Dimed Essay

Kevin Torres English III Period 4 9 September, 2016 Nickel and Dimed Composition I. Introduction Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, Is about a woman, a journalist who goes undercover to witness the Welfare Program the government provides for the poor and people in need. Ehrenreich is white and middle class. She claims that her experience would have been radically different had she been a person of color or a single parent. Ehrenreich had not much to worry about other than

America are constantly being taken advantage of. They remain overworked, underpaid, and continue to endure some of the most mentally and physically draining tasks on a daily basis just to get by and provide for themselves and their families. Nickel and Dimed, written by Barbara Ehrenreich is about the plight of the working lower-middle class American, and the author’s own attempt to experience their troubles first hand as she tries to juggle minimum wage employment, housing, and her own physical health

Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich is a very daring book. It explores the idea of how far the issues with poverty have truly gone. It was even scary at times to hear all of the things the media carefully glazes over in such horrific detail. In fact, it would be intriguing to see the story done in a more storytelling type of style rather than with such a rigid structure. With the style it was done in I found myself unable to feel the struggle as much as I could have. This said I still found myself

American Dream refers to the idea that every American has the equality, freedom, and opportunity to strive. Many classic pieces of American Literature highlight this concept in a way that is most pertinent to their corresponding time period. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, by Barbara Ehrenreich, specifically highlights a more modern time period, from the late 1990s to the early 2000s. Within this

“Nickel and Dimed” by Barbara Ehrenreich reveals the shocking truth of trying to live on minimum wage in the United States. Barbara Ehrenreich, a journalist, decides to experiment living on a low-income job after discovering the welfare reform legislation in 1996. She tries to survive on minimum wage for a month in three US cities; Key West, Portland, and Minneapolis. In Key West Florida, she learned about the challenges of working in a lower class job and trying to “get by.” The only way to afford

1. At the beginning of Nickel and Dimed, The author sets three rules of herself; “I could not, in my search for jobs, fall back on any skills derived from my education or usual work.”, “I had to take the highest-paying job that was offered to me and do my best to hold it.”, and “I had to take the cheapest accommodations I could find, at least the cheapest that offered an acceptable level of safety and privacy.”. She sets these rules to keep herself on the right track and not make what she thinks

In chapter two of Nickel and Dimed, Ehrenreich experiences low-wage work in Maine, which has a high population of English-speaking whites. Over the course of her time working at with the Maids as a housecleaner, she witnessed many health issues that affect her coworkers and experience health problems herself. A major problem that the poor face is access to proper healthcare, in both treatment and prevention. The inability of the working poor to stay healthy is a key factor in their continued suffering

“Nickel and Dimed” Journal 4.27.2015 Throughout the book I learned that trying to live off minimum wage with average life is nearly impossible. It is impossible because the people work all day, they have no health care and they typing scavenge the food that is cheap. Listening sad I feel like life and the economy is unbalanced. ? I've learned that the author is very biased and to me it seems odd that she would change places with someone that makes a low minimum wage when she makes all the money that

very wrong, when a single person in good health, a person who in addition possesses a working car, can barely support herself by the sweat of her brow” (Ehrenreich, 2001, pg. 199). Barbara Ehrenreich wrote this in her captivating book Nickel and Dimed, where she embarked on a journey that revalued the truth behind life in low-wage America. Growing up I was led to believe that nothing worth having comes easy. As long as I worked hard and gave everything 100% I was guaranteed success, in essence

similar experience as someone near them but never the same. It is hard to replicate the same experience as someone else due to the confounding variables that affect a person’s experience and perception of poverty. In Barbara Ehrenreich’s book Nickel and Dimed she tries to experience the life of a low-wage worker by implanting herself in the workplace and residential place of a low-wage worker. However, even though she uses the best mechanisms she can to get the full experience there are some discrepancies