Who is the intended audience of Nickel and Dimed?
The intended audience for this book is anyone, but it is more directed towards low wage workers because they can understand where she is coming from.
What is one of the main problems Ehrenreich had with her employment?
The income she receives from waiting tables is not enough to support her and to pay the next installment of rent, and Ehrenreich takes on a second job working as a hotel maid. The two jobs become too physically demanding for her to continue, and she vacates the maid position after one day.
What was the main point Ehrenreich was trying to convey through writing about serving in Florida?
Serving In Florida Rhetorical Analysis Barbara Ehrenreich’s piece titled “Serving in Florida” represents the condition in which workers are treated while working in a restaurant. Ehrenreich describes this condition as unfair because she must perform duties as if they are “strictly theatrical exercises” (130).
What is the theme of Nickel and Dimed?
In Nickel and Dimed, Barbara sets out to experience the working life of low-wage laborers first-hand. She is, of course, interested in poverty in general—as a journalist, Barbara had covered the topic extensively before writing this book—but here she is particularly concerned with the plight of the working poor.
What did Ehrenreich learn about the special costs that the poor are forced to deal with?
Ehrenreich uncovers the special costs that the poor encounter. She notes that if you cannot afford the security deposit for an apartment, you are forced to live in a hotel–which is ultimately more costly. If you have only a room, you cannot save money by cooking nutritious, cheap food.
What techniques does Ehrenreich use to make her argument?
To strengthen her argument, Barbara Ehrenreich uses four main rhetorical devices: exemplum, enumeratio, metaphor, and procatalepsis. Ehrenreich utilizes exemplum to emphasize the harrowing living and working conditions of workers in the service industry by providing examples of the lives of her fellow employees.
What is the author’s purpose in nickel and dimed?
When Barbara Ehrenreich set out to write the book that would become Nickel and Dimed, her stated goal was pretty straightforward: to see if she could pay for rent, food, and other bills as a low-wage worker.