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Amodernpersonstrivesforwealth
Amodernpersonstrivesforwealth
Amodernpersonstrivesforwealth
Danielle Burke
Mrs. Pastore
English 11 Honors
27 February 2017
Throughout the centuries, people in this world have strived for different things. Whether
it be love or safety, the desire for these things have changed. For example, in the modern world,
modern people strive for wealth. Although some may say that modern people do not care solely
about wealth, one could argue that everyone wants to be wealthy because everyones goal in life
is to be successful for themselves or for their family. Furthermore, people do not want to be seen
as lesser than others. Therefore, people want expensive houses and cars to make others jealous of
them and because they want others to aspire to be like them. Also, being wealthy is another way
for people to get others to like them and want to be with them. This is supported by the fact that
Gatsby wants to be wealthy for Daisy in the novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. In
the novel, Gatsby is in love with Daisy and wants her to love him back really badly. In order to
achieve her love, Gatsby works hard and becomes really wealthy because that was the only way
Daisy would like him back. However, Daisy does not truly love him back and only really cares
for his money. Therefore, Gatsbys want to be wealthy for Daisy shows how most people are
money-hungry and so modern people in the modern world strive for wealth.
In addition, Winter Dreams, by F. Scott Fitzgerald also includes examples of how modern
people strive for wealth. For example, Judy Jones, one of the main characters, has obsession with
money and wealth. While talking to Dexter, she tells him, But Ive just had a terrible afternoon.
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There was a man I cared about, and this afternoon he told me out of a clear sky that he was poor
as a church-mouse. (Winter Dreams lines 362-364). Judy does not care about love or the man,
she only cares about money and when she found out she was poor, she says she has had a
terrible afternoon. Also, as the conversation between Judy and Dexter goes on, she
immediately asks Dexter, Are you poor? (Winter Dreams 423 line 378). After responding that
he was not and that he was actually one of the richest men of his age in the Northwest, she
becomes very excited. This proves that modern people strive for wealth. Judy Jones only cared
about money and was so interested in others wealth so she can use them for that. In this case,
Judy strived for wealth so she could have nice things. Overall, modern people in the modern
Another example of a work that shows how modern people strive for wealth is, The Ends
of the World as We Know Them, by Jared Diamond. In Diamonds argument, he writes, Its a
thought that often occurs to me here in Los Angeles, when I drive by gated communities,
guarded by private security patrols, and filled with people who drink bottled water, depend on
private pensions, and send their children to private schools. By doing these things, they lose the
motivation to support the police force, the municipal water supply, Social Security and public
schools. (Diamond 592 lines 176-180). What Diamond is saying is that people care solely about
money. Modern people want to have money so they can afford things such as bottled water and
private schools and do not care about municipal water supply or public schools. This is affecting
the poorer people in the world because while these people have private pensions and gated
communities, some people are living on the streets with no food or water at all. Therefore,
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modern people strive for wealth because they want expensive things so they can live their life in
luxury.
Lastly, the poem, The Death of the Hired Man, by Robert Frost, proves how modern
people in the modern world strive for wealth. In this poem, a man named Silas works for another
man named Warren. As Warren is talking to his wife, Mary, about Silas, he says, When he
begins like that, theres someone at him / Trying to coax him off with pocket-money, - / In
haying time, when any help is scarce. / In winter he comes back to us. Im done. (Frost 448
lines 27-30). This shows that Silas does not really care about his job or working, he only cares
about the money he gets. This proves that most people do not work because they enjoy it, they
work because they want money. Some may say hard work is important in the modern world,
however, wealth is more important because all people want is money and people can cheat
themselves into becoming wealthy without even putting in any work at all. Just as Silas would do
anything to get money and puts in little work and leaves to other places when work is hard for
him. Overall, modern people strive solely for wealth and do not care about hard work.
To conclude, a modern person in modern society strives for wealth. People may say that
love, hard work, and safety are important, but the texts, The Great Gatsby, Winter Dreams, The
Ends of the World as We Know Them, and The Death of the Hired Man, prove how wealth
overules them all. People in the modern world want to be wealthy so they can afford expensive
things and support themselves and their family. People around the world aspire to be celebrities
and envy those who are wealthy because they want to be wealthy themselves. Modern people are
very materialistic and want nice cars and houses to make others jealous and to prove to
themselves that they are above others. For example, I strive for wealth because my goal in life is
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to find a well-paying job and be successful so I can provide for my family. I work hard in school
just so I can be successful and hopefully wealthy in the future. Overall, modern people solely
strive for wealth and wealth is the most important thing in the modern world.
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Works Cited
Diamond, Jared. The Ends of the World as We Know Them. Collections. Orlando: Houghton
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 2004. Print.
Frost, Robert. The Death of the Hired Man. Collections. Orlando: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt,
Frost, Robert. Winter Dreams. Collections. Orlando: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015.
413-33. Print.