Nickel and Dimed: Study Questions #2

Part 2: Scrubbing in Maine

1. How does Ehrenreich feel when she first arrives in Portland, Maine?

2. What "stuff" does she have with her and what worries her about it?

3. Have you ever taken the kind of test described on page 58-59? What did you think of it?

4. Describe the two jobs that Ehrenreich finds in Maine.

5. What did you learn about cleaning from the discussion on page 75-76.

6. What does Ehrenreich learn about her co-workers at the weekend job?

7. What signs of difficulty does she notice?

8. How does she do in her weekday job?

9. What physical problems do her co-workers have? Why doesn't she have the same kinds of problems?

10. What do you think of her discussion of never hiring a cleaning person? Do you agree with her?

11. What is her criticism of emergency help for the poor and hungry on page 102?

12. Why does Ehrenreich get angry and what does she do?

13. Why don't the maids rebel against their working conditions?

14. What do you think of Ehrenreich's claim that the poor are invisible? Discuss.

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