Analysis Of Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel And Dimed

1. What is the topic? Be as specific as you can as you summarize the issue, but don’t forget about style. Being logical does not mean that you cannot showcase a sophisticated prose style. In this response, tell us what the book is about, major characters, events, and more. Remember, you are establishing your ethos right here.

The topic of Nickel and Dimed is to determine whether a person living a low waged job can survive on what they earn through hard work. Barbara Ehrenreich, the author, attempts to make a living the same way the unskilled figure out how to everyday. Throughout the book, Ehrenreich experiences many of the hardships and obstacles that the blue collared workers go through. In the book, she works in three different locations

as a dining room server, a maid, and a Walmart employee. The author thoroughly explains the difficulties she encountered while attempting to find a cheap place to live, along with finding a new job. The main characters of the book are Barbara Ehrenreich and the workers she encounters on her journey as a journalist to experience the lifestyle of the unskilled. She is encouraged to take up the challenge after she engaged in a conversation about poverty and comments, “Someone ought to.. Go out there and try it for themselves.” (Ehrenreich, 1) She was encouraged by her friends to take on the task, and she does it, to a certain extent. Although she is willing to go through the different hardships the blue collared workers face, she does explain that she never had the intention to go hungry, so at times would cheat and use money only when she truly needed it.
2. What is the main claim, thesis, or main message? The claim is a statement of what the argument is or what listeners (or readers) are expected to accept. Therefore, any effective argument will present a clear and unambiguous claim. Claims should be debatable and tend to be controversial. The author is not just writing a story; this is an argument. Please state the argument and provide cited textual that declares or infers the argument.

The main claim of the novel is that it is not possible for the unskilled workers, meaning those who did not get any education, to survive on their $6 to $7 job wage. She wants to know if it is possible, which is why she utilizes many facts to support her claim. Based on the National Coalition for the Homeless, she found out that in 1998, which was the year she started the project, it took a wage of $8.89 to afford a one bedroom apartment. ( Ehrenreich, 3) Her research was to prove that it was not possible to live a comfortable life while having a low paying job, in which they struggled to even find an affordable place to live. She is aware of the hard times that many of the unskilled workers face due to the fact that her sister was as she said, a “ wage slave” (Ehrenreich, 2) She is mindful of how difficult it is to make a living through low wages due to the research she has done and the experiences her family and herself have lived lived.
3. Is the evidence to support the claim reliable? Facts, statistics, surveys, polls, studies, testimonies, anecdotes, and interviews are all examples of ways a person can provide evidence for support. Discuss some of the evidence (again, use textual support) and assess its usefulness and credibility.

In the novel, Barbara Ehrenreich uses different sources from where she gets her information. For example, in the beginning of the book she uses sources like the National Coalition for the Homeless to tell her that $8.89 hourly wage was enough to have a one bedroom apartment and sources such as the Preamble Center for Public Policy. (Ehrenreich, 3) Most of the evidence that is given by the author are what she had to go through while looking for jobs and she utilizes statistics to defend her information. It allows the readers to understand what the economic situations was like at the time and help understand what is really occurring. For instance, when she was in Florida she used the way many of her colleagues lived to explain the real situation and how they have managed to survive. She says, “Joan who had me fooled with her numerous and tasteful outfits, lives in a van parked behind a shopping center at night and and showers in Tina's motel room.” ( Ehrenreich, 26) It explains and helps picture the struggles that they encounter. It has great effectiveness because it makes one feel grateful for what they have and it makes them aware of the people that may be below them. Furthermore, it allows the world to see the real obstacles that many of the workers have to encounter.
4. What do these details tell you about the writer’s assumptions about the knowledge and experience of readers? Explain the intended audience and the writer’s assumptions about that audience.

The intended audience are those with an education and the skills that many of these low wage workers lack. It seems that multiple readers are those that have not experienced what the blue collared workers have. The fact that she explains different concepts that involve statistics on low paying jobs give insight as to what she thinks about who will be reading the book. For example, she has to explain her thinking to help the reader truly understand what she really feels. She explains the situation she encountered while looking for a house where, “ a jolly gal shows me the efficiency for $110 a week- no TV, no linens, no dishware.” (Ehrenreich, 56) Even though there are different characteristics of the house she dislikes she decides to keep it since it is cheap. It demonstrates that the audience are those unaware about living on such a small amount of money, which leads her to write about her way of thinking in finding and affordable place to sleep in. She seems to educate the readers throughout the book with many statistics and experiences, futhermore supporting her claim.
Ethos/Credibility: Why should we listen to this author? Use MLA cited and well embedded textual evidence and plenty of your prose for each question.

5. Is the author well informed? How do you know? Give examples and comment on them.
The author is well informed on the topic of living on a low wage. For example, she is familiar to it because she had to see her father, sister, and husband work similar jobs. She explains, “ My sister has been through the low-paid job after another.” ( Ehrenreich, 2) Further, she describes that her husband was a “ $4.50-an-hour ware-house worker” and her father a “copper miner...for the Union Pacific” (Ehrenreich, 2) In the beginning of the book she shows a glimpse of her life that allows the reader see the struggle her loved ones went through. She also allows the reader to speculate that she has had hard times like the low waged workers when she says, “I've had enough unchosen encounters with poverty in my lifetime...it just smells too much like fear” (Ehrenreich, 6)
The first three quotes that explain the life her sister, father, and husband encountered allow the reader to understand that she is no stranger to living off a low wage pay. It helps establish her credibility as a writer since she, at one point, experience the same lifestyle.It makes the reader feel more connected and better believe her if she, herself, went through a similar situation. Her words and the experiences of her family allow her to have to a certain point and understanding of the life that she chose to experiment for a while. The three quotes truly help understand the reason she didn’t want to live the same way as before. Although her description of her family's job doesn’t describe the difficulties they encountered, many that have been in that same position can comprehend the way the unskilled have many troubles. The last quote is the one that does show that her life has not been easy, since going back to surviving a low wage is something she doesn’t want to do again because who would want to go back and experience every struggle they faced at one point? The quote allows the reader to make sense that the situation she encountered in her life may be difficult, but not as similar as the story she will tell.
6. Does the piece offer different sides of the argument (counter-arguments)? Explain, provide examples, and comment on them. (Note: In the past, students have mentioned that they could not find these. They are there in each book. When does the author show the other side of his or her argument or make a concession?)

The book provides an example of a counter argument at the end of the book.

Ehrenreich describes the success that her book achieved, but like every other book, there is some critics that do not agree with what the author stated in the book. She explains that in 2006 a graduate named Adam Shepard who was forced to read the book during college decided to make his own argument and experiment like she did to refute the main claim her book. She makes clear that his experiment was more successful than gers and that after only ten months he ended with “ an apartment and several thousand dollars saved” ( Ehrenreich, 224) In her eyes, through her writing, it does not seem that she agrees with the way that he conducted his own

experiment.
She makes it a point to mention that he did “spent his first seventy days living off charity in a homeless shelter that offered meals, a strategy that provided him with a comfortable misery.”( Ehrenreich, 224) Furthermore, she believes that he had it easier since he has the advantage of being a male, which meant “he could work in industries such as moving and construction that pay better than the kinds of jobs that were open to me.” (Ehrenreich, 224) The fact that he took to what seems the easy way does not really make his experiment as real as hers. Although, it is possible for many to do the same thing he manage to do, there are many people that would not go to a homeless shelter, for their own reasons. Some would just prefer to survive off of their money. Also many women, like Ehrenreich did not have the ability to get a job that pays more like construction because they are primarily seen as male jobs. The counter argument does show that it may be possible to live a stable life, but it does not take into account how he would have lived in the beginning without a place to live and without relying on a shelter. The counter argument, does give another side of the story that many believe is possible.

7. How does the author portray himself or herself as a credible individual? Look at if he/she introduces himself/herself, establishes authority, and establishes a connection with the reader and the subject. Provide examples and commentary (on all 4; unless have quote commentary for all four) on the establishment of credibility.
The author portrays himself as a credible source due to the fact that she thinks of herself, ¨as a scientist¨ and she is a journalist who is not supposed to show favoritism to a certain subject.(Ehrenreich, 3) Her job as a writer does not allow her to be biased towards a topic while she writes, which make the book even more believable. It demonstrates that she is willing to experience and go through struggles to see if it is possible living a good way by having such a low paying job. Furthermore she establishes her credibility as a source since she does acknowledge her skills by saying, “ I have a Ph. D. in biology, and I didn’t get it by sitting at a desk and fiddling with numbers”, which makes the reader assume that she has encountered struggles of her own. (Ehrenreich, 3) Adding to that,she shares with the audience that her dad and husband were working like many of the unskilled, which demonstrates she has experienced living on such a low wage.
Not only does her experience allow the reader to believe her, but is also the way she acknowledges the work tat many of the unskilled workers give. She states that, ¨Sitting at a desk all day was not only a privilege but a duty: something I owed to all those people in my life, living and dead, who'd had so much to say than everyone ever got to hear.” ( Ehrenreich, 2) It establishes her credibility as an individual because she has seen it happen to others and she, herself has lived it through many family member. It allows the reader to see that she really is no different from any other person and the only reason she isn't living the same way her parents and her family did is because she got an education, something not many get in life. It goes to show herself as a person and it connects with many people that live like this or hear of her experience.

Pathos/Feelings/Passion: Why should we care? What is the significance? Use MLA cited and well embedded textual evidence and plenty of your prose for each question.

8. Describe the tone and why it is used. Provide two words that describe the tone and provide textual examples as well as your own commentary about the effectiveness and purpose of the tone.
Objective and outspoken are two tone words that properly describe the book. An objective tone, meaning without a bias, fits with the book because her focus is on making a living and surviving off the jobs that she has to find. For example, the first days of the experiment she says,¨I work from 2:00 till 10:00 P.M. for $2.43 an hour plus tips.”(Ehrenreich, 16) It demonstrates her commitment to fully examine and experience the life that the people around her serving her encounter. It shows that she went to the point of experiencing the harsh reality of the lives of many. The tone is very effective given throughout the book because Ehrenreich's purpose is to live like them and work like them as well and she writes about it in a way that allows the reader to imagine and put themselves in the different situations she goes through. It demonstrates the willingness to complete her work as a writer and to make her experience as true as possible, even though she sid not want to do the project.
The outspoken tone is great because she does not hold back to what she sees or how she lives. She speaks the truth, which primarily is what she set herself to do, by continuing the project. For example, she explains an encounter where toilet juice spilled on her shows and in real life one would make a fit and change shoes, but in her life , “There is nothing to do but try to ignore the nasty stuff soaking my foot and ..work through it”(Ehrenreich, 101) The fact that the author is outspoken and tells all of her life and the life of the poor makes the audience assume that she would not lie about a subject like the one she is writing about.. The tone is effective because it make a great job in explaining the situation that many live in, which is clearly shown in the way that they deal with the situation of the dirty shoes. She does not hold back from what she sees and what she does during her time as a blue collared worker, which makes the book a lot more captivating.
9. Describe the diction and discuss its effect and purpose. Diction is the writer’s choice of words. How would you describe the diction? (Example: Is it scholarly and elevated? Informal and casual? These are just examples. There are thousands of ways to describe diction.) You are not limited to the previous suggestions; please use other more appropriate descriptors for the diction in your book. Please discuss a quotation, and focus on individual words and phrases that were chosen. Comment on the purpose and effect of the diction in your quotation.
The diction in the book is formal and scholarly, with some high vocabulary throughout the book that is sometimes not understood at first glance.

In the quote where she is curious about her coworkers she says, ¨How poor are they, my coworkers? The fact that anyone is working this job at all can be taken as prima facie evidence of some kind of desperation or at least a history of mistakes and disappointment¨ (Ehrenreich, 47) The quote demonstrates the formal language that she writes in, but the way that it is unchallenging to understand. The word desperation, mistakes, and disappointment are the three words that stand out and are easily understood. It describes how some of them feel, which is really low to think of themselves. Nobody deserves to feel bad about themselves no matter the situation they are currently in. It makes them seem that since they aren't that good about themselves, then that is why they accept the job. Seeing that, as a reader, it made me think if that is how every worker like them thought of themselves. Did they believe they deserve the poverty they got? and did they believe they could achieve higher? The quote is written formally in a way that is easy to understand, but also with some confusing words like prima facie that need to be well understood or even researched to know what she is trying to

say.
10. The big picture. Please explain with support and commentary the connections the author makes between the issues discussed and how they affect him/her and society.
The big picture of the book id to see the different struggles that many of the people she encountered while working in three different places, in three different types of job. She makes a main focus in her book to detail her experience of trying to pay rent on time and afford food as well, with the small pay she had to accept in order to survive. The job that they have does not allow them to have enough money to even buy themselves some food. It makes the author wonder how poor they are, at one point. She also explains the work they do and how it truly affects them. While they were working as maids she recalls the fact that they were “promised a thirty-minute lunch break, but it turns out to be a five-minute pit stop at a convenience store.” ( Ehrenreich, 77) She describes how her colleague Rosie doesn’t have much to eat other than a bag of Doritos a because she has nothing to eat or any money to buy food, not even for a soda. (Ehrenreich, 77) Not only are there problems with lunch and food,but also health problems that come with working such a demanding job. Many of these issues affect those that have to work nonstop because it can have a great effect on their health.
While many of the incidents didn’t happen to her, it did happen to the people she worked with, which means that if she was in their similar situation that could have happened to her. In the book, she explains how the leader,Holly, snapped her ankle and refused to stop working. She justified it by saying, “she's already missed so many days of working in the last few weeks.” ( Ehrenreich, 110) Also when Holly was feeling bad and dizzy, it was difficult for her to work. “It’s been seven weeks and the nausea is out of control, which is why she can't eat anything and gets so weak.” (Ehrenreich, 97) The sickness affected many of the workers and in the issues that she mentions it also affected her because not only did she do double the work to help out her colleagues, but she would always try to feed them with what she had, whether it was a protein bar or buying them a soda. It affects her because she tires herself out more and then in the future will affect her more that it did at present time. I have seen from experience, my parents get exhausted as the years go by from all of the world they have to do, so I can imagine how tired all her coworkers felt. My mom used to clean houses as well and she would complain about how she was tired and it was a hard job to do. Knowing how the cleaning affected my mom, I can imagine how they must have felt everyday.
11. How does the author help you feel connected to the issue? What rhetorical techniques does he/she use as a writer? Explain and give examples.
The author helps me feel connected to the issue, due to the diction she uses throughout the book. She writes to describe the life that many attempted to live. The use of ethos in the beginning by describing that she went through the same struggles allows me to connect to the dread of trying to survive with low wages. The word choices she uses like, “So to me, sitting at a desk all day was not only a privilege but a dty: something I owed to all those people in my life.” (Ehrenreich, 2) It made me, as a reader, feel privileged to not have to deal with that now, since I do have the opportunity of obtaining the skills that many of these people didn’t have a chance to. It causes the reader to evaluate all they have at the moment and acknowledge the reality of many other people below them. There are many who struggle, but still make the best out of their situation.
Also the logos used in the book allowed me to fully comprehend the ideas that the author believed were important. When she described “In Key West, I earned $1,039 in one month and spent $517 on food, gas, toiletries, laundry, phone, and utilities. If I had remained in the $500 efficiency, I would have been able to pay the rent and have $22 left over”( Ehrenreich, 197) The numbers that she uses allows the reader to view the economic situation that she encountered in Florida at the time, which is not at all good. It leaves the people with close to nothing to spend for themselves. They are working so hard, even two jobs, like she did at one point, to adjust to pay the rent. It indicates the horrible economic situation many encountered throughout their lives. Reading the statistics and the numbers does create an impact in the book because the numbers show the reality of their life. A phrase with numbers and statistics reveal the truth and are more important than a vague response stating the word many, a few, the majority, etc.
Evaluation: Use MLA cited and well embedded textual evidence and plenty of your prose for each question.
12. What is the purpose of the argument, do you think?
The purpose of the argument is to prove that it cannot be possible to make it through life with such a low paying job. It is to show how the people live and struggle everyday to make a living and to feed themselves. The emphasis of the book is On (Not ) Getting by in America, which can only mean that the book is surrounded by how it is difficult to live the same way that many of those unskilled workers do it. The author includes all her struggles in finding a job, paying her job, and living off the money she earned. She describes a situation that happened to her and made her feel embarrassed. She mention that a person at work brought her lunch because she mentioned to her that she was “living in a motel almost entirely on fast food.” (Ehrenreich, 163) It is important to see that the fast food is caused by the amount of work they have to go through. She also explains the different hours she works form which is from 2:00-11:00. (Ehrenreich, 163) It can be a lot for one person to handle and I know this because my mom works at a factory from 7:00-4:00 and I can see how tired she is all the time,which makes me understand how the author may feel.
13. Overall, is the argument sound? Does the author make logical claims and prove them well? Evaluate and defend your opinion.
The author does make the argument sound because not only does she describe all of her experience but also her struggles. She explains and elaborate on what she is saying mostly by giving the statistics and numbers. Not only that, but she describes the reality many face. She once mentioned, “You might imagine… that people who live, year in and year out, on $6 to $10 an hour have discovered some survival stratagems unknown to the middle class. But no.” ( Ehrenreich, 25) She is implying that no matter how long you have been working a similar job on the same wage the living conditions stay the same, because nobody has found out how to improve their housing conditions. She supports that by giving information of where her colleagues live and with who. She describes how “Gail is sharing a room in well-known downton flophouse for $250 a week.” (Ehrenreich, 25) She used evidence like experience from others or her own experience to make sure the claim she states is followed by evidence.
14. Did the author convince you of his or her point of view on any issues? It is possible to hear a good argument and still not be fully persuaded to change. Discuss what you will take away from this argument and how much your point of view was supported, enlightened, or changed.
From the arguments and evidence given the author gave I do believe her argument is valid since she proves it to us by going undercover and living the life that others live and many would not choose to do. Many people live the way she lived and reading about it gives us more insight on the lives of the many people working at these jobs that don't really require any necessary skills to get hired at. From the beginning, it seems that it wouldn't be truly possible of living a good life with a low wage job, especially if it's a single mother since there is usually the need to buy food, clothes, and pay rent. If I believed that it was possible to live off the wage many if these people live of by before reading the book. The book is an eye opener for many that don't know that life. I believe it has the ability to change people's views on how they see many of these people. For example she reveals a statistic by the National coalition for the Homeless that about one fifth of all homeless have a job. (Ehrenreich, 26) It allows us to see the harsh truth many have to encounter everyday.
15. How do you feel now that you have read this book? What are your reactions and overall evaluation of the book?
Now that I have read the book it feels as if I was able to learn what it feels like to work very long hours and then to see that the job doesn't pay much and it can barely sustain an apartment. It motivates me to work harder and try to get a good education that would force me to rely on workin such low wage jobs. Many people don't see the importance to the education. It opens a path for us to become successful and while not studying may be the easy way out, working a low wage job with no support can be hard for anyone, especially in California since most rent is expensive and it can be hard to find a good place to live in. It helps me understand the situation my mom works. Although our situation isn’t bad because both of my parents work it makes me feel even more grateful for what I have.
16. Reflection. What moment from the book stands out to you now? This is the section, story, point of the book that you will most remember.
The point that sticks out most is the way that many of the maids are treated, which she describes my writing “Then there the supermarket. I used to stop on my way home from work, but i couldn’t take the stares, which easily translated into: What are you doing here? And, No wonder she's poor, she's got a beer in her shopping cart.” ( Ehrenreich, 100) It shows the way the people look and seem to judge them just because they are taking a job that fits their skills and can give them the hope of living a manageable life. It shows how many other people seem to treat others because of the ob that they are doing. The author describes the way that she was treated and connects it to how she seems that many dark skinned people feel. It shows the real way that many people are treated and it doesn't seem right. Many of those people probably don't want a job that requires cleaning many houses and being tired, but they do it to survive. It sticks out the most because it shows hw insensible some people are. How would they feel if they were in their situation? Some just form their own opinion without understanding the truth and the life they have to live in which is entirely different form their extravagant and worry free life.
Connections Use MLA cited and well embedded textual evidence and plenty of your own prose for each question.
17. Connect this work to another text you have read, and explain the connection and significance of the comparison OR explain how it contrasts your previous readings of novels.
The book does not compare to other books that I have read. Most of the books that I have read are fiction books with a mystery or romance genre. The different books that i have read do not fall in the category of real life experiences based on surviving on the money that they earned. I tend to just read books that have a plot and entertain me. The book is different from what I would read because it focuses on the economic situation that many of the low wage workers have to deal with every day and cannot escape. Many novels that i have read both inside and outside school have plots that focus on topics based on prejudice, race, and other important topics. The books I have read and Nickel and Dimed are on different topics and different from one another.

18. Connect this work to some aspect of your life, and explain the connection and significance of the comparison OR explain how your life experiences have led you to be unable to connect.
It connects to my life because my parents used to work, and work long hours up to this day. I can remember us living in apartments that we had to rent with other people because we couldn't really afford a full apartment at the time. I can remember when I was small and hardly ever seeing my mom because we went to school in the morning and she left to work at night, so the only time I saw her was for a few hours. Reading how much they struggled reminds me on my parents and how they told me of the hard times they faced. They lived in garages with some people they didn;t know, therefore reading this helps me understand the situation they went through. They did the best they could and they worked hard to be able to get more. They don't have the skills and and education and degree that would have helped them out in life. I believe if they had that they would have never would have gone through those obstacles. Reading the book just gives me an insight to how they may have struggle