Essays on Ehrenreich

In the article Too Poor to Make the News that appeared in The New York Times on the 13 of June, the author Barbara Ehrenreich predicts the emergence of a new class called ‘the Nouveau Poor’. Ehrenreich believes that this inequality that can be seen for a couple of decades will be leveled by ‘recession porn’. With this term she refers to a new genre of media that makes peoples’ lives harder and forces to refuse from habitual and beloved things. (Ehrenreich) Barbara Ehrenreich in her article Too Poor to Make the News answers on the question that disturbs ...

Imperial, Dominant, and Hegemonic Feminism

<Tutor> <Department> Imperial, Dominant, and Hegemonic Feminism

Introduction

The term feminism emerged in the contemporary socio-political discourse as an important movement encompassing ideological frameworks that seeks to establish and define a common goal to achieve equal footing in the political, personal, and economic sector. Since the emergence of the feminist movement, several notions of feminism was developed to create a greater understanding of its role in establishing equal rights and opportunities of women. In this discussion, the different notions of feminism will be explored by highlighting the concepts of each theoretical model. The discussion includes definitions of imperial, ...

The nature of poverty and the reasons for its persistence related to the behavior of the individual and the state of the social system. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America by Barbara Ehrenreich shows poverty as an integral part of the capitalist system and evaluate it as a benefit for the whole community eventually led to the problematization special lifestyle in poverty. This led to a search for a cultural mechanism of depletion (displacement to the periphery) maladjusted individuals, which combine and interact with individual and social factors. However, the author believes that the poor are " ...

Question 1: Difference between Ehrenreich’s job and video

In the video, Erenreich is promised a thirty minutes break but she ends up getting a five minutes break. Work is done continuously in all the rooms and even after finishing it is necessary to still find something else to do (Ehrenreich, 49). The maids in the video seem to be enjoying the work and not using a lot of energy. Unlike in the video where the maids could simply work with machines, Ehrenreich have to clean the floors in a traditional way (pg 49). The work at Ehrenreichs place involves a lot of physical bonding and use of ...

Poverty and economic inequality are a global threat towards economic development of a given country and often result in poor living conditions among the workforce in the region. Poor people cannot afford basic commodities like proper shelter, a balanced diet and enough money to feed their children (Ehrenreich, Arlie and Henry 282). Poverty comprises of two areas that are relative and absolute poverty. Relative poverty results from having income values lower than the average country's income values. On the other hand, absolute poverty involves having an income value that cannot maintain a minimum standard of living. Economic inequality is ...

The book Nickel and Dimed: on (not) getting by in America by Barbara Ehrenreich was published in 2001. The book is an encounter on how the average American workers are trying to survive on a minimum or minimum wage jobs. The research she conducted showed that strong work ethic was not enough to provide the necessities. The necessities are shelter, food and transportation. The people who work in retail places and restaurant do not earn enough pay to make them climb the ladder of success. “On average nationwide, an hourly wage of $8.89 to afford a one bedroom apartment . . .” ( ...

Part One

Dehumanization of society refers to the mistreatments of the people in the society. In this case, people are treated like animals either in their work-place or any place they live or stay. From the books by both Ritzer and Ehrenreich, dehumanization is shown clearly. In Ritzer’s book, he depicts dehumanization acts in the society, most especially at the working places.

Here we find bureaucracy systems as Ritzer tells us, uses rationality concepts but in the end results to irrationality, as a concept of functioning. This rationalism is linked to bureaucracy, since bureaucracy has made people be seen as robots ...

Life is not easy when living under the poverty line and more like a 150% effort is required each and every day. Working full time at job that pays minimum wage may provide enough money for a single individual, but it will certainly not for an entire family. Barbara Ehrenreich delves into the world of the minimum-wage workers in her book Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America. She seeks entry-level jobs and tries to support herself with the minimum wages from these jobs, for months at a time. Ehrenreich makes an agreeable and clear argument in Nickel and Dimed ...

Gender Inequality

Inequality exists in every society, where some people get more power, respect, money, and prestige as compared to others (Brent, and Lewis).The United States is facing several issues regarding social inequality but gender inequality is the major issue in this regard, which has paved the way to many challenges situations in the country. Gender inequality represents disparity in the power, status, and prestige between men and women. The problem of the gender inequality is increasing in the United States because the workplaces are doing fair treatment with women; they do not understand the need of adapting to the ...

History I Section 263

The practices of childbirth and delivery have changed drastically throughout history. With the advances in science and technology and growing knowledge over the years, America has been delivering healthier babies than ever. But unlike now, in early America midwives played a large role in child delivery and child care, “When the English settled in America they brought the traditional English customs and practices of childbirth to the New World.” Midwives were more than just someone who delivered a baby; they also acted as the nurse and were a friend to the pregnant woman throughout her labor. Midwives felt a lot of responsibility for ...

Barbara Ehrenreich’s presents a clear and concise account of the methods that millions of American uses to survive the economic struggles in American. In addition, the 2001 book, “Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America” analyzes how individuals survive on minimum paying jobs. Ehrenreich postulates that even though these individuals work under poor economic conditions, there is a strong “work ethic” present. But, this work ethic does not help to provide the basic necessities of transportation, food, and shelter. For those individuals who work in hotels, restaurants, retail stores, and a number of other service jobs the wages are not ...

America has a poverty problem, but it is a problem that it is reluctant to admit to. As the research that will be cited in this reflection shows, it is a growing problem. Part of the ideals that define America is the idea that anyone who works hard can be prosperous. Barbara Enrenreich’s experience working jobs with the working poor suggest that the hard work they must do to survive is so demoralizing, that it will become difficult to see jobs available to the working poor as anything other than poverty traps. Charles Murray in his article “The New American Divide” ...

Poor, homeless and low wage workers in the society are subject to systematic injustices that are mainly out of their control. First, many educated people sometimes face it difficult to secure a job to earn them a better living. Instead, they end up getting low wage jobs where they raise a little to earn their living thus stagnating in poverty. Economic conditions are the worst cause of such conditions commonly referred to as unemployment. Nevertheless, harsh working conditions are another main cause of poor and homelessness. Some employers are very harsh and they usually put a lot of pressure to their employees ...

Consider her as a character in the story of any one of the clinicians she depicts. How would she appear to that clinician and how would that clinician possibly depict her or his own professional behavior? Ehrenreich is a famous freelance writer who writes influential articles and participates in social works very enthusiastically. In her article, “Welcome to Cancer land” Ehenreich has criticized all those organizations and people who claim to protect cancer patients. In accordance to the writer, these organizations do the opposite of they call themselves to do. I would relate the story of Evan Handler with Ehrenreich. ...

I Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote Letter from Birmingham Jail to emphasize his promotion of nonviolently resisting racism. King, Jr. noted that people may break laws they deem as unjust as part of their moral responsibilities. The publication of Letter from Birmingham Jail initially experienced delays, but eventually became one of the most widely published texts that enjoyed great popularity among civil rights movement supporters in the United States (US) during the 1960s (King Jr.). Various nonviolent protests against racism happened in 1963 in Birmingham, Alabama, hence known collectively as the Birmingham Campaign. The Alabama Christian Movement ...

Summary Review

Barbara Ehrenreich has written many books, but her book ‘Nickel and Dimmed’ is a classic in providing knowledge about a socio-economic issue of how does a poor, low-wage worker is able to survive in such a meager income. In this book, she begins to investigate that what are the hidden costs attached to the survival of a low wage worker and how do they cope up with those. To know more about it, she decided to spend some time of her life that were approximately three months, doing various lower wage jobs that included house cleaning, nursing, being a waitress and a sales girl serving at ...

Introduction:

It is no main feat to discover that the institutions of the state, the corporation and the family are institutionally masculinist especially in societies where the patriarch is of a dominant nature. This is certainly the case in the film, ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The main character of Lisbeth Salander finds herself consistently on the fringe of society due to her queerness and the fact that she is troubled also makes her something of a misfit. The investigation which is undertaken by Salander also exposes the hypocrisy and blatant untruths used by those companies and businessmen to achieve their ...

Despite what some may believe, social stratification is still a prevalent force in today’s society. Current events stories are full of tales of minorities, women, and the poor being discriminated against on a regular basis and in very extreme ways. In order to address these issues and become more fully aware of their consequences, it is important to understand current events in the context of racial, gender, and class discrimination. In this way, we can expand our knowledge of the world and its problems, and educate others who may not have as much information on these issues. In this paper, ...

Maureen O’Herin

English 1A Should the Minimum Wage be increased? Minimum wage can essentially be described as the hourly wage rate set by the law, and it exists to ensure that people who work can earn enough compensation to support not only themselves but their families as well. The idea behind minimum wage has been in existence in American since the late 1800s and the early 1900s when the trade unions were formed and started agitation for better pay for workers from different professions. Since then, there have been various changes to the minimum wage over time, with the ...

Introduction

Barbara Ehrenreich in her book, “Nickel and Dimed,” covers some problems that are faced by low-wage workers. Albeit she is not truly a low-wage worker, Ehrenreich while serving in Florida, scrubbing in Maine, and selling in Minnesota actually becomes first hand eyewitness to the poor workers whose lives in fact are desperate due to their financial situations. She learns the application process of low job that involve numerous multiple choice questions as well as urine test. She uncovers special costs, which the poor encounter. She continues to investigate various problems that low-wage workers face. The problems that poor workers ...

Introduction

Barbara Ehrenreich wrote “Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America” from her perspective as undercover journalist. The book sets out to explore 1996 welfare reform act impact on working poor in America. The purpose of this paper is to preview this classic book by considering its front cover, back cover, date of publication, table of contents, notes and bibliography, and author’s information. The book’s front cover features a waitress. She actually gives a disturbed look over her shoulder. Thus, this indicates the difficulties that the working poor face. I think the book will not have humor ...

The Treatment of Women within Religion throughout History:

Women have been a fundamental element of religion serving in a myriad of capacities from the highest office to the lowest positions. Kraemer (2012) argues that the female role has been distorted in the modern era and must be re-examined. This study will evaluate the efficacy of that view and produce evidence to support the argument. It is necessary to credibly determine women’s role’s in religion in order to obtain the best of every opportunity. Beginning with an overview of women in religion throughout history, this evaluation will establish a base data range upon which to build a foundation. Following ...

In “The Ecstasy of War,” Barbara Ehrenreich uses an urgent tone to persistently persuade the audience to believe that it is not a natural warlike instinct that primarily guides war from the start. The author’s tone also seems more determined as she establishes that individuals undergo a psychological metamorphosis as a result of which they transform into a warrior, leaving their humanity behind and detaching themselves from their self. As means of further persuading the audience, Ehrenreich gives examples of how individuals use drugs or partake in transformative rituals to transition into a warrior. She deduces that a warlike instinct is not in the ...

“Violations of human rights are both a cause and a consequence of trafficking in persons” ("OFFICE OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS" 9). One of the most severe violations of human rights that are prevalent today is undoubtedly the trafficking in human beings, especially women and girls. Trafficking in women and girls is a violation of human rights because trafficked women and girls are not treated as human beings but as commodities. They are exploited for work, especially sex work; they are deprived of their right to freedom and life, and are even denied access to health care. Although the trafficking ...

I have often observed the media's inundation of images of men and women, and particular emotions that are instilled regarding body types. For example, women with larger body types are vilified as unattractive, while there seems to be a direct correlation between thinness and attractiveness with women. There exists, however, a double standard, as men's body types are not given as negative a stigma. The author's point about the media's role in the establishment of these attitudes is very much an accurate and dangerous aspect of our culture; the perpetuation of increasingly high standards of beauty and acceptability leads to significant problems ...

Summary

In her bestselling book, “Nickel and Dimed,” author Barbara Ehrenreich aims to give the reader a firsthand account of life as a worker on the poverty level. For her story, Ehrenreich, a writer from an upper-class family, decided to live the existence of a minimum wage worker, taking five low-level jobs at various locations around the United States, including positions as a waitress, health care aide, and Wal-Mart associate. To fulfill her objective, the author tried to obtain food, shelter and miscellaneous items solely from the money she earned in these jobs. She found out how hard it is to live when your income ...

Low wage living has become a common problem in the United States. This class of workers earns wages that cannot meet their daily basic needs. As workers, they face a lot of problems. Some people argue that low wage workers are unskilled employees. However, this is not true. The workers use a lot of energy and mental conentartion in the performance of duties. These employees also work in risky conditions and can be easily injured in the environment they work in. The other employees also mistreat them by giving them additional tasks. These people are very important in organizations. As a result, they ...

In her bestselling book, “Nickel and Dimed,” author Barbara Ehrenreich aims to give the reader a firsthand account of life as a worker on the poverty level. For her story, Ehrenreich, a writer from an upper-class family, decided to live the existence of a minimum wage worker, taking five low-level jobs at various locations around the United States, including positions as a waitress, health care aide, and Wal-Mart associate. To fulfill her objective, the author tried to obtain food, shelter and miscellaneous items solely from the money she earned in these jobs. She found out how hard it is to live when your income ...

Since ancient times, human sexuality has been a debate that has influenced culture, societal norms, and gender responsibilities. Naturally, there are two distinct sexes—male and female—and anything in between makes an individual ostracized in the society. Furthermore, because of many societies having a propensity for patriarchy, practices have resulted in making one gender inferior to the other or superior to the other. For instance, circumcision in males is seen as a sign of manhood and strength, while circumcision in females—termed as female genital mutilation (FGM) – is a way of suppressing women sexually (Ehrenreich and Barr 17). Internationally, FGM has been ...

After reading the essays by Barbera Ascher, Lars Eighner and Barbara Ehrenreich, I was rather surprised and intrigued by the way of topics representation in them. Even though they are rather short in length, they touch such themes that are always topical, evolving and getting new aspects with time. These topics can be called eternal, while being not very pleasant ones. Still, I find them interesting, as they make me think differently in certain aspects, which is always a valuable experience. The main topic that unites the three authors is the superficial way Americans perceive their life. It can ...

Using a context familiar to you, such as Hong Kong, please describe the concept of empowerment by listing the challenges and feasible solutions to achieve gender educational equality in education enrolment, completion, and educational outcomes (contribution to women's socioeconomic status).

The gender inequality of education in Hong Kong has a huge effect on the socioeconomic status of women after leaving school. A US survey shows that 80% of female workers in Hong Kong believe that they are discriminated against because of their gender and it still generally accepted that sons are prioritised over daughters in terms of finance and inheritance. Whilst ...

Offred is the storyteller and the leading role of the novel, and we are narrated to the whole tale from her opinion, recognizing happenings and reminiscences as vibrantly as she does. She narrates the chronicles as it occurs, and illustrates to us the journeys of her mind via flashbacks and parentheses. She is clever, insightful, and kind. She has sufficient liabilities to make her human, but not so numerous that she turns into an insensitive individual. She also entails a sinister sense of humor that is a cemetery wit that creates her accounts of the dreary terrors of Gilead tolerable, even ...