty of assimilating in a city with economic setbacks. Ehrenreich has her ups and downs in her experience, especially with money. After the ordeal, the author of the book learns about how much money is depended on and how it can change a person because she experienced it on a first-hand account. Documenting on her journey, Ehrenreich encountered people who were at their lowest and were still attempting to make the best out of it. She met immigrants and coworkers who shared stories of their low salaries and were still grateful for what they receive. This shows that it makes people more appreciated and humble for what they have because it could have been worse. Barbara Ehrenreich gained the talent of adapting to new locations, attempting to establish a secure economic foundation while having financial

Most of Ehrenreich’s coworkers pay $500 or more for their rent. 5. When Ehrenreich goes for her job interviews, she gets disrespected most of the time because the employers she meets want their applicants to feel like they are lower class people. This happened to her in her interview for Merry Maids when her employer complains about finding decent help and telling her not to calculate her pay into hours. Ehrenreich never talks about an employer being nice, but in her low-wage work, she tries her best to prove herself, but she is still not treated with

Ehrenreich also found the experience of the working poor abound with indignities, from monitored urination for drug testing to subjection to search. Ehrenreich notes the indignity, “I still flinch to think that I spent all those weeks under the surveillance of men (and later women) whose job it was to monitor my behavior for signs of sloth, theft, drug abuse or worse” (2001, p. 22). “According to Marx, the exploitation of workers by capitalists and the resulting alienation from work result in the denial of workers’ humanity” (Hodson & Sullivan, 2008, p. 8); once again, a description strikingly similar to Ehrenreich’s experiences and observations.

Throughout the book Ehrenreich’s co-workers all seem to struggle, such as the trouble with housing in Key West and healthcare in Maine. Having a place to live, eating properly, and healthcare seem to be the biggest cause of concern within the working class. Most of the jobs that she worked, the workers did not have healthcare packages or benefits. So it wasn’t uncommon for them to have trouble trying to manage their health and struggle to pay for medication, let alone a visit to the doctor. Without healthcare and a lack of proper diet (in Maine she had a ‘thirty minute’ lunch break but most of her co-workers barely ate anything close to a meal) it is not hard to see how the working class can easily be shot into poverty; seeing as most of the working class that she had encountered were just living above the poverty line. Reading about what she noticed and noted about her co-workers it isn’t hard to imagine how easy it would be to fall below the poverty

Ehrenreich’s housing situation also makes her stand out from the real poor working class. Ehrenreich (2002) states "As it turns out, the mere fact of having a unit to myself makes me an aristocrat..." (p. 70). Almost every other person she has met has to live with another person. A hefty security deposit is required to get an apartment which many people are unable to pay so they are forced to live with family, friends, or pay for a hotel room. Cohabiting is another system the working poor faces. Ehrenreich does not have to endure the hardship of living with another person.

The situation Ehrenreich is describing is the reality of millions of Americans; they work multiple minimum wage jobs, and are paid “so meagerly that workers can’t save enough to move on.” In addition, Ehrenreich recalls the actions of the U.S. government in regards to assisting these Americans. The article opens with the contribution of President Lyndon B. Johnson on the “War on Poverty”, then the “attack on welfare” in the 90s, concluding with The Great Recession. While writing Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America, Ehrenreich abandoned her comfortable life to live the life of a low-income American; she worked multiple entry level jobs including Wal-Mart, a maid service, and as a nursing home aide. Through these actions, Ehrenreich establishes her ethos. Because she’s lived the lifestyle she’s describing, she has the authority to speak on the topic. Ehrenreich concludes with her proposal to help the