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Socioeconomic class american dream
Critical Analysis of Barbara Ehrenreich’s Nickel and Dimed
Nickel and dimed analysis
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Many economists argue about the exact nature of the relationship of social mobility in the context of the modern economy. One such economist, Paul Krugman, negatively comments in his essay “The Death of Horatio Alger” on the decreasing social mobility among low-wage citizens in the United States. He claims that the American dream of advancement opportunities will diminish as the wealthy aim to prevent others from rising above them in the business world. Moreover, he labels America’s unequal society as a rigid “caste system” and opposes those who ignore the system’s lack of fairness to the lower class (134). Although Krugman strongly criticizes the inflexibility of economic mobility, his informal tone, biased perspective, and unjustifiable approach make his argument not only ineffective but also offensive.
My article deals with the study of society and social interaction of the Middle Class and how they survived on a Nickel and Dimed. In our text (n) 2, (pg. 42, paragraph 2) the journalist Barbara Ehrenreich brought the two stories together by research, that it is, impossible to make it on minimum wage work. The journalist observed in her study the mindset of the working Middle Class people, their persistence to make ends meet, to take care of their household, family and the will to make thing change. The “Middle Class” an aimless expression applied to those who is not on the system of welfare. In the United States certain development changed the past three decades, due to after World War II, the benefits of growth, and money making flow to
Every one does not have the perfect life that rich people live up to. From poor to rich people still have to make a way not everyone has to start from the bottom and make it towards the top struggles can start from anywhere at any time. As for Sanders statement as he discovered
The American Dream is almost purely run by structural forces, in her perspective, that are constantly attempting to impede the middle class’ ability for upward mobility. Those who are impoverished are there because of their surroundings, the institutions that shape their lives and therefore, they simply cannot find any way out of the poverty trap in which they have found themselves. While Ehrenreich was conducting her case study, she attempted to determine if the American Dream was by attempting to immerse herself in the culture of the poor. She only did so partially due to several stipulations that she set for the experiment as she stated that she would not live in a shelter (Shepard did), that she would not get rid of her vehicle and rely on public transportation (Shepard also did this); however, she did note that even for her, being partially immersed as she was, still found there to be not much difference between herself and those that worked around. She believed, from her experiences, that the social structure of the employment opportunities, was a systematic way to dehumanize the workers.
Few have college degrees” (Johnston, K. 2014). Barbara Ehrenreich, the author of Nickle and Dimed, left her life as a journalist and became one of the so called working poor (Ehrenreich, B. 2001). In this paper I will discuss the main issues in the first half of her book, I will explain what theoretical perspective her work fits into, how she did her research, the strengths and limitations to her approach, and describe how the American economy may look to a low wage worker. Main Issues First I will discuss some of the main issues Ehrenreich writes about in the first two chapters of her book Nickle and Dimed.
Below is a sample of an annotated source in a bibliography (reference list), compliments of the OWL at Purdue https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/614/03/): Ehrenreich, B. (2001). Nickel and dimed: On (not) getting by in America. New York: Henry Holt and Company.
We live a much different time where the cost of living has increased and the job availability has decreased. “According to the Pew Study on the American Dream, social mobility is increasingly difficult, if not impossible; the study found those born at both the top and the bottom of the “income ladder” stay where they are from one generation to the next.” (Rooks) Meaning that if you are born into poverty it is more likely than not that you will stay there. This could help to reason why politicians have a hard time coming up with a good plan of action to help those in poverty.
Poverty is a genuine issue in some parts of the world and social classes do influence poverty. However, Compos believes the old saying “the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.” In the article "White Economic Privileged Is Alive and Well" by Paul
Brenda Umana Daniels 17 July 2014 English 3 Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America Important; that’s the first word that comes to mind after the reading of this novel. Ehrenreich’s writing in Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America is very powerful, brutally honest, and extremely engaging. She gained so much from her experiences, and we gained even more when reading them. Although she cheated on few occasions, she gives a clear insight into what poverty is, and how a life in a low pay, heavy workforce is not a life at all.
Class Stereotypes Stereotypes are seen as overgeneralized ideas, images, or beliefs of a person based on a group of people. Stereotypes can either be taken or said in a negative or positive way but mostly seen in a negative way. Stereotypes are formed on a life experience, idea or a belief a person may have towards one person based on the person’s gender, race, religion or social class. The most common stereotypes are of the social classes which are the: upper, middle and lower class.
Ehrenreich uses her experiences to expand and illustrate Mantsios’ thesis about economic inequality in America and the lasting effects of class distinctions. Ehrenreich shares her experiences working in low paying jobs and challenges the idea that low income citizens are not hard working people. It obvious that both of these authors want Americans to recognize that our society is unjust and corrupt. Though I do agree with their claims that achieving the American dream is not a simple task, I refuse to believe that hard work and perseverance are not enough to be successful in this country. There have been numerous examples of individuals who have overcame the obstacles placed by their race and social standings.
The American Dream is it dead or alive? There are still a few people that believe the American Dream is still alive and is still achievable. Others think it is dead and is a thing of the past. Some believe the American Dream is having a successful job and being financially stable and living in a well furnished house. Some would say that is not possible to achieve the American Dream from coming from a poor upbringing.
1984 Synthesis Essay Poverty negatively influences how the minds of people work in the world. The fact that poverty exists itself, obstructs people from changing their circumstances in what is known as “the cycle of poverty.” The lower class is incredibly disadvantaged in that it lacks the necessary social and economic resources needed to increase chances of social mobility. In return, the absence of these resources may increase poverty. Therefore, the lower class is unable to change its situation because the majority believes that any efforts to climb the social ladder is highly inefficient.
Wealth gaps in America is something that people do not know much about causing them to not realize how severe it is getting. In America, the top 10% of people (the very rich) are holding 50-80% of the wealth. This statistic is very scary and hard to grasp. Another scary fact is that the top 1% of the population holds around 35% of the United States net worth. People may ask what do these facts mean?
The article talks about poverty within america and the issues and resolutions connected to the economy. In “It is Expensive To Be Poor” Ehrenreich claim is that people in poverty are not in that situation because of self habits but because they simply do not have money at the moment. she explains that anyone
