Reading this has allowed me to reflect upon myself. What I have found is that I am completely spoiled. I used to work at Jamba Juice where I got paid $7.50 starting pay. I complained every day and dreaded coming to work. I thought that 7 dollars and 50 cents was not worth what I was doing. I thought that I finally knew what it meant to actually earn a dollar. After reading Ehrenreich’s piece I realized I couldn’t have been more wrong. While I simply scooped fruit and yogurt into a blender, Ehrenreich cleaned bathrooms and beds. While I worked for 6 hours, she worked day and night. She had to work so hard for a fraction of what I made.
What really pulled me in was Ehrenreich’s use of description of the maids and their lifestyle rather than just plain facts and statistics. Take for example the pregnant maid who had sprained her ankle. Not even a baby and a crippling injury could prevent her from coming to work. A sore stomach would’ve been more than enough reason to skip work for me. However, this is how it is for people like this maid who cant afford to skip a day of work, whose lives depend on the measly 6 dollars/hour they get paid.
Ehrenreich’s piece was a real eye opener for me. I had always thought that low pay meant easy work which didn’t require too much skill. However, what I didn’t realize is that low pay actually meant harder work in terms of work time. For people like the ones described by Ehrenreich, work is their life, day and night. These people didn’t have the opportunity that I have now, and after reading this piece I my appreciation for my situation has grown a great amount.
1 comment:
I had the same experience when reading this book. I am still being supported partly by my parents and going to an extremely expensive university. I feel bad for skipping a class or not putting all my effort into an assignment when these people don't even have the opportunity to go to a community college. It really makes you appreciate what you have.
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