Nickel and Dimed

In her book, Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich is faced with many struggles as she lives a minimum-wage life. Ehrenreich experiences the same struggles in all three of her locations. She is forced to work under harsh management, to work and live in bad environments, and trying to survive on a low-wage budget. Her time spent in these situations opened her eyes to the world of poverty because she was living in it. She knew what it was like to try to survive off of low-wage incomes, how hard it was to find jobs and housing, and just how difficult it is to get by.
Questions for Discussion: number 9- I think low wage workers are reluctant to form labor organizations due to fear of the possibility of losing their job. With little or no job opportunities these people are forced to stay with their job. Rather then protest or strike, I think employees should work together to try to improve their work conditions, try to talk to their bosses or management and see what they have to say about it, and if they don't do anything about it, protesting or going on strike is always an option. As long as a large group of employees band together to try to get something changed, management may be more reluctant to firing people and may try to make some changes.

The Martian Chronicles

The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury easily resembles the Europeans colonization of the Americas. A prime example is the people of Earth overcoming the Martian planet within only years of their arrival, and when Europeans came to the Americas they were also seen colonizing and taking over the landscape within decades. Freedom was also another noticeable part of colonization many people going to mars were in search of something away from war and all the pressures of Earth/United States government,and within years the government followed and began turning Mars into another Earth. As noticed with the Europeans invasion of the Americas the same occured with people coming for religious freedom, a new chance to live, but Everyone came to follow and turned the Americas into another Europe. The exploration of Mars can easily be shown in comparison to the colinization of the Americas, it started with Christopher Columbus and Nathaniel York, after exploration news was brought forth and the people in search of freedoms would come to escape. Following them would be higher people (wealthy/government) to break down the landscape and reform it to fit the needs of their Nation. Within exploration came calamity and endangerment to the indigenous people, literally pushing the Martians of Mars, or Native Americans away from their homeland with no respect of them. The Martian Chronicles is the perfect example of human exspansion, and the effects we have upon foreign lands.

The Martian Chronicles

In the novel, The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury the outlay of the story very much closely resembles the colonization of the Americas. For example, both “stories” begin with civilizations who are simply trying to carry out their own existence. As new intruders enter both societies, both the Martians and the Native Americans react in varying ways. Sometimes simply not believing, other times hiding. As colonization takes place in the novel, you see people change Mars to more closely resemble Earth. For example, adding trees and giving familiar names to the landscape. Much like the Europeans when they reached the Americas. for example, when the Europeans arrived, they found a world with an entirely different climate than their own. Soon they were building homes the way they had in Europe and running their towns in much the same way that they knew how. Sometimes they left the Martians original architecture with respect, other times defiling it. Bradbury even goes far enough to show the types of people that arrived on Mars. He shows that the first were explorers, much like Christopher Columbus, followed by the “loners” or those who were to try to break the land. The last of course being the refined and wealthy.

ND from Amanda Eby

Nickel and Dimed

As Ehrenreich attempts to survive in different parts of the country while working at low-wage jobs, many of the problems she faces are unexpected.  In Minneapolis, for example, she expected housing to be cheaper and easier to find since it isn’t a big tourist location.  On the contrary, however, she arrives to find an extremely difficult housing market and has to stay in more expensive motels while waiting for apartments to open up, which never happens.  Another problem arose in Key West, where she applied to hotels only to find that most of them do not have the openings that they are advertising, but rather have constant advertisements in the newspapers because their employees quit their jobs so often.  The author encounters this problem in Maine, too, but is more prepared for it and applies to multiple hotels at once in the hope that one of them may have an opening.

            Both of these problems came as surprises, and suggest the fact that much of the world of the poor and impoverished is unknown to the upper and middle classes, who much of the time base their knowledge of the working class on assumptions or stereotypes.  Ehrenreich addresses this problem in the Evaluation and goes on to suggest that unless this changes, the plight of the poor will go largely unanswered, since the upper classes hold most of the political power.

            Another issue she talks about in the Evaluation is the amount of pay many of the working poor are receiving.  A study she mentions says that in order to make a living, a given person should make around thirty thousand dollars a year, while in reality most of the working poor make about half of that.  She argues that therein lie the two main reasons for poverty in America, along with the fact that none of her co-workers seemed ready or able to speak out against unfair treatment and pay.

            Reader’s Guide question 10: “How do you think a living wage should be calculated?”  The question could be raised as to whether ‘living wage’ refers to the amount of money one would need to survive, or whether it refers to quality of life and being paid enough to make one’s life enjoyable, which it would not be if you lived in a car and had to eat cheap, nonperishable food all the time.  Personally, I think it means the amount of pay someone should make in order to live off of and, if not able to afford expensive forms of entertainment or some unnecessary things such as cigarettes or alcohol, have the ability to at least afford decent housing, food, and transportation.

Nickel and Dimed

In Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich writes as she devotes a part of her life to experiencing a minimum-wage lifestyle in 3 different parts of the country. Her first experience is in Key West, Florida, where she finds Jobs as a waitress and a Hotel Housekeeper. She is never allowed to take a break and constantly deals with rude customers, and an overbearing boss. She has been chewed out for such small things as giving someone an extra roll. For living arrangements, she rents a trailer. Although at this point in the book she things she is doing poorly, she still has some money left over, and she has a dwelling of her own. She realizes that many coworkers, even though they have a job, cannot make ends meet.
Ehrenreich's second poverty experience was in Maine, where she is a Cleaning lady for a cleaning company and a Dietary Aid on the weekends in an Alzheimer's Ward. Here she is constantly on her hands and knees and constantly in contact with dangerous and disgusting things. Also, she is treated almost less-than-human at times as she is not allowed to satisfy her basic needs. Now her living arrangements are less than ideal, but she still does have a home. She does need financial help in order to get enough food, although she does get free meals on her weekend job. She is further realizing that even though one may have a job, it does not mean that they are well set or even able to support themselves. In Ehrenreich's final adventure, she will receive an experience even more than ever what it is like to have a job and be homeless.
In Ehrenreich's third and final adventure, she leads herself to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where the vacancy rate is extremely low, especially for low income people. She first attempts to find a job. She applies at Walmart and at Menards, where like many jobs she applied for previously, require Drug and Personality tests. They also require her to buy specific clothes, and in the case of Menards, a belt and some tools. These drug and personality tests further enhance the feeling of being a mischievous scumbag. Ehrenreich's next task is to find a home to live in. The most she can find is a poor motel, where she gets a room without a screen or a locking door, and without much more than a bed and a sink. This causes her to feel unsafe and unhealthy. She gets both jobs she applies for, but turns down Menards because they are not offering the $10 and hour she was originally promised, and they work 10 hour days. She gets a job at Walmart, where she is under strict rules, for example, no time theft, aka doing anything other than work on work time. She must work with many moody people, as normal, however she still finds many generous souls, such as one who brings her a sandwich for lunch when she finds our the Ehrenreich eats nothing but fast food. Ehreinch cannot find housing other than a shady motel, and therefore is barely considered homeless. She attempts to get help so that she can have food, but no one seems to care or understand her because she has a job. Here she gets her biggest feel for the life of the low wage individual.

Question 5:

While Working for the The Maids, Ehrenreich hears Ted claim that he's "not a bad guy... and cares a lot about his girls." How do the assumptions of supervisors such as Ted affect their employees? How does Ted compare to Ehrenreich's other bosses? To yours?

The assumptions of supervisors such as Ted affect their employees gradually. The longer they are under the direction of that boss, the more their self-esteem degrades. Ted is like some of Ehrenreich's other bosses, as he is concerned in keeping his business going, and is less concerned with his employees unless they are in serious danger. He does not compare to my boss, because my boss is very nice, approachable, and is concerned with his employees, along with his necessity to get his work accomplished.

Nickel and Dimed

In Nickel and Dimed, by Barbara Ehrenreich, Ehrenreich takes on the challenge of surviving in America on minimum wage. Ehrenreich takes on jobs in 3 different states. Her first job is serving as a waitress in Florida, where she deals with a commanding boss and rude customers. After finishing in Florida, she moves to Maine, where she finds a job as a maid. During Ehrenreich's work at The Maids, she realizes that society's stereotype of lower-class citizens being lazy is untrue. The employee of The Maids work many hours a day, doing strenuous, sweaty work, involving lots of bending down and carrying heavy vacuums. At one point, one employee, Holly, falls and injures her ankle. Holly works through the pain and discomfort because her job is the only thing keeping her fed and housed. Most of the people Ehrenreich works with have poor living conditions, including barely making rent, living with family members, sleeping in motels, and, in some cases, not having a home at all. In Minnesota, Ehrenreich seeks help in finding a living space. Being emplyed at Wal-Mart, she has an income, but at only $7 an hour, it is not enough to pay a rent on an apartment. The Wal-Mart pay is so low, that an employee can't even afford a Wal-Mart shirt on clearance. After recieving help, Ehrenreich moves into a motel room with no bolt on the door, no screen on the window, and no kitchen or appliances. During her employment at wal-Mart, Ehrenreich learns eveen more about her impoverished co-workers. Some work multiple jobs in order to survive. Others work at Wal-Mart because they can't get hired anywhere else. In the "Evaluation" chaper, Ehrenreich reflects on her experiences and argues that the richer citizens of America control the poorer citizens.

Reader's Guide question #13

"Ehrenreich concluded that had her working life been spent in a Wal-Mart-like environment, she would have emerged as a different person -- meaner, pettier, "Barb" instead of "Barbara." How would your personality change if you were placed in working conditions very different frmo the ones you are in now?"

A: If my working conditions change drastically from what they are now (low-stress, easy-going), my personality would definitely be affected. I would become more tired, cranky, and stressed. I would be angry and would probably take it out on people who wouldn't deserve it.

Nickel and Dimed

In the book, Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich conducted an experiment of working different types of minimum wage jobs, in different parts of the country.
She first goes to Key West, Florida working as a waitress at Hearthside, and also a hotel maid. She is unable to keep her hotel job for very long because she couldn't handle the stress and energy for 2 jobs. Most of her co-workers were hardworking, poor people. Their living conditions were very low quality. Some people lived in trailer homes, hotels, apartments or even their cars. They depended on their partner, or worked another job. The co-workers tried to help each other out to survive, even though they had terrible working conditions. Because Ehrenreich was overworked she had constant headaches, minimal meals, and she was exhausted with no time to rest. She realized that living on minimum wage was harder than she expected it to be, and she finally had sympathy for low wage workers and understood what it was like. She had to live in a trailer nearby. Frustrated with her job, she quits and turns her trailer keys in.
Next she travels to Portland Maine, to become a maid and in addition to, a dietary aide. Her co-workers at the Maids, were poor, living with their parents, or living with other co-workers. Their working conditions were unacceptable with minimal breaks, barely anytime to eat a healthy meal. They also had strict rules about their cleaning routine with pin point specific directions, they weren't allowed to drink or eat anything while they were cleaning the customer's houses. The workers are all suffering from various pains, which causes them not being able to do particular types of work. Holly, Ehrenrich's co-worker ignores her pain until she is sent home by the boss, Tedd because Ehrenrich begged for her to go home. Her dietary aide position at Woodcrest was understaffed, so she was commanded to prepare the meals of all the Alzheimer's ward. She was nervous that she could easily get one of the meals wrong and it was a risk of giving the patient a wrong meal.
The final location, she had for her experiment was Minnesota. She decided to do retail, so she applied for various jobs. The housing availability was the worst in Minnesota. She had difficulty finding an adequate place to stay. Her last resort was to stay at a rundown motel that had no security. She got job interviews for Menards and WalMart, and wanted to apply for a local supermarket on the weekends. She was the most worried about passing the drug test and making enough money. She gets the job at WalMart and doesn't like it there. Her job is very monotone and repetitive. The workers don't get enough money for what they work for. Ehrenrich sticks together with her co-worker Melissa, and try to establish a union for all the WalMart workers, which doesn't end up working out. When Ehrenrich quits her job, so does Melissa.
Reader's Guide Question 16: Yes, I think her experience would be different in today's economy because it is harder to find minimum wage jobs. Our economy isn't very well and middle aged people are taking the jobs of teenagers because they are so desperate for a job. The working conditions would be a bit better because people fought for better rights, benefits, and laws for over working. There is now an enforced minimum wage but the cost of living is higher and in some places, workers' rights worsened. People's retirement funds are decreasing and a threat to Social Security and Medicare. And also the cost of transportation, housing and food prices are increasing.