What has been the most surprising observation that you’ve read so far in Barbara Ehrenreich’s account of her work as a waitress or a maid? What was surprising about it? How was Ehrenreich able to make this observation as a researcher? (As you respond, find a quotation from this passage that illustrates your response and include it.)
As you conclude your reflection, pose a question to the rest of class about today’s (or last Wednesday’s) reading that you think will help generate class discussion.
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After reading Nickel and Dimed, I found that Ehrenreich’s observations about being a made were the most interesting. How at the end she begins to hate her job and the people she serves, and how she detaches or rebels from it all amazes me. I can only imagine how difficult that job is, working with those women, cleaning up the bathrooms and kitchens, learning about private things about people whom she doesn’t even know. It must be exhausting and disgusting, painful almost to know that people live through that situation every day.
ReplyDeleteThe rebellion in which she talks about when a couple of her coworkers “delight in putting the pedal to the metal and terrorizing the elegant neighborhoods we serve” is funny yet disturbing. To have the women hate their jobs so much they’re willing go drive through neighborhoods where they could possibly have work shows how working so hard for so little in return can really effect someone. Its like they went insane or something, needing an outlet for all of the anger they’re keeping inside – due to Ted possibly?
My question for the class is how would u respond if you had to work a job cleaning someone’s home for so little pay yet so much hard work? Do you think you’d end up driving around a neighborhood blaring music with profanities? Would you steal? How would you react?
So far, in what I've read of Barbara Ehrenreich's experiences, the most surprising observation I've made was the way other people treated her when she was working as a maid. It struck me as completely disgusting the way people feel so superior to her when she is working to clean their house. "She's just watching that I don't leave out some stray square inch, and when I rise painfully to my feet again, blinking through the sweat, she says, "Could you just scrub the floor in the entryway while you are at it?" This quote goes to illustrate that the owner of the house, looking at how hard Barbara is working, doesn't even say a thank you, or offer her a glass of water. Instead, as if Barbara was some object, she asks that she keep on busting her back as she stands there staring at her. Through her use of words, Barbara illustrates the hardship that this group must go through if they want to make enough money to eat and have a descent shelter. The way maids are treated shows that the line between human beings clearly disappears when working in a job such as this. It's as if the owner of the houses don't even realize the suffering that these women go through as they attempt to keep their house spotless. Ehrenreich, describing her experiences really opens a whole new world to the audience of her book, and hopefully by doing this, she will get the message across that we should all humans, and therefore should treat one another as such.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: How come, as Barbara puts it is, the "occupational group...not visible"? And what can we do to change this negative superior outlook?
So far, I find most surprising how much Ehrenreich seems to move around. In Florida, she struggles with finding housing and realizes how difficult the job of waitressing can be. But before she really even has too much time to get settled or start to get the hang of things, shes up and on the move again.
ReplyDeleteWhile I understand her reasoning for moving around and changing jobs so often, I at the same time have to wonder if that was really the best decision. Or at the same time, I wonder how reflective of someone in the same position that is.
Can someone else who has close to no money just pick up and leave to a different state if they don't have enough money to pay the bills? Or can someone who really doesn't have any options be so selective in the types of jobs that he/she works?
I have to say that it surprises me how much all these things happen and judging on the way the book is laid out, I'm sure this wont be the last time that Ehrenreich is on the move.
So my question for the rest of the class is if you agree with me? Do you think it is better to stay in one place, bight the bullet a little bit and suck up the pain in hopes that maybe your cost of living will be reduced or you will get a wage? Or do you think it is better to hope for the best and pick up after each month and move to a new state in hopes that this time it will work out differently?
So far in Barbara Ehrenreich's experience, the most suprising observation I have noticed is how most people cannot survive with just one lower level job. They all struggle to be able to pay rent. Most people live with others who also helps them, but they still struggle. Ehrenreich has two jobs so that she can manage to pay rent and still has a hard time doing that. "Fortunately, the phone rings twice before noon, and- more out of claustrophobia than any serious economic calculation- I accept the first two jobs that are offered"(60). Earlier in the first part of her experience she noticed that she needed two jobs to be able to pay rent, so this time, after moving, she knew from the beginning to start off with two jobs. Without these two jobs she would not be able to pay rent. One person at her maid job doesn't have enough money to always eat. "I'd be surprised if she weighs more than ninety-two pounds before breakfast, assuming breakfast is even on her agenda. During an eight-to-nine-hour shift, I never see her eat more than one of those tiny cracker sandwiches with peanut butter filling"(96). This girl doesnt usually eat and asks others about their dinner plans and what they had. She doesn't make enough money to always eat, and yet she works long days and works very hard. Many of these people are very hard working, but in the end don't make enough to support themselves.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: Is it fair for many people to work very hard, even at a low end job, and still not be able to support themselves?
In my view of the novel, there aren’t many things that are surprising about her work. The time I consider to be surprising was that on the last day of her waitressing in the first chapter. Before she quit the job, the people in the restaurant are almost all new employees. The cook in the back was twenty some year old new cook that just started working a week or two ago and he was managing the whole kitchen by himself. Other the other hand, when there are lots of customers coming in, nobody bothers to help to serve the customers, so Ehrenreich had to run around by herself to serve all the tables. I found the management of the place was surprising.
ReplyDeleteThe questions I had are “why the author started the research at the first place? Is there any other research to do besides working in different places? Since she was kind of concern about homeless, why she didn’t started a research about homeless? Like be a homeless person for a week, and observe how hard the life would be and tried it out in different places to see how homeless people in different places act differently
I was most surprised by the allegiance that many of the maids felt towards Ted. Ted is a terrible boss and makes them work in horrendous conditions. Yet, Barbara seems to be the first person that the other maids have come across to think so poorly of Ted, or at least voice those thoughts. Barbara observes, "Getting 'reamed out' by Ted can ruin their whole day; a morsel of praise will be savored for weeks." I can see why many would rather not want to act like Barbara does. It is not that they fear losing their job, but do their best to maintain a positive attitude in order to make the work bearable. For example, Holly will ignore the faults of the Accutrac test, fooling herself into believing that just not anybody could be hired to do her job.
ReplyDeleteEhrenreich comments that the work she is reporting on is "an outcast's work" (117). As a result, our democracy becomes a caste society. Do you agree?
People in general work off of positive feedback about the jobs or things that they are doing. How do you know if your writing makes sense or is any good without feedback. Also people seem to find confidence and self-worth when they get positive feedback. Barbara talks about need "why Ted's approval means so such" (117) to the other women that she works will? Barbara seems to find that "getting'reamed out' by Ted can ruin their whole day; a morsel of praise will be savored for week" (116). The other maids that she works with aren't get the praise from the home owners or from anyone else so the only person that can give them a compliment is Ted (117). This is an interesting idea because it does seem true that humans in general need praise for hard work or at least to continue doing a good job. it seems though that these women work harder sometimes just to recieve compliments on the work that they do. Work seems to be the only place that these women recieve any sort of praise or a good job. Ted is the one that gives the approval that these women need because he understands the work that they do.
ReplyDeleteDo you think that Barbara takes one point of view of her observations? Is there a different point of view that she might not be hitting upon?
The most striking event to me, as an upper middle class student who would get to sit out of class if she had a stomachache, was when Holly persisted with her cleaning despite seriously injuring her ankle and having a kid on top of that and obviously being in no shape for work. To me, as Barbara was trying to get her to go to the hospital, there was no doubt that she would finally give in, because that is what she would have secretly wanted to do... but that wasn't the case. The woman continued arguing and cleaning until they got back to the service.
ReplyDeleteI thought, however, Barbara's first impulse to be the most interesting. She wanted to talk about how she was a PhD and how she wouldn't stand for it, ext. This obviously would be my first reaction to, bust my secret to help the woman out... but what does that do, in the long run? Besides end the game for her, so that she doesn't have to be there, like escaping from some virtual reality, what does status and class really matter in that situation. Would she expect the other cleaning ladies to drop down their mops and obey her every command because she had this PhD in her pocket? It was almost as if she had the inclination that ending the game for her would end it for the maids as well.
This was a possible thought, or instinct, for her because it was a game, because this isn't reality. She was able to have that impulse and insist on taking her to the hospital because that is what a wealthy woman can do. But notice, she was the only one raising a fuss. The other women knew that that is how life worked and Ted wasn't the only one with the motto 'work through it'.
My question has very little to do with the above mentioned injury.. rather one of the things I was thinking about as she was relating her midnight traumas. She said that the repetition and the trivials of her low-wage jobs were what was beginning to take over the mind. I remember from my waitressing days, that it definitely took over my brain power for a while. Do you all think that repetition and work without much meaning in general numbs the mind?
After reading Nickel and Dimed, the most surprising part I find is her experience working at The Maid, especially how she is treated by her customers. Cleaning house is such a laborious work as we know from Barbara’s account, however, house cleaners, are never rewarded for whatever they’ve done. If something goes wrong, no matter it’s the cleaner’s fault or not, the blame falls on her. The following dialog provides a good example of how people see house cleaners. “I had ventured to ask why so many of the owners seem hostile or contemptuous toward us. “They think we’re stupid,” was Holly’s answer. “They think we have nothing better to do with our time,” Marge too looked suddenly sober. “We’re nothing to these people,” she said. “We’re just maids.” Nor are we much of anything to anyone else.” Despite their hard work, house cleaners never win any respect from anyone. Ehrenreich made this observation possible by working with real house cleaners Holly, Marge and observing how they were treated during their work.
ReplyDeleteMy question is, “Why cleaning is not considered a respectable job and what is the general image of physical workers?”
An observation that I read was in the very beginning of her book. It was before she had even started working or even found a house. She going to work in Key West, Florida. She was nervous about people seeing her "I am terrified, especially at the beginning, of being recognized by some friendly business owner or erstwhile neighbor and having to stammer out some explanation of my project." (11) She says that she doesn't want to see anybody because she doesn't want to explain what she is doing but maybe she just doesn't like being seen as a "trailer trash" person. That just caught my attention because it made me think about how I view myself and if I would be Ok with being viewed as trailer trash.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think of the job applications for Winn-Dixie? All the questions the application asks are more making sure the employee is legal instead of focusing on the employees skills.
The most surprising I read so far is a researcher does not clearly know what the real pain of being the low wage workers. Even she joined the low wage worker’s world, but she joined so suddenly, so that she cannot adapt to that working condition quickly, she had changed many jobs none of them last long, because she needs to taste the different feelings at different job positions for her books but not for real life.
ReplyDeleteHow come a researcher knows what the real pain that the low wage workers are suffering? “I wasn’t working for the money, I was doing research for an article and later a book.” She probably does not understand what she has to deal with, she is working for her job not for her real life in another world. Her low wage worker action could be end anytime she wants to.
Question, I know it’s not fair for these people who work very hard but only get little paid, but this is the real world and how should we do in order to solve this problem.