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English > Nickel and Dimed Chapter 2 > Flashcards

Nickel and Dimed Chapter 2 Flashcards

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1
Q

Why did Barbara choose maine?

A

its whiteness

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2
Q

What does Barbara mean by whiteness?

A

she means white people

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3
Q

What did Barbara notice about the Maine work force?

A

it often noted being fun and casual. There were thousands of ads advertising jobs for mothers and job fairs.

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4
Q

What does she compare what she is doing to?

A

the witness protection program

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5
Q

What does this quote say. “Still, I reason, this sudden removal to an unknown state is not all that different from the kinds of dislocations that routinely segment the lives of the truly poor.” (Page 52)

A

This quote shows how her experiment becomes realistic as she moves from place to place looking for jobs.

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6
Q

What does she begin to do while in the hotel room in Maine?

A

she begins to understand the stuff that she has with her.

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7
Q

What does this quote say. “I have a tote bag stuffed with books which will, along with the hiking boots I have brought for weekends, turn out to be the most useless items in my inventory.” Page 53

A

This shows that she has begun to really find out what her real necessities are for living at minimum wage.

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8
Q

What type of hotel is the motel 6 she is staying at?

A

it is much homier than many would believe.

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9
Q

What is a benefit of eating food with money you have tirelessly worked for?

A

it tastes much better.

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10
Q

What does this quote show. “Educated, Middle Class professionals never go careening half-cocked into the future, vulnerable to any surprise that might leap out at them.” 54

A

she is saying that the middle class are the ones who tend to not live adventurous lives filled with surprises. They like to have everything planned so they know the outcome

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11
Q

What does the newspaper say about apartments?

A

there are none

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12
Q

What do hotel prices tend to do during tourist season?

A

rise

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13
Q

What is she able to find?

A

a shared apartment in a motel basement that goes for 67 dollars a week

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14
Q

What does Earl say about her apartment mate?

A

that she is a character but she is clean

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15
Q

What does this quote show? “Well, there is a windowlike structure near the ceiling, but it offers a view of only compact dirt, such as one might normally see when looking up from the grave.”56

A

this shows that the living conditions that some poor are bound to often feel like death to the middle class citizen.

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16
Q

What does she use as her “office”?

A

a payphone

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17
Q

What does the man who shows her around the next apartment complex assure her?

A

he assures her there will be no trouble because he is an ex-cop, and that he keeps the number of kids to a minimum.

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18
Q

What is wrong with that apartment complex?q

A

it is too much money

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19
Q

What is wrong with the other places she visits?

A

they are not very private

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20
Q

what is the final one that she likes?

A

Blue Haven motel that has an alpine feel to it.

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21
Q

What does the Motel 6 do when they need more moeny from her?

A

they change the lock

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22
Q

What type of work is she looking for in Maine?

A

she is looking for cleaning jobs, warehouse work, general helping jobs.

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23
Q

What is her interview like at the tortilla factory?

A

she meets with a very bored supervisor who does not care.

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24
Q

What type of testing is favorasble among industries?

A

personality testing

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25
What is the interview focus on in Wal-mart?
various weed references
26
What does this quote show about Barbara's viewpoint of interview tests? "The real function of these tests, I decide, is to convey information not to the employer but to the employee, and the information being conveyed is always: You will have no secrets from us ... we want your innermost self." Page 59
This quote shows her belief that these tests are to inform the employee about the type of work environment they will be. They stress that they want the whole individual as an employee and not just the physical aspects.
27
What does Barbara realise about low wage jobs?
she realizes that low wage workers are pushed to find more than one job.
28
What two jobs are the first to call her?
the first two jobs are help at a nursing home, and The Maids cleaning service that is the best paying one in town.
29
What will Barbara do for work in Maine?
she will be a maid, then she will go to a better paying job, and then she will work at the nursing home on weekends
30
What is described to her by her boss in the nursery?
she will be a nutrition assistant who helps feed the residents
31
What does her nursery boss say about her rights? who does she key in on?
she says that she has a right to stand up to sexual harassment. Especially by robert, the owner's son.
32
How does Barbara treat this job?
she treats it as though it is a restaraunt
33
why is there little stress in this job?
the old people do not have good memories anyway.
34
What is the hardest part of being a nurse?
the hardest part is the cleaning at the end of meals
35
What does Barbara tell pete about being married?
she tells him she is not married or taken at all because she wants an ally in him
36
What does Pete begin to reveal about coworkers?
he shows Barbara that all of the coworkers have something to hide, and to stay away from them at certain times.
37
What does he say about gossip?
it travels fast.
38
What does Pete (the cook) reveal about his own life?
he tells Barbara that he has run into a lot of money, and the only reason he is working is because he would get bored sitting at home.
39
What does Barbara like about working at the nursing home?
she likes how she is a beacon of light for some of the residents
40
What happens that "baptizes" Barbara into this job and the white society?
she gets milk thrown at her pants and the old people make fun of her.
41
What does this quote say? "But atleast I am no longer an outcast, as Pete would say, in this strange white state." (66)
this shows that although she is white herself she felt as an outcast because she was not a part of the gossip or "real world" yet.
42
What does Barbara find that sparks her interest on her last night at the motel?
she finds a church that is hosting a "tent revival". She wants to go because the church has an interesting name (Deliverance), and she is an atheist.
43
What does she notice about the church tent revival?
there are very little people of other races there. She is the only one without her own copy, and some people get really into singing the music.
44
What are the living conditions like at the Blue Haven motel?
it is very small, and everything is basically grouped together.
45
What does she learn while living here?
she learns how to use different items for different uses.
46
What do people living in Blue Haven assure Barbara?
they assure her that she will get used to it, and the space for one person is pretty good.
47
What is the age range at the maid's?
it goes from fresh out of highschool to very old.
48
What does Barbara believe is a good thing about changing teams every day for cleaning services?
it shows that there are no long term relations between customers and workers.
49
What must Barbara do before she is allowed out to work with the others?
she must watch tapes in order to learn the trade.
50
What does this quote show? "The manager at another maid service where I applied had told me she didnt liuke to hire people who had done cleaing before because they were hesitant to learn the company's system" (73)
This quote shows that Barbara used advice from other employers to succeed at other jobs.
51
What does Ted (her boss) reveal to her about soaking rags?
he reveals that the material costs less than her time.
52
How did barbara take this - "Cleaining fluids are less expensive than your time" (74)
This showed her that they believe she ranks higher than windex.
53
What video disturbs her the most?
the vacuuming video
54
What is the difference between Barbara's method of cleaning bathrooms and kitchens vs the maid's?
she used a lot of water to get rid of bacteria while the maids are only interested in the top layer of scum.
55
What is the work like on her first job?
they work very quickly, and move from task to task.
56
What is the other new girl like?
she is fresh out of high school who has no money to her name. She struggles to complete the work day.
57
What is the money situation like between the maids?
they all virtually have no money to spend
58
What does she learn about liza (the leader of her first team)?
she is a very good worker and is sort of a supervisor
59
What size of house is the house she works on with Rosalie and Maddy?
it is huge
60
What is Mrs. W like?
she is very mean and expects the cleaning service to do everything
61
What job is Barbara given in the big house? does she like it?
she is given dusting and yes because she gets to follow the system.
62
What does Barbara not like about this sweat?
it does not get replenished.
63
What does this quote show? "But in normal life fluids are immediately replaced. here, however, I sweat without replacement or pause, not in individual drops but in sheets of fluid soaking through the polo shirt."
It shows that she is not a stranger to hard work, and yet this is crazy to her
64
What is the maid service compromising cleanliness for?
image
65
WHat does Mrs. W do while Barbara is scrubbing the floors?
she watches her intently
66
What makes Barbara happy when she gets home after her first week at the maid's?
she is happy that she has water that is all hers and she has worked hard for it.
67
What sound reminds her of the city life?
a band playing
68
Who is blamed when a house owner forgets to leave a key?
the maids
69
What does Ted, the owner, say about Barbara's illness on her skin?
he brushes it off saying it was probably latex.
70
What do the maids often fantasize about while on a job?
swimming in a pool
71
What type of bond does Barbara share with the other girls?
a common sense of injury
72
Analyse. "Would they be bothered if they did know, or would they take a sadistic pride in what they have purchased - boasting to dinner guests, for example, that their floors are cleaned only with the purest of fresh human tears?" Page 89
This quote shows that sometimes people do not understand the pain involved in their jobs.
73
What does Barbara think in response to someone's marble shower "bleeding".
She says that the real blood is in the poeple that make everything.
74
Why did she never hire cleaning people?
because she was raised with the idea that a self-cleaned house is a prize
75
What do the maids have to worry about with the owners while cleaning?
they have to worry about being under surveillance.
76
What is one thing that Barbara does not like about the books people own?
they are held just for show
77
Whose team is Barbara constantly being assigned to?
Holly's
78
What is Holly's life like?
she is paid veryt little and must provide for 3 people.
79
What is wrong with Holly?
she is pregnant
80
Analyse. "For the first time in my life as a maid I have a purpose more compelling than trying to meet the aesthetic standards of the New England..." (Page 97)
She finally sees more purpose in her life besides conforming to society.
81
What happens while Barbara is cleaning "Martha Stewarts house"?
she drops a decorative pot and breaks a fishbowl.
82
how does ted react compared to Holly?
ted doesnt care and holly is terrified.
83
Analyse. "Maybe, it occurs to me, I'm getting a tiny glimpse of what it would be like to be black." (Page 100)
she is showing that she is feeling marginalized and separated from society.
84
What is the problem with money?
Barbara's first check from the maid's is withheld because they do not want her to spend it all and not come back, the rent is 200$ not 120$, and she had to buy alot of supplies.
85
How hard is it to find help for her situation?
extremely painstaking and hard
86
What are the options for her food stamps?
very limited
87
What is her experience like when she works alone in the alzheimers ward?
she is extremely frazzled and has to work extremely hard.
88
What do some of the maids do to have fun?
they take joyrides and blast obscene music and swear words
89
What happens to Holly on a job?
she trips and falls and she says she hears something snap.
90
How does she take a stand?
she stands up to Ted and tells him that there should be no such thing as working through it
91
How does Barbara feel when they are on their way back after she fights with Ted?
defeated
92
What will make all of her coworkers hate her?
her outburst against Holly in the car.

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