Summary Of Serving In Florida By Barbara Ehrenreich

Opportunity: Chances and Environment A wise man once said that no matter how hard he works and how far he thinks he can get, it will all depend on whom he or she surrounds himself with and the location it takes place. This wise man as a young boy came to the United States from Mexico to work in the 1950s. He worked day after day, weeks after week and made enough to support himself and save a few dollars for his parents, but everything changed when he met a girl who will change his life; a United States citizen that lived comfortably because her parents were farms owners. The long love story finally officially started when the girl 's parent accepted the wise man and as a result they got married. The wise man started to surround himself with …show more content…
Also, they measure their success on their actions and not on the environment. Barbara Ehrenreich essay, “Serving in Florida”. "I can do this two-job thing, is my theory, if I can drink enough caffeine and avoid getting distracted by George 's ever more obvious suffering”.(277) The author infers that with perseverance she can accomplish anything and open her chances to succeed. Moreover, she mentions that she needs to guard herself to not look at others who are stuck in an-ever-ending suffering. Meaning that actions speak louder than the environment. Another example that shows that people create their chances by being out there and looking for them is in the film “Trading Places”, this is noted quite well. Billy Ray Valentine was a homeless conman who looked for chances by being out on the streets and coning people. “Who is that?” says Mr. Valentine when two policemen are stopping him and letting him know that there are complains about a man pretending to be blind and ripple (Trading Places). In other words, Mr. Valentine was taking his chance by lying and looking for pity during the holidays. He thought that by coning people he was going to be successful because his actions go beyond what his environment …show more content…
First, chances are directly affected by one 's environment. But most importantly, environment has direct effects on a person success. The hardworking farm laborer who was at an end dead job only working to survive because he didn 't have any opportunities to improve, but when his environment changed, his life changed. This environment gave him opportunities to better himself, which led to a successful life. So, if chances are opportunities and these opportunities lead to a successful life based on the person 's environment then, what it only matters is his or hers environment to succeed. However, if everyone had the same environment would the same rule apply? Will the rich be getting richer and the poor keep getting