Answer to Question #172357 in History for Vi Nguyen

Question

1. Close Reading: What does the following quote mean? 

“By a decent livelihood is meant that amount of the necessities and comforts of life that is in keeping with the dignity of a human being. It has not precise relation to the conventional standard of living that might prevail within any social or industrial class, but describes rather that minimum of conditions which the average person of a given age or gender must enjoy in order to live as a human being should live….in a reasonable degree of comfort...he must have food, clothing, and shelter” 

2. Analysis: Do you agree that a minimum or a living wage should provide you with what Rev. John A. Ryan has listed above? 

Answer 1

1. Close reading is a method of literary analysis that focuses on the specific details of a passage of text in order to discern some deeper meaning present in it.
2. Yes, I completely agree. The idea of the minimum wage was set so that employers do not underpay workers making them not meeting their basic needs like paying rent, clothing and afford a decent meal.