Nickel and Dimed Final Essay Teague, 2013 You are writing a final essay synthesizing your ideas about the topics in Nickel and Dimed: On not Getting by in America. Choose one of the following prompts and write a multi-paragraph essay explaining, informing, and describing your ideas. You must meet standard on all aspects of the expository essay rubric (see additional handout). You must use the writing process and submit all steps when you turn your essay in on Jan 31. Option 1: How have your ideas about poverty, privilege or power changed, transformed or been reinforced since reading Nickel and Dimed? Write a multi-paragraph essay comparing and contrasting your ideas before and after you read the book. Option 2: Both Nickel and Dimed and Morgan Spurlock’s 30 Days discuss ideas about poverty and the working poor in America. How are their ideas similar and different? Write a multi-paragraph essay comparing and contrasting these ideas. Option 3: Ehrenreich is white and middle class. She claims that her experience would have been radically different had she been a person of color or a single parent. Write a multi-paragraph essay explaining how you think discrimination shaped Ehrenreich's story. Honors/Advanced Prompts Option 4: How do booming national and international chains -- restaurants, hotels, retail outlets, cleaning services, and elder-care facilities -- affect the treatment and aspirations of low-wage workers? Consider how market competition and the push for profits drive the nickel-and-diming of America's lowest-paid. Write a multi-paragraph essay explaining these ideas. Option 5: Housing costs pose the greatest obstacle for low-wage workers. How does our society seem to resist rectifying this situation? How does our society seem work towards rectifying this situation? Write a multi-paragraph essay comparing and contrasting these ideas. Timeline: Friday, January 25—Brainstorm due; outline/draft in class Tuesday, January 29---Peer edit; revisions in class Thursday, January 31---All parts of essay due; final must be typed (turn in your selfreflection letter also!) Notes on Comparison and Contrast Comparison points out the way two or more people, places, or things are alike. Contrast points out how they are different. As a writer, you have two main options for organizing a comparison or contrast essays: the subject-by-subject pattern or the point-by-point pattern. Subject by Subject Pattern (usually for shorter essays) I. II. III. IV. Introduction Atlanta a. Climate b. Public transportation c. Tourist attractions d. Accommodations Seattle a. Climate b. Public transportation c. Tourist attractions d. Accommodations Conclusion Point by Point Pattern (usually for longer essays or research papers) I. II. III. IV. V. VI. Introduction Climate a. Atlanta b. Seattle Public transportation a. Atlanta b. Seattle Tourist Attractions a. Atlanta b. Seattle Accommodations a. Atlanta b. Seattle Conclusion