1. What is the topic? The main idea of Nickel and Dimed: On (Not)
Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich demonstrates the complications and the way on how minimum wage workers survived during 1996 in Florida, Maine
, and in Minnesota when the welfare reform had an impact on minimum wage.
What is the theme of nickel and dimed?
Ehrenreich tears the mask off of the idea that there is no class system in America, making the argument that the
class of minimum wage workers in America
are being “nickel and dimed” by the power structure which is preventing them from living a life of comfort.
The purpose of the book was
to introduce the reader to the plight of those who work service jobs for long hours, inadequate pay, and no benefits
.
What is the significance of the title nickel and dimed?
About the Title
Nickel and Dimed references the American idiom “to nickel and dime.” The phrase “nickel and dimed” refers to
small charges that eat away at a paycheck or income, so that the fees take away more of the earner’s income than is fair
.
Why was nickel and dimed banned?
This year one of the “top ten” books being challenged, according to the American Library Association, is Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America, by Barbara Ehrenreich, with the reasons given as “
drugs, inaccurate, offensive language, political viewpoint, religious viewpoint
.”
How does nickel and dimed end?
During the end of her time at Wal-Mart,
there is a hotel-workers strike
. Admitting that unions should be monitored by their members, she uses her break time to promote the idea of a union to her coworkers. In the end, Ehrenreich can no longer afford to work at Wal-Mart and pay for her hotel room, so she quits.
How long does it take to read Nickel and Dimed?
The average reader will spend
4 hours and 48 minutes
reading this book at 250 WPM (words per minute).
What is the main topic of Nickel and Dimed On Not Getting By in America?
Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America is a book written by Barbara Ehrenreich. Written from her perspective as an undercover journalist, it
sets out to investigate the impact of the 1996 welfare reform act on the working poor in the United States
.
Who wrote Nickel and Dimed?
Picador is marking the tenth anniversary of
Barbara Ehrenreich’s
modern classic “Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America,” in which she chronicled her attempts to make a life on minimum wage in three states, with a special anniversary edition.
What is a nickel and dime?
Definition of nickel-and-dime (Entry 2 of 2) transitive verb. 1 :
to impair, weaken, or defeat piecemeal
(as through a series of small incursions or excessive attention to minor details) 2 : to treat (a person or situation) by paying excessive attention to small amounts of money often with a detrimental effect.
What was the welfare reform action that sparked Ehrenreich’s interest?
What was the “welfare reform” action that sparked Ehrenreich’s interest in situations of the working poor?
The estimate that the odds against a typical welfare recipient’s landing a job at the new hourly living wage of would be about 97 to 1 under the reform
.
What is Nickel and Dimed thesis?
Nickel And Dimed Argument
Ehrenreich
argues that different systems in America are setup to actively keep those people working for minimum wage in poverty and this system prevents them from moving up in economic status
.
What second job does Barbara take while in Florida *?
What does Barbara do because the of the low wages at the Hearthside? She resolves therefore to find a second job. She would still prefer working as a housekeeper, but none of the hotels and guest houses at which she applied offer her anything. Yet again, she gets hired
as a server
—this time at Jerry’s.
What jobs did Barbara have in Nickel and Dimed?
She worked as a
Walmart sales clerk
, a hotel maid, waitress, nursing home aide, and a cleaning woman to name a few.
