Nickel and Dimed
Barbara Ehrenreich is a social critic, feminist, and political activist. "Her work ranges from examinations of the oppression of women by the health care industry to reasoned defenses of feminism against a social backlash, to complex political and social critiques suggesting that modern America has lost its heart" (Biographical Essay). All of Ehrenreich's books, articles, and essays display her intelligence, sarcasm, and consistent political agenda. Ehrenreich's morals and values of caring for people were engraved by her family. Her father was a copper miner, and her mother was a homemaker and an active in the Democratic Party. Her parents instilled the importance of responsibility and support for those in need. Ehrenreich received both her B.A. and Ph.D in the sciences. Her progressive work in the 1960's influenced her to become a social activist and writer rather than a scientist. Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed depicts the demanding and challenging life of a minimum wage employee. The book illustrates the negative opinion of society towards the working lower class. Ehrenreich achieves these insights by experiencing firsthand the trials and tribulations of a minimum wage salary. She infuses the situation with repeated i
While working there she also faces many struggles dealing with shelter, food, and transportation. Ehrenreich cynically says, "I need a job and an apartment, but to get a job I need an address and a phone number, and to get an apartment it helps to be of stable employment" (54). Enrenreich's views of an individual are very opinionated about the lower working class, as are the majority of individuals in the middle to upper-working class. "Maybe, it occurs to me, I'm getting a tiny glimpse of what it would be like to be black" (100). Barbara begins her experience in a small motel restaurant in Key West, Florida. Because of her overpowering boss and tedious chores, she quickly switches to a service cleaning service job at the same motel. The Government does not realize the amount of money an individual needs in order to have food and shelter. When her expectations of Florida have diminished, she moves on to Maine to rekindle her motivation. Today America's federal minimum wage is $5. When she is emotionally and physically exhausted after weeks of cleaning, she decides to extend her experience to Minnesota. Women statistically earn less than men. If Congress would approve a dollar increase in minimum wage, the main beneficiaries would be working women, almost one million of whom are single mothers, and a total of fifty-eight percent of the pay increase would affect women (EPI). The raise would lead to never-ending advantages to everyone that has affiliations with the workforce in any way.
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