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Money Equals Happiness (The Great Gatsby)
Money Equals Happiness (The Great Gatsby)
Throughout history many societies have had upper, middle, and lower classes. The classes formed separate communities of diverse living and never crossed social barriers. In the book, The Great Gatsby, instead of streets and communities separating each class there was a sound. On West Egg, the rich received their money not from inheritance but from what they accomplished by themselves. They worked hard for their money and received no financial support from their families. These people gained in one of two ways; either they worked for it or relied on illegal means for survival. On the other hand, or island, East Egg natives represent the class of society that receive money from their relatives. They were someone’s heir and rich from birth. It was also known that no one on East Egg would marry someone poor or with new money. Fitzgerald reveals that the life of the privileged class is filled with corruption, carelessness, and materialism through his use of characterization in the novel.
Daisy, the wife of Tom Buchanan, has no goals in life; no discipline, nor any morals. She can’t even think for herself because she has never had to before. She talks to Nick as if he is part of a group which is secluded from the lives of the East Eggers and in some aspect he is ” ‘All right,’ said Daisy. ‘What’ll we plan?’ She turned to me helplessly. ‘What do people plan?’,” (153). Daisy lacks competence. Daisy has nothing to do or care about each day. She has no idea of how to plan something because she hasn’t had to do anything that requires thinking since the day that she thought money would solve her problems. She can go through life without having to think about anything that would probably require an elementary education. In the scene where Daisy runs over Myrtle, she doesn’t care what has happened, she just cares about herself. “For Daisy was young and her artificial world was redolent of orchids and pleasant, cheerful snobbery and orchestras which set the rhythm of the year, summing up the sadness and suggestiveness of life in new tunes,” (158). This quote shows that Daisy is living in a dream world where she doesn’t have to obey any laws. Her snobby personality gets her in trouble. Killing Myrtle has no affect on her. She just keeps living her boring carefree life with no regard for other people.
The corruption in this novel can be seen through Daisy and Tom’s way of life. They believe they can run away from the problems they start and not be held responsible for them. Their money corrupts them into thinking that they are untouchable.
‘Don’t tell me, old sport.’ He winced. ‘Anyhow-Daisy stepped on it. I tried to make her stop but she couldn’t so I pulled the emergency brake. Then she fell over into my lap and I drove on’ (151).
Both Daisy and Tom are incapable of guilt and believe if they have a lot of money then they can get away from any situation. Tom’s behavior clearly reveals his lack of guilt when he fails to react to the death of his mistress. He regarded her as an object which really meant nothing to him. He showed her off and used her just like everyone else in his life. Tom’s carelessness and money powered mind makes himthink he can cheat on Daisy because he does not believe he has to answer to anyone for his behavior. ” ‘That fellow had it coming to him. He threw dust in your eyes just like he did in Daisy’s but he was a tough one. He ran over Myrtle like you’d run over a dog and never stopped his car,” (187). Tom had every intention in convincing everyone that Gatsby was the one who killed Mrytle with his car. He didn’t care what happened to Gatsby just as long as the blame wasn’t on Daisy. Then he makes up the idea of Gatsby telling lies to Nick and Daisy. Tom doesn’t care who he hurts as long as the outcome of it is beneficial for him. Tom and Daisy seek justification in only their values when it suits them. Tom and Daisy are products of the pervasive corruption of the 1920’s and demonstrate how the rich are corrupt and careless.
Also, Daisy and Tom are carelessly creating problems and leaving them to be resolved by someone else. They believe they can have a carefree life without anything ever happening to them. Daisy sits around all day doing nothing and believing that her material possessions make her happy and that is all she needs in the world. Her daughter was only something that she could show off to guests just like all of her other possessions that she had. She believes that what she owns is what makes her accepted. She shows off her daughter as if she was a possession that she bought.
‘I waited but she didn’t say any more, and after a moment I returned feebly to the subject of her [Daisy] daughter.’
‘I suppose she talks, and-eats, and everything.’
‘Oh, yes.’ She looked at me absently (21).
The only reason she even acknowledges that her daughter is there is when she feel she needs to show off her possessions, and her daughter is only a possession to her. If she tried to change and actually decided to be less materialistic then maybe she would change her whole outlook on life.
‘Her [Daisy] voice is full of money,’ he said suddenly. That was it. I’d never understood before. It was full of money-that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals’ song of it. . . . High in a white palace the king’s daughter, the golden girl. . . . (127).
Gatsby knows what makes Daisy different from the common people. The way she uses her voice shows that she lives a luxurious lifestyle and by proving it to people around her she has made her voice more elegant and almost proper. It is her way of showing people that she is rich when she cannot show off her possessions. She needs to let people know that she’s rich because money is the only thing that she cares about, and the only happiness she gets out of life.
The novel The Great Gatsby shows many different aspects of the upper class. From corruption to being uncaring many characters never change personalities and don’t even try to change. Daisy stayed the same careless, materialistic woman throughout the book and Tom stayed hypocritical and angry. Eventually both run away never accepting responsibility for the damage that they caused. They thought that because they have money they would never have any problems and if they did money would get them out. Money was everything to them and Daisy loved money more than she loved her own daughter. Tom thought that because he had money he could cheat on his wife and that love meant buying his wife a necklace which to his wife was love because it cost a lot of money. Both characters never realized what money couldn’t buy them. Between Daisy and Tom money can buy love. To them money equals happiness.
Money as The Root of All Societal Evils
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DateMoney as The Root of All Societal Evils
Money is both a blessing and a curse, making life simpler and better while at the same time, total dependence and the inability to control money may lead to confusion among the people. In the present world, people have become too dependent on money such that they have forgotten the social values that have held communities together for a long time, tearing them down to individuality and selfishness. Money has turned people into evil, never inputting in their minds the desire to do good to people. Money rules the world, taking control of all activities in human endeavors with the aim of controlling human beings, as it brainwashes people’s minds, leaving them mindless.
Money is the leading cause of political instability. One of the main ways that money causes political instability is through hyper-inflation that eventually leads to the fall of governments. Another way is that it is used to finance terrorism, waging war against nations, and spreading chaos around the globe. It is the nations that have financial control that is able to stop or wage war as they are able to purchase ammunitions of their like. The main aim of terrorism is to murder people in large numbers, and when terrorists invade a country, the government is shaken, and this means that there is a probability of the government going down. It is money that makes all these possible.
Money is the sole cause of exploitation that results in the unequal distribution of wealth and resources. The economic structure in the present day is designed in such a manner that there doesn’t exist any regulatory body that monitors the flow of money. Due to this, the society has become aggressive, moving towards the concept of survival for the fittest. Some people are too wealthy, while others are on the verge of poverty. It is money that is responsible for the societal stratification into classes based on the amount of wealth acquired. Individuals with little or no money are at the lowest class, which makes them seem inferior, yet human beings are equal. As a result, the wealthy take advantage of the poor, paying the poor to work for them and paying them peanuts, which translates to oppression.
People have become too dependent on money, and this has compelled individuals to do whatever they can to get more money. As a result, people have sold their souls to the devil in return for money and wealth. Many people from all walks of life that include politicians, musicians, athletes, and business people have sold their souls to the devil for different purposes, such as becoming famous, excelling in business, and winning political positions, all of which are central to the money.
Debts are another way that money has and have been for a long time considered evil. The wealthy class in society lends money to the needy in return for profits. Some of the lenders are too selfish and resolute to extortion. Due to this, they put higher margins on their interests so that they can get more money from what they have given out. If the debt is not paid on time, it may be followed by threats even to lives, and this explains how money has been used to control other people’s lives as someone can even murder without guilt just because of money.
Money has been used to perpetuate social evils in modern society, where moral values have been sacrificed at the expense of money. People have become so much money-minded to the extent that they can indulge in corrupt practices openly in order to satisfy their greed for money. Besides, money can buy freedom in the current generation where people with no money spend more time in jail while those who have money buy out their freedom regardless of the crime they have committed.
According to the bible, God is the owner of the soul and thus has the power to control it. However, money has reversed this as people have reverted to the love for money, which in turn has cost them their lives and souls. Most of the people have sold their souls to the devil and thus going against God’s will and purpose. As the bible says, the love for money is the root of all evil, people have loved money sitting in the middle of a lifestyle that compels them to forget eternity, living selfish lifestyles that prioritize the present and they are more focused on the physical comfort in this world, rather than focusing on the eternal destiny.
Most Americans know the 1st amendment as the amendments in the bill of rights with clauses such freedom of speech, religion,
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1st Amendment Law
Most Americans know the 1st amendment as the amendments in the bill of rights with clauses such freedom of speech, religion, and the press. The 1st amendments encourage one to believe and practice religious principles s/he wishes to do and his right to convey what s/he like. It protects lawyers’ right to publish any information he/she wishes, provide his/her service to anyone s/he wants and questions the government doings especially those that s/he do not like. Most clauses in the 1st amendment law are controversial, however, in many cases the uncertainty deals with how the amendment requires the Americans to go in a given direction.
The first is the establishment clause which forbids the government from creating state religion and from compelling citizens in what they should believe. However, the clause has some controversies. Some citizens consider that whenever there is state involvement, totally, all religious expression must be prohibited in order to fulfill the establishment clause (LII). For instance, a public school basketball team should be banned from praying at a basketball game because the institution is a government funded school. Others argue that the government should allow religious expression in public occasions and premises given the religious nature of Americans. Truly, in some people’s mind, prohibiting expressions of religious belief in this manner is an infringement of the free exercise clause that is part of the first amendment as it requests to control religious expression of Americans (Revolutionary War and Beyond).
The second clause is the free exercise that restricts the congress to regulate somebody’s religious observations. That is the congress cannot direct citizens on how they should practice their religious faith. However, controversy may arise whereby minority religious groups seek to exercise something that is not legal or that the government has a tough interest in regulating. For instance, such behaviors like ritual sacrifice, drug usage and polygamy are outlawed due to a public compelling interest. This signifies that this clause does not provide a free license to anyone to practice any behavior s/he claims is religious (LII).
The next is freedom of speech clause, which restricts the congress from reducing the freedom of speech. This allows Americans to express their concerns about state policies they do not like. It allows them to convey their religious faith. This clause is distorted especially where some citizens insult others they disagree with and using hateful languages. Freedom of speech goes beyond word people speak to expressions that are deployed in communicating ideas. Expressions such as wearing symbols, picketing and flag burning, are protected speech forms (Revolutionary War and Beyond).
Another significant principle is the freedom of the press clause and this clause is believed to have played a crucial role during the revolutionary war. It helped Americans strengthen their views against England and spread concept that justified a break with England. Historically, English had no press freedom at all. All publications were to be reviewed first by the state before publication. Government criticism were subjected to trials and charged with treason. Therefore, every American aspired to have the right to criticize their authority fearlessly as well as to debate other subjects whenever they wish (Revolutionary War and Beyond).
Lastly, is the freedom of assembly clause which goes “congress shall make no law… abridging … the right of the people peaceably to assemble…” this clause guards the rights of Americans to associate peacefully (LII). This right has proved to be significant, for instance, women minorities assembled and petitioned their argument to why women received no fair treatment as compared to their male counterpart (LII).
In conclusion, for Americans effectively enjoy their lives, then all the aforementioned clauses need to exist practically. However, the clauses are controversial forcing the government to protect some rights. This call for law specialists to assist interprets some contradicting clauses.
Work cited
Legal Information Institute (LII). “First Amendment: An Overview.” 2010. Web. 7 Dec. 2012. <http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/first_amendment>
Revolutionary War and Beyond. “The 1st Amendment”. 2012. Web. 7 Dec. 2012 <http://www.revolutionary-war-and-beyond.com/1st-amendment.html>