Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“The Elusive Privilege in Maid”

In this activity, students will embark on a “privilege walk” to visualize the impact of privilege on key figures in Maid.

When Stephanie Land finds herself and her daughter Mia in poverty, she is barely able to make ends meet. As such, she develops a keen eye for the impossibilities and cruel ironies of the traditional “American Dream”: No matter how hard a person works, once they are trapped in a cycle of poverty, it is nearly impossible to escape. Land comes to see how certain people are privileged, which gives them greater access to financial security and stability.

In this activity, peel back the layers of privilege for key figures in Maid in an exercise called a “privilege walk.”

• First, define terms. What is “privilege” and the related concept of “intersectionality”? As a class, review the University of Oxford’s “Intersectionality of Privilege” to gain a shared understanding of these terms. In pairs or a small group, spend time reviewing and discussing the graphic “Wheel of Privilege” in this article as well.
• Construct 4-6 privilege statements specific to the situations, figures, conflicts, and given circumstances in Maid. Examples might include “If you have earned a degree after high school, take a step forward.” “If you cannot afford to fix your car if it breaks down, take a step back.” Include both “forward” and “back” statements.
• Choose your key figure. Adopt the persona of any of the important figures for this exercise: Land, Mia, Jamie, Travis, Land’s mother, or one of the minor figures.
• Embark on the “privilege walk.” Once you’ve selected your key figure, stand in a line at the center of the space, with room to move both forward and backward at least 10 steps. As the instructor reads aloud a series of questions, consider your key figure’s various privileges and disadvantages. Answer as your key figure would answer; depending on the response, take a step forward or a step back. Taking a step forward indicates a gain in privilege; taking a step backward represents marginalization.

At the end of the exercise, which key figures appear to have the most privilege? Do you think this is a fair parallel to that figure’s position at the end of the memoir? If not, why? Which key figures did you expect to be most and least privileged? Did your expectations come to pass, or were you surprised regarding the levels of privilege among key figures?

After the exercise, discuss your reactions and thoughts in a journal entry response. Consider the ways in which this exercise does not capture some of the challenges that each of the key figures faces, as their contexts change (for example, key figures move from one part of the country to another).

Teaching Suggestion: This activity will give students a way of deepening their understanding of the layered nature of privilege and how that often correlates to The Linked Traumas of Poverty and Abuse. Many examples of this activity exist online for additional example statements, such as this one from the APA. Once students have adapted and tailored statements to Maid, the statements can be compiled and used in the exercise. Due to the sensitive nature of the activity, you may opt to focus on the construction of the statements and show the movement of the key figures on a display or projector instead of having readers adopt parts and perform the “walk.” You may also want to note how different key figures’ privilege status changes over time and place, with Land herself being the primary example of this.

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. As a low-wage worker and mother who must rely on government aid to survive, Land encounters numerous stereotypes and situations in which she feels stigmatized.

• In what way does stigma and stereotyping against government aid recipients most directly affect Land? (topic sentence)
• Discuss and analyze these prejudicial beliefs and suppositions utilizing 3 examples from the text in support of your topic sentence.
• In your conclusion, briefly summarize the connection between harmful stereotyping and one or more of the memoir’s themes.

2. As a domestic abuse survivor, Land is very sensitive to the particular struggles that women face when unhoused and impoverished, especially those without a support network.

• What message does Land convey regarding the relationship between poverty and abuse? (topic sentence)
• Identify 3 examples when Land’s poverty and abuse, either emotional or physical, correspond. What are the commonalities in these moments? Discuss and analyze the impact on Land and her daughter.
• In your conclusion, evaluate the effectiveness of Land’s development of the theme The Linked Traumas of Poverty and Abuse throughout the book.

3. Land’s identity as a mother is shaped by poverty throughout Maid.

• How does poverty affect Land’s experience of being a mother? (topic sentence)
• Discuss and analyze the ways in which Land’s feelings about motherhood evolve over the course of the book. What changes and growth does she experience? How do her feelings compare from the beginning of the memoir to the end?
• In your conclusion, briefly summarize how the idea of balance impacts Land’s thoughts on motherhood.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Consider the construction and connotation of the title of this memoir. What does the use of the single word maid convey? How do Land’s accounts in the text explore the tensions between expectations and reality? In a 3-5 paragraph essay, discuss and analyze the title and subtitle of this work, connecting it not only to The Psychological Costs of Poverty but also to The Search for Home.

2. Throughout Maid, Land reveals the multitude of ways poverty traumatizes low wage workers. She writes about her attempts to build a secure foundation beneath her feet and Mia’s while fearing collapse and backsliding. How do her feelings develop over the course of the book? How does the end of the memoir reflect what she comes to believe? In a brief essay, explore at least 3 different elements of Land’s living and working experiences that make her “hesitant to trust the surface” she works so hard to build.

3. Land includes notable secondary figures in her memoir and depicts her experiences with vivid descriptions. Additionally, the text utilizes a framing device to engage readers and pique interest in the story. In a 3-5 paragraph essay, discuss the literary devices and elements that are the most effective in the narrative. Include the ways in which writing itself serves as a meaningful symbol.

Multiple Choice and Long Answer Questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, exams, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. What two major life events does Land cite as contributing to her poverty?

A) A breakup and the birth of her child

B) A death in the family and a lost wallet

C) A marriage proposal and a car accident

D) A broken leg and failing out of high school

2. How many generations away from her impoverished roots is Land growing up?

A) Three

B) Two

C) One

D) Zero

3. How does Land first meet her boyfriend Travis?

A) At a bar

B) Through online dating

C) At a library

D) At the government assistance office

4. Which of the following best describes Land’s experience working for Jenny, the owner of a small cleaning company?

A) Jenny is demanding, but fair.

B) Jenny is poorly organized, and she ostracizes Land.

C) Jenny runs punishes her housekeepers for deviating from the rules.

D) Jenny is a good friend to Land, but a terrible employer.

5. When she begins working for Classic Clean, where does Land receive her initial training?

A) The shelter for unhoused people where Land once lived

B) The house Land refers to as “The Porn House”

C) The government aid office

D) The owners’ own homes

6. How does Land help to develop a stable and predictable day-to-day routine with Mia?

A) They say their prayers every morning.

B) They always have dinner together at 5:30 pm

C) They always play a game of tic-tac-toe right after daycare.

D) They have nightly bath and bedtime rituals.

7. Desperate for money, Land turns to crowdfunding. What two items does she receive from her friends in addition to funds?

A) A children’s trampoline and a stove

B) A hand-me-down bed and a set of dishes

C) A pressure cooker and a set of linens

D) A children’s winter coat and several canned food items

8. Why does Wendy always keep a vase of red roses in her home?

A) Her deceased husband insisted she always have them.

B) Red roses reminded her of her childhood in Shropshire.

C) The smell reminded her of her mother.

D) Red was her favorite color.

9. To which of Maid’s primary themes does the figure of Charlotte (Land’s stepmother) best connect?

A) The Psychological Costs of Poverty

B) Motherhood and Poverty

C) The Linked Traumas of Abuse and Poverty

D) The Search for Home

10. Land describes how she lives in constant fear that something goes wrong. Which of the following scenarios preoccupies her the most?

A) Her car will break down and she won’t be able to continue working.

B) Her health will deteriorate from the chemicals she inhales while cleaning.

C) Jenny will find her and seek revenge after leaving her company.

D) Jamie will be awarded sole custody of Mia if she’s unable to pay her bills.

11. An old family friend recommends a new daycare for Mia. Who runs this daycare?

A) Aunt Jolene

B) Uncle Robert

C) Grandma Judy

D) Cousin Jess

12. Which of the following best describes Jamie’s reaction after the car accident in Chapter 19?

A) Angry: He raises his voice at Land for being “stupid.”

B) Scared: He fears for Mia’s safety.

C) Neutral: He does not seem to care.

D) Grateful: He is thankful that both Land and Mia are safe.

13. Who are the owners of the home Land refers to as “The Loving House”?

A) Two middle-aged sisters

B) A mother and her infant daughter

C) A kind elderly couple

D) A mother and her 3 foster children

14. What element of Land’s paperwork causes a stressful trip to the childcare grant office due to a misunderstanding?

A) A worn copy of her last tax returns

B) The missing receipts for Mia’s daycare expenses

C) A copy of her lease with a missing page

D) Lonnie’s handwritten pay stubs

15. When Mia cries that she doesn’t want to move to Montana, what item does Land say she bought for Mia?

A) A set of pink cowboy boots

B) A baby doll named Cassie

C) A toy stallion

D) A pink hoop skirt

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. Identify the figure of Julie in Maid. How does she connect to the idea of government distrust?

2. At the end of the memoir, Land acknowledges certain privileges that allowed her to rise out of poverty. What are some examples of these privileges, and how did they help?