Everyday, we as people interact with waitresses, custodians, janitors, and more generally, the United States working class. Whether the context of our interactions revolve around school, transportation, etc., the working class is a major resource to the lives we live as citizens in the United States. From day-to-day, the working class drifts in and out of our reality, but sociologists like Barbara Ehrenreich and Sudhir Venkatesh takeBarbara Ehrenreich it upon themselves, to try and understand the lives of those whom are apart of the labor force.
In the case of Barbara Ehrenreich, her novel Nickel and Dimed is a compelling story that conveys her experiences while discovering what it is like to be a blue collar worker. Unlike most journalists …show more content…
Having a doctorate in cellular immunology, concentration in biology, and a high income, the decision to throw away the benefits of an upper-middle class lifestyle is a change that is not only quite dramatic, but immersive. For Barbara Ehrenreich, this decision was necessary in order to fully comprehend what it is like to be a working class citizen. “Without being faced with the same struggles as the working class she is studying, how is she suppose to give an accurate depiction of what it is like to apart of that community?” Because of this, Barbara Ehrenreich’s novel, Nickel and Dimed, can be viewed as more than just a novel about her opinion of the labor force 's daily life, rather a log that Barbara Ehrenreich uses as a therapeutic diary over the course of her transformation into a working class …show more content…
Walking into the heart of the Chicago with nothing but a clipboard full of surveys and a pony tail, Sudhir Venkatesh begins walking aimlessly through the streets of the the northern side of the city - hoping to find someone who is willing to fill out his sociological survey. Along the way, Sudhir Venkatesh managed to wander himself into one of the many housing project districts just outside the campus of UoC, to only be mugged and held hostage by a few gang members from the Black Kings. Here Sudhir Venkatesh eventually went on to meet JT, someone who was viewed as rising leader in the community that is centered around the Black Kings. Unknowingly, Sudhir Venkatesh’s decision to get his own personal data for a research project, transitioned into the opportunity to study and analyze the Black Kings from the perspective of JT.
Translating the similarities between Gang Leader for a Day and Nickel and Dimed, both of these books share similar themes and elements throughout each novel’s respective story. The most noticeable similarity between Gang Leader for a Day and Nickel and Dimed, is that both books are written from the perspective of someone who sought out an opportunity to study the working class from an up close
In the case of Barbara Ehrenreich, her novel Nickel and Dimed is a compelling story that conveys her experiences while discovering what it is like to be a blue collar worker. Unlike most journalists …show more content…
Having a doctorate in cellular immunology, concentration in biology, and a high income, the decision to throw away the benefits of an upper-middle class lifestyle is a change that is not only quite dramatic, but immersive. For Barbara Ehrenreich, this decision was necessary in order to fully comprehend what it is like to be a working class citizen. “Without being faced with the same struggles as the working class she is studying, how is she suppose to give an accurate depiction of what it is like to apart of that community?” Because of this, Barbara Ehrenreich’s novel, Nickel and Dimed, can be viewed as more than just a novel about her opinion of the labor force 's daily life, rather a log that Barbara Ehrenreich uses as a therapeutic diary over the course of her transformation into a working class …show more content…
Walking into the heart of the Chicago with nothing but a clipboard full of surveys and a pony tail, Sudhir Venkatesh begins walking aimlessly through the streets of the the northern side of the city - hoping to find someone who is willing to fill out his sociological survey. Along the way, Sudhir Venkatesh managed to wander himself into one of the many housing project districts just outside the campus of UoC, to only be mugged and held hostage by a few gang members from the Black Kings. Here Sudhir Venkatesh eventually went on to meet JT, someone who was viewed as rising leader in the community that is centered around the Black Kings. Unknowingly, Sudhir Venkatesh’s decision to get his own personal data for a research project, transitioned into the opportunity to study and analyze the Black Kings from the perspective of JT.
Translating the similarities between Gang Leader for a Day and Nickel and Dimed, both of these books share similar themes and elements throughout each novel’s respective story. The most noticeable similarity between Gang Leader for a Day and Nickel and Dimed, is that both books are written from the perspective of someone who sought out an opportunity to study the working class from an up close