Chapter 1 of Nickel and Dimed
Instructions
To complete this midterm, you need to have read the Introduction and Chapter 1 of Nickel and Dimed.
Instructions: Please answer 1 question below. Your answer must contain at least one quote and/or paraphrase from the reading to support your observations. As you craft your response, please use correct grammar (spelling, capitalization, and punctuation) and MLA format. Your answer should be at least 400-500 words.
- Nickel and Dimed takes place in 1998-2000, a time of unprecedented prosperity in America. Do you think Ehrenreich’s experience would be different in today’s economy? How so?
- Frequently in her introduction, and occasionally throughout the rest of the book, Ehrenreich calls our attention to the many ways in which her experiences differ from those of “real” minimum wage workers–for instance, when she says “I was only visiting a world that others inhabit full-time, often for most of their lives” (6), and when she points out in some detail the “reassuring limits to whatever tribulations [she] might have to endure” (6-7). What reassuring limits does she give herself? Do you agree with such limits? How do these limits affect (or not) the credibility of her research?
- Describe Barbara Ehrenreich’s social and educational background. Do you think her background enhanced or diminished the richness of her journalism?
- Perspective: What appears to be the author’s ideological perspective (i.e., what are her political and social views)? How do you know this and how do you think it will affect her interpretation of what she experiences and sees?
