Nickel and Dimed

In the book, Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich conducted an experiment to relate to those who work minimum wage jobs to support themselves. She held three different positions throughout this process, each for one month in duration, over the course of three months. Barbara took a hiatus from her professional career to conduct an experiment….

Plato’s definition of rhetoric is, “the art of ruling the minds of men. ” (Atlantic Monthly) All authors aim for this goal; to control how the mind perceives ones writing and to lead the audience to believe in what they have written is true. Skilled writers utilize this rhetoric to fulfill just that; yet the…

Looking at whether or not individuals living in poverty are considered to be a minority group by our contemporary culture is an interesting scenario. I’m a social work major so of course I want to think, yes, individuals living poverty are most definitely an oppressed group in society. Minimum wage is nowhere near to what…

The book Nickel and Dimed is written by a journalist Barbara Ehrenreich, who wanted to see if she could live off of minimum wage jobs. She started the research project because of the welfare reform legislation. When she was speaking to her boss about the issue she was not aware that he would tell her…

In her book, Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich delves into the lives of minimum wage workers in America. She chronicles her firsthand experiences residing and working in Key West, Maine, and Minnesota while simultaneously undertaking different low-paying jobs. The objective behind Ehrenreich’s account is to shed light on the daunting obstacles encountered by individuals striving…

This week’s literature comes from Barbara Ehrenreich in Nickel and Dimed. The essay writer goes undercover as a low income non-skilled worker to learn how to, financially, survive. This experiment took place during travels from Florida, Maine and Minnesota (Ehrenreich, 2017). The writer found a place to live and a job in each state. The…

Barbara Ehrenreich was a middle aged, single, liberal, white woman without young children during her investigation which led to Nickel and Dimed. In what ways did these characteristics help to shape her experiences? Using your knowledge of US history and culture; how would specific instances in Nickel and Dimed have been altered if someone with…

Barbara Ehrenreich aimed to demonstrate that wages for individuals in the lower class are insufficient for supporting themselves or their families. Additionally, she aimed to establish that the effort put into low-wage jobs is not commensurate with the remuneration received per hour. In my view, Ehrenreich effectively substantiated these claims in her narrative titled “Nickel…

Barbara Ehrenreich uses vivid imagery and sarcasm to denote the somber existence of low-wage workers.  Her sarcasm and humor seen in the book in times of reflection, help the reader to understand just how fully immersed she is in her role.  As a woman of higher status, she must not appear to be overly happy…

In her work Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich writes about a very interesting experiment she conducted. Welfare reform was a hot topic at the time, and Ehrenreich wondered if single mothers would be able to take care of themselves and their children while working low-wage jobs. Thus, Ehrenreich herself decides to see if she can…