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Nickled and Dimed, 2006.
A critical review of the book "Nickled and Dimed in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich.
2,400 words (approx. 9.6 pages), 6 sources, MLA, $ 73.95
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Abstract
This paper reviews and critiques the Barbara Ehrenreich book "Nickled and Dimed in America" about people working at low paying jobs. The paper summarizes the book, which follows Ehrenreich as she takes on a variety of minimum wage jobs across America. Then the paper discusses other literary reviews and criticisms of the book. The paper concludes with the author's personal appraisal of "Nickled and Dimed in America", which is that given America's competitive, free-enterprise economy, there is little expectation that anything will change.
From the Paper
"Barbara Ehrenreich's book shows clearly that the unskilled working people in America are at or near the poverty level. She asks two pertinent questions right off the bat: "How does anyone live on the wages available to the unskilled (and) How in particular....were the roughly four million women about to be booted into the labor market by welfare reform going to make it on $6 or $7 an hour?" (Ehrenreich 2001 1) Then answers, as we read the book is "not very well". When she concentrates on the plight of women, she becomes somewhat militant (and no wonder, given the subjects she interviews). For example, a fortyish hostess tells her: "Men run everything- we don't have a chance unless we stick together" (p. 21) As she tells about the restaurant where she worked, she more than proves her point- with the manager literally sneering at the employees in a "must attend" meeting. However, when the author walks out of that Florida job, because, as she put it, her "legs have lost interest (p. 48) she does not have to worry where her next rent check is coming from, or any of the other problems of her fellow workers- male and female in that restaurant."
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?Nickle and Dimed?, 2004.
This paper discusses Barbara Ehrenreich?s book, ?Nickle and Dimed?, which exposes the way that the structure of society defines the nature of the individual.
1,375 words (approx. 5.5 pages), 5 sources, MLA, $ 45.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that Ehrenreich, describing her personal experiences of living as part of the minimum-wage job market, discovers that the minimum-wage earners cannot escape poverty, mainly because of the cost of housing in California. The author points out that Ehrenreich was moved by experiences that led her to realize the way that the less fortunate are exploited by society. The paper asserts that people who depend on the minimum wage for their survival are largely defined by a society of capitalists who possess the means to exploit the less fortunate.
From the Paper
"Ehrenreich also describes the way that people are always told that hard work pays off some day, and for this reason one finds the working class willing and eagerly working long hours in the hopes of being rewarded. They are sadly mistaken, because if they can hardly make enough money to keep their heads above the water, how then can they save enough for their retirement? Here, it is worth asserting the manner in which individuals live in a state of ?false consciousness? by believing what they are told. Individuals (the agency) act according to what they are told or whatever they are influenced by."
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"Nickle and Dimed", 2004.
A book review of "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich.
1,254 words (approx. 5.0 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 42.95
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Abstract
This paper examines the phenomenon in the United States of people who hold down two or three jobs and still are unable to afford basic living requirements. Based on Ehrenreich's book, the paper discusses this problem, but explains that there are no simple solutions.
From the Paper
"When she wrote Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America., Barbara Ehrenreich did not set out with the intention of making her readers feel sorry for the subjects of the book, who are workers who scrub floors and hand up clothes in discount stores and help care for older citizens in nursing homes and for all of this hard work receive extremely low wages and often no benefits. She wouldn?t mind if you felt compassion for such workers, who often hold down two or three jobs, working sixty or seventy or eighty hours a week, and yet still can?t afford to pay medical bills or for decent housing. Most of these workers are women, and many of them are racial minorities, and so in addition to asking you to remember the problems that being poor brings with it she is reminding her readers that women and minorities pay a steeper price for being poor than do white men."
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?Nickel and Dimed?, 2005.
This paper discusses Barbara Ehrenreich's "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not Getting) By in America", which discusses poverty in the U.S..
1,120 words (approx. 4.5 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 38.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that, although the idea that success comes to all laborers who work hard is one of the most cherished aspects of American capitalist ideology, it is a myth. The author reports that, to confirm her suspected hypothesis in "Nickel and Dimed' that it was not possible to live on the minimum wage in America, reporter and professor Barbara Ehrenreich took different minimum wage jobs, in three different locations in America; in all of her jobs, she was forced to supplant her income with a second job, and even then, she was unable to get by in material terms. The paper relates that, as a solution, Ehrenreich suggests a living minimum wage and appropriate benefits even part-time workers.
From the Paper
"Many of the individuals the author met were intelligent and articulate, but life, through poor opportunities or unexpected hardship had cast them into the ranks of the minimum wage laborers, ranks that are difficult to extricate one's self from. As David Shipler has noted in his book on "The Working Poor: Invisible in America", the less income one has, the more one must plan, and even a minor unexpected expense like a child's illness for a mother with no health insurance, can cause one to 'fall'. In contrast, if hard work automatically meant success for the individual who worked hard, then the easy-living women who spend their money on copper pots and do not work would not be materially comfortable-but they are. The attack on Ehrenreich's part on capitalism, as she eviscerates the conspicuous consumption of the aspiring middle classes' new faux old homes in Maine, or the Minnesota lower middle classes orgy of buying, in the hopes of finding happiness and beauty but merely creating disorder for employees is penetrating."
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?Nickel and Dimed?, 2002.
A review of the book ?Nickel and Dimed? by Barbara Ehrenreich, her adventures into the slave wage world.
1,664 words (approx. 6.7 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 54.95
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Abstract
This paper examines the book ?Nickel and Dimed? by Barbara Ehrenreich which is a journal of the time spent by the author 'undercover', to see if she could lead a basic life (rent, food etc.) from earning the minimum wage in light of a welfare reform which implies that any job is better than living on government assistance. It discusses her experiences from 1998 to 2000, when she lived in three different states, Florida, Maine and Minnesota, working at $6 to $7 an hour jobs and assesses her findings. The paper brings to light general problems such as stress in the workplace and how what was an experiment for Ehrenreich is real life for so many others.
From the Paper
"Ehrenreich soon discovers that it is not easy to eke out a living from entry level positions, which is the common starting point for most welfare mothers and others on government assistance who are required to trade medical benefits and food stamps for the work force. Her first job was as a waitress, or server as they are called in the politically correct world today. Her wage is $2.13 per hour, due to the Fair Labor Standards Act, which states employers are not required to pay tipped employees any more than that. However, as she soon discovers, managers are required to make up the difference between that and the hourly minimum wage of $5.15, if wages including tips fall short of this, but few, if any ever mention this law."
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"Nickel and Dimed", 2007.
A review of issues of discrimination and class distinction, as described in Barbara Ehrenreich's book, "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America."
1,746 words (approx. 7.0 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 56.95
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Abstract
This paper identifies and discusses some of the sociological themes and ideas present in Barbara Ehrenreich's book, "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America." It describes the nation's attitude, including that of Ehrenreich, towards the working class and considers how they are treated and viewed by society. The paper looks at class distinction, education, racism, ethnicity and religion. It then explores the discrimination that thousands of Americans have to face each day.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Looking At How the Other Half Live
The True Reality Of the American Dream
Conclusion
From the Paper
"Why does it have to take a relatively wealthy woman, who is middle-classed, well-educated, and financially cushioned, to expose the true experiences of the "working poor"? The reasons, when reading Barbara's book are, unfortunately, all too clear. "Nickel and Dimed", is an emotionally charged, authentic, and witty portrayal of Barbara's social experiment to discover the truth concerning the daily lives of almost a third of Americans who live on poor wages, in bad housing, and who face society's demeaning attitudes towards them and their families. Beginning with middle-age reluctance, Ehrenreich (explaining that she does, after all, have a degree in biology), braces herself, puts her best foot forward, and sets out to discover the reality - "The only way to find out," she writes, "was to get out there and get my hands dirty" (Barbara Ehrenreich, 2001)."
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"Nickel and Dimed", 2002.
A review of the book "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich.
983 words (approx. 3.9 pages), 0 sources, $ 34.95
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Abstract
This paper examines Barbara Ehrenreich's book "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America" about her experiences in trying to live on the minimum wage. She spent a year on the road working from everything as a Wal-Mart clerk to a maid to a waitress and discovers it is nearly impossible to survive, let alone live, on $6 to $7 per hour, which is well over the $5.15 Federal minimum hourly wage. It analyzes her experiences trying to hide her education, finding cheap accomodation and living with out health insurance. The paper updates us on basic information about minimum wage regulations, welfare reform and other relevant details and makes us realize that there are a whole class of people that we see every day such as waitresses and clerks whom we take for granted.
From the Paper
"In 1996, Barbara Ehrenreich was enjoying lunch with an editor from "Harper's" magazine, and together they fleshed out an idea. Ehrenreich would write a magazine article on what it was like to be one of America's working poor. She would take a low-paying $6 or $7 per hour job, and see what it took to survive. Her basic premise for her research was "?is it really possible to make a living on the kinds of jobs currently available to unskilled people?" (Ehrenreich). The result of her research is "Nickel and Dimed." She spent a year on the road working from everything as a Wal-Mart clerk to a maid to a waitress. What she found about the working poor in America is the basis of this book."
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"Nickel and Dimed", 2004.
Examining poverty through an analysis of "Nickel and Dimed" by Barbara Ehrenreich.
967 words (approx. 3.9 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 34.95
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Abstract
This paper analyzes Ehrenreich's book which deals with the issues of poverty in America, the ignorance of most citizens to the problem and the fight for the minimum wage law. The paper shows how the author's counterfeit foray into the world of the working poor offers a lingering glimpse of the true asperity of poverty to a deliberately ignorant audience.
From the Paper
"As a culture, we shelter ourselves from the consummate implications of a society that necessitates a substandard manner of both wage earning and living for a substantial portion of its members. However, Enrenreich's over-the-counter delivery forces a cognizance of those forgotten, those so easily banished, literally, to their hands and knees. She carefully whittles precarious images of broken people, awkwardly perched on the edge of existence."
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"Nickel and Dimed", 2005.
This paper uses the novel "Nickel and Dimed" by Barbara Ehreinreich to show that it is very hard, or even impossible to get by on America's current wage.
1,185 words (approx. 4.7 pages), 0 sources, $ 40.95
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Abstract
America's poor work hard daily to make minimum wages with awful benefits. This paper explains how Ehrenreich gives up her life of riches for a few months of going "undercover" into the world of minimum wages and awful management to prove that it is impossible to support a wholesome lifestyle on their wages.
From the Paper
"America is a country burdened with poverty and low wages. As years go by, it seems like the problem is getting worse and worse. As Barbara Ehrenreich shows in her book, "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America", millions of average Americans work non-stop, endless hours every day of the week, and are still not able to secure an economically sound lifestyle for themselves, or the families many of them have to support. Barbara joins these average Americans in an attempt to prove that a six to seven dollar an hour job cannot provide in today's society. Although America's poor worker's failure to form unions plays a direct impact on their low incomes, other factors such as lack of education, no spare time, and no savings or extra money to begin with also contribute to their inability to rise from such poor lifestyles. It is all of these factors that lead to the growing impoverished population we are facing today."
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"Nickel and Dimed", 2002.
A critique of Barbara Ehrenreich?s "Nickel and Dimed" - a study of someone living the life of an American low paid wage worker.
2,214 words (approx. 8.9 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 68.95
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Abstract
This paper provides practical criticism of Ehrenreich's study. The writer states that it was unrealistic and not thorough and he cites many specific shortcomings of the study. The writer shows that the study did not do enough to cover all the options of government aid available to a low paid wage worker and also that the person was fussy about which job to take.
From the Paper
"Barbara Ehrenreich?s Nickel and Dimed brings to light the low-wage America in all its stubbornness, nervousness, and astonishing openhandedness. It is a territory of Big Boxes, fast food, and a thousand frantic subterfuges for continued existence. Some people may advise others to read for the ablating clearness of Ehrenreich's point of view and for an infrequent analysis of how "opulence" seems from the bottom. Also, some people say after reading this book no one will ever look at a motel bathroom or a restaurant meal quite the same way again. However, there are many people who believe Ehrenreich?s experiment living as a wageworker was poorly done. She failed to mention some of the main problems that they have. Those problems include shoes that are worn completely out, no means to get medicine if needed, childcare worries, and hopelessness and the sense of lack of control."
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"Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America", 2005.
A review of Barbara Ehrenreich's article on minimum wage workers, "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America".
900 words (approx. 3.6 pages), 1 source, $ 35.95
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Abstract
The paper describes how Barbara Ehrenreich joined the working poor of Key West. Ehrenreich describes in detail, first hand, the results of American policy reducing the welfare safety net - according to a myth of work producing an end to poverty. The paper analyzes how the world of minimum wage workers is described very well, between the lines, indicating a reality very different from what most Americans would presume. The paper further analyzes how, although many Ehrenreich writes of are women, she does not have a feminist approach. The paper concludes that Ehrenreich has taken care not to be ideological and this is the article's particular strength in describing a certain impossible reality.
From the Paper
"Barbara Ehrenreich wrote an expository article on a subject of which far more educated or well-off Americans need to be aware. The article addresses women's reality in so far as many of the people she describes happen to be women. However, a strong aspect of this article is that it does not commence from ideology, or impart more than a few points, here and there, on how Karl Marx might examine the particular sub-culture that Ehrenreich came to know."
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Barbara Ehrenreich's "Nickel and Dimed", 2004.
Review and discussion of Ehrenreich's book about the lives of low-wage workers.
1,908 words (approx. 7.6 pages), 5 sources, APA, $ 60.95
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Abstract
This paper is a critical review of Barbara Ehrenreich's book, "Nickel and Dimed: On Not Getting By in America". It discusses Ehrenreich's account of her undercover experience as a non-skilled, low-wage worker, and the challenge presented in the book to minimum wage legislation and its perceived benefits. Ehrenreich's interesting assertion that low-wage workers represent the biggest, most philanthropic section of society is also discussed and explained.
From the Paper
"Low-wage earners are probably one of the most neglected sections of the American workforce. While minimum wage is a highly controversial subject and often sparks hot discussions in social and political circles, no one is really interested in the lives of the real recipients of this legislation. When an increase is made in minimum wage, the government and others are more concerned about the reaction of the employers instead of the response of the low wage section. This says a great deal about social discrimination and division that prevails in our society and which severely hurts the cause of unskilled workers."
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?Scrubbing in Maine?, 2002.
An analysis of chapter two of the book "Nickled and Dimed" (entitled "Scrubbing in Maine") which examines the ethnic composition of America's poor.
629 words (approx. 2.5 pages), 0 sources, $ 22.95
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Abstract
It is often assumed in modern American discourse about the nature of poverty that ?the poor? in America are largely minority in their ethnic composition. The book shows that in Chapter Two of "Nickel and Dimed", the author and journalist Barbara Ehrenreich makes clear that this is not always the case. It shows that to ?prove? her thesis, Ehrenreich goes to Maine to examine the conditions of laborers in largely white New England. The paper describes Ehrenreich?s methodology which is particularly unique, in that she chooses not to go as a reporter, but to actually work in Maine as one of the people whom she is attempting to study, working for a company called "Merry Maids".
From the Paper
"By the nature of this service, the very poor work for the very rich. The labor is hard, physical manual work that drains both the bodies and the spirits of its employees. Furthermore, the occupation of a maid is so despised by society, comprising one of the lowest female forms of work in America?s class system, even individuals ,who spot the ?Maids? when they are still in their uniforms, but not working chose to ignore them. The individuals whom the ?Maids? labor for also have a mixed feeling about the ?Maids? because the workers are performing a traditionally female occupation that is supposed to be accomplished by the female homeowner herself. Only by rendering such work invisible, and ignoring the individuals who perform such work can society come to terms with the existence of janitorial workers."
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The March of Dimes, 2004.
This paper discusses the fund-raising organization ,The March of Dimes, and the disease, poliomyelitis.
3,375 words (approx. 13.5 pages), 15 sources, MLA, $ 95.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that, by the time of the Great Depression, paralytic poliomyelitis was one of the most feared diseases known, much as with AIDS today. The author points out that the success of the March of Dimes is greater than other health campaign, such as the Christmas Seals. The March of Dimes as a symbol was well-known and widely accepted as the mechanical means through which the public could support campaigns. The paper relates that, after the defeat of polio by the Salk vaccine, the March of Dimes was redirected to other health problems, such as stem cell research.
From the Paper
"Alarmed by decades of worsening polio epidemics and the devastating toll it was taking on America?s young people, Roosevelt, established the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis in January 1938, emphasizing the nationwide significance and non-partisan character of the polio crusade. Believing that the war on polio should be led and directed by one national body, yet, as a private organization without access to government funds, Roosevelt realized that a new approach to fundraising would be needed. It was clear that the Birthday Balls would be insufficient to finance the Foundation and its work, since they rarely raised more than a million dollars a year, with over half remaining in the communities in which it was raised and the rest applied to financing the Warm Springs operation."
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The "Disappearance" of the Unwanted Individual, 2002.
A comparison of works by Barbara Ehrenreich and Michael Foucault to examine the theme of 'disappearance'.
1,400 words (approx. 5.6 pages), 2 sources, $ 53.95
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Abstract
This paper shall compare and contrast the book "Nickled and Dimed" by Barbara Ehrenreich and the work "Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison" by Michael Foucault. This paper shall compare and contrast the theme of "disappearance" within these two works, where both Foucault and Ehrenreich suggest that modern society conspires to remove the significance of the unwanted individual. For Foucault, this is the prisoner and for Ehrenreich this is the female working class individual.
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