Nickel and Dimed

In Nickel and Dimed, some of the struggles that Barbara faces are finding suitable housing, affording food daily, extra health expenses in Maine, and having respectable clothing. Most low-wage workers often have to think of these things daily. Ehrenreich's argument in the Evaluation chapter is that poverty is a "state of emergency." By this she is saying that people see poverty as an ongoing situation, something that "will always be there." Instead we should see each situation caused by poverty as an emergence situation. She also points out how easy it can be to forget the struggles of poverty once she returns to her upper-middle class lifestyle. When you are not in a place where poverty effects you it is easy to overlook or not "see" the poor. Ehrenreich states that most Americans believe "people who work full time should be able to earn enough to keep their families out of poverty." This supports the idea that if you work hard you should succeed. This author has found that even when you work hard you can still find yourself in poverty. The professional middle class tend to think that unemployment results in poverty; therefore we blame it on the economy. In reality, even in full employment the problem goes deeper.

#2. My perception of the blue-collar workers was reinforced after reading Nickel and Dimed. In coming from a middle class household I have seen my family strive to "make ends meet." This has only made me want to work harder and get a higher education. My thoughts of poverty vs. prosperity have not changed since reading this book. Growing up in a catholic school, I have had the opportunity to participate in many service projects. During the service projects I have helped a lot of unfortunate people and each experience has taught me something important. I know that i want to strive to do well for myself and be able to help others in need. When I am at restaurants or shopping I realize how hard people work to serve others and try to make there job as easy as possible.