Dumpster Diving Summary

892 Words4 Pages
Griffin 1 Griffin Sabrina Mrs. Joni Jameson AP Language Arts 1st period 18 September 2013 Class Wealthy class Americans tend to overlook the lower class. Barbara Ehrenreich in her book, Evaluation, addresses the observation of how the lower class are invisible to their economic superiors. The rich are seen by the poor quite easily, but it is very difficult for the rich to see who makes up the lower class. The poor tend to be able to disguise themselves so they blend in with the middle class. They tend to do this by talking like others, buy knock off brand versions of what the rich buy, and go to places where the rich go. People often overlook the lesser things of life because a small part of the human mind doesn’t want to see the bad things that hide in the dark to live a happy, blissful, ignorant life. Poverty-stricken Americans do not hide away; they can be seen but because of consignment stores and places like Walmart, they don’t overly stand out and can be ignored easily enough. In the story, “Dumpster Diving,” Lars Eighner tends to be ignored by others as he scavenges through dumpsters searching…show more content…
There are certain characteristics the impoverished possess that the opulent do not. To commence with, the poor tend to be more realistic because they realize the very fabric of reality can easily be ripped out from under them and they can be left on the street penniless. Therefore, the poor tend to try to live day by day working long hard hours for minimal pay. Barbara Ehrenreich deals with living as one of a lower status as she conducts her experiment on the lower class in, “Serving in Florida.” She looked, acted, and lived like a waitress when in reality Ehrenreich was well educated and had a very well-paying job and lifestyle. Ehrenreich, during her experiment, worked an average of fifty hours a week for less than minimum wage. This is typical payment in lower
Open Document