Nickel and dimed, on (not) getting by in America, Barbara Ehrenreich, working poor, 1996 welfare reform act, America
In Nickel-And-Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich attempts to live in poverty voluntarily. She decides that in order to really understand the plight of the poor and actually analyze how difficult it is to get by, she must try it out herself. Her experience was very interesting, very disappointing, but I would not go as far as to say that it was very surprising. As I read through it, the things she described seemed pretty obvious. I never thought otherwise - I know that people in this social class receive very low wages and that it is difficult to get by. At some points in the reading, I was surprised by how little Barbara was really making.
[...] Nickel-And-Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich In Nickel-And-Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich attempts to live in poverty voluntarily. She decides that in order to really understand the plight of the poor and actually analyze how difficult it is to get by, she must try it out herself. Her experience was very interesting, very disappointing, but I would not go as far as to say that it was very surprising. As I read through it, the things she described seemed pretty obvious. I never thought otherwise—I know that people in this social class receive very low wages and that it is difficult to get by. [...]
[...] Aside from this, I found her description to be very interesting and informative. She affectively caught my attention as a reader and gave a good description of what these petty jobs are really like. After reading this, I would never want to work in any such place. I found it very disappointing that Ehrenreich was not able to find any good, nutritious food during her employment. She was forced, for a variety of reasons, to eat unhealthy cheese burgers, fries, and the like. [...]
[...] Looking at it very a realistic point of view, what Ehrenreich did is extremely admirable. She actually forced herself willingly into poverty and had a genuine interest in understanding what it feels like so that she can write about it and spread awareness. Her efforts were excellent, but the truth of the manner is that she never experienced any real poverty. She may have been getting low wages and barely making enough money for food or rent, but the difference between her and others who really live in poverty was that she had something to fall back on. [...]
[...] The constant problem of paying rent also captivated me. I found it terrible that, if she missed a week of pay, she would be left completely without a home. This is an extremely dangerous, difficult, and mentally unhealthy way to live for anyone, and I can only imagine the negative affects such a lifestyle would have on an entire family with young children. Works Cited Barbara Ehrenreich. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company, LLC, 2001. [...]
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