Ben’s wealth is part of his mythic quality. In both of the episodes that Willy remembers, Ben’s final word is “Rich” (miller 52, 87). The source of his wealth is vague, two completely stories are shared. First, there is the repeated tale of walking into the jungle at seventeen and walking out at twenty-one having made a fortune. But this is not an explanation, it is “an incantatory formula” (Jacobsen 251). Key to this formula is the reference to God. “And by God I was rich” (Miller, 50, 52). This places the responsibility for success in other than human hands, thereby rending any advice Willy might ask for as pointless. In contrast, there is a suggestion of a more common truth behind Ben’s success in the practical advice he gives Biff. “Never
He describes him as “the only man I ever met who knew the answers,” “a genius,” and a “success incarnate!” (1600)(1598).Again we see Ben as this rich, adventurous man, who Willy idolizes. Ben offered Willy a chance to go with him to Alaska but Willy chose not to. Throughout the play you can tell that Willy regrets not going with his brother. He asks himself “why didn’t I go to Alaska with my brother Ben that time...what a mistake! He begged me to go” (1598). When Ben comes to visit, or when he’s visiting in one of Willy’s illusions, Willy tells him “[y]our just what I need,” and he asks him “what is the answer?”(1604).
Ben is also a very peculiar character. The audience first encounters him with the full knowledge that he is dead. Ben is also the one figure that is able to move freely between the past and the present. Because Ben represents that which Willy seeks, Willy feels that he can achieve his goal the same way that Ben did and so he believes that "opportunism, cheating and cruelty are success incarnate" (Smith).
It is clear that the reasoning behind the color-blind parenting approach can be argued and in this case proven to be unrealistic expectations that do no match reality. But why does this matter? Is it really that big of a deal if white children learn about race from social media and believe that race does not affect them? Yes, because in our current day and age, race issues have not gone away, and do not seem to be going away anytime soon. The book “The Color of Wealth: The Story Behind the U.S. Racial Wealth Divide” is written entirely about how even after hundreds of year, America still has an astonishing racial wealth divide, this book even states “for every dollar owned by the average white family in the United States, the average family
If Willy was as liked and successful as he puts on to be, it is very likely the family would not have to stress that much about money. This false perception that Willy has of his life begins to affect his relationship with people in his family, especially his eldest son Biff. When Biff was younger he and Willy had a strong relationship. Willy was very proud of his son in regards to his athletics and believed that he would one day become very successful. Biff, as an adult, did not fully meet his father's expectations as he remained jobless for an extended period of time. Willy is very disappointed in Biff and resents him for not meeting his expectations, becoming one of the things, including Biff knowing about his father's affairs, that caused a large strain in their relationship. Willy knows deep down that he did not achieve the american dream and he is disappointed because he believes Biff is following in his footsteps and will not achieve it either.
Andrew Carnegie wrote The Gospel of Wealth in 1889 describing what he thought to be the responsibilities of the wealthy. Carnegie believed that it was important for the wealthy to set an example by living a modest life. He believed those with wealth should actively engage in using their money to benefit the greater good of the public in enduring ways instead of squandering it on personal indulgences. Rather than giving to charities he sought to “help those who will help themselves; to provide part of the means by which those who desire to improve may do so; to give those who desire to rise the aids by which they may rise; to assist, but rarely or never to do all”. In his essay, Carnegie cites three ways, or “modes”, in which the wealthy can distribute their wealth:
While in retrospect Ben's life seemed somewhat on the glamous side, being weathy by being in nature making nothing into something. Ben stated "when I was seventeen I walked into the jungle, and when I was twenty-one I walked out. And by God I was rich" (1474). Throughout the storyline Willy constantly gets sidetracked with conversing with Ben always having something to prove. Ben's American dream was more of financial success than material like Willy's. He made it known what Willy's could do to have riches, "There's a new continent at your doorstep, William you could walk out rich. Rich (1491)! Now with that statement makes you wonder what type of riches can you get from just walking outside. He yearns to follow the path of Ben, by going into the wildernesses of Africa and Alaska in search of diamonds, or making flutes and selling them on the frontier as his father did. It was as if Willy wanted Ben's approval for the path he chose and how he was raising his sons. Especially with one conversation he had with Ben, verifying he was a salesman stating "No. Ben. I don't want you to think..."(1475). Willy hung onto every word Ben said just to reassure him that he was doing the right thing by himself and his
Coming from humble beginnings as well, Carnegie and I share the same life experiences. He could have felt sympathy for those who were like him, but he didn’t really. Bitter as it may seem, life is unfair and we are all selfish. Carnegie was human and I do believe that if his views were not ethical, then at the very least they are logical. Nevertheless, I do understand his point of view on self-made rich: if I worked hard to be here, others shouldn’t have the easy way out. This man is right on the accumulations of wealth. I especially agree with his philanthropy and his stance on not giving directly to the poor. Many instances happen when you are waiting for the light to turn green at a traffic light and a homeless man will come up to you asking for money. You don’t know
After Ben told Willy that at seventeen he became rich by the time he walked out of the jungle, Willy exclaimed, "…was rich! That's just the spirit I want to imbue them with! To walk into a jungle!" (1786). Willy's excitement symbolized his longing to instill a desire for wealth into Biff and Happy.
A nation’s wealth is determined by its increase in long-term economic growth. It is an increase in the potential gross domestic product, GPD. The growth is displayed by an outward shift in a nation’s long-term aggregate supply curve (Riley, 2016). The United States as a developed nation, transformed by technology long-run economic growth is the advancement in innovations, quality natural resources and human capital. The long-term growth produce goods and services in output indicating the nation’s standard of living example employments, spending, saving, and investment. As we learned, from the week’s lesson notes, output increases the market aggregate demand and a company’s scale of production for specialization and division of labor with the
However, because Ben is merely a figment of Willy’s imagination, Ben is never able to offer any actual advice and Willy’s problems manifest themselves in his
Wealtheow is the second woman who appears in Grendel. She is as Helming princess who is given to Hrothgar as his child wife by Hygomod, a rival king as tribute to Hrothgar’s power and prestige. Both Grendel and the Danes are spellbound by Wealtheow’s beauty and Grendel describes her as, “a women in a robe of threaded silver, her smooth long hair was as red as fire and as soft as the ruddy sheen on dragon’s gold, her face was gently, mysteriously calm” (Gardner 100). The name Wealtheow means “holy servant of common good” (Gardner 100). As Hrothgar’s wife, Wealtheow is a servant to his people and his kingdom. Grendel is instantly drawn to Wealtheow not only because of her beauty but the way she is able to dispel conflict with Hrothgar’s people.
“The home base also enables the //Gana to store items of wealth and the means to obtain wealth, particularly skins and furs, which are collected in quantity and traded outside the Central Reserve (Cashdan, Elizabeth A., 1980, pg 2).” Acquiring wealth opposes the traditional !Kung lifestyle. Efforts are made in the !Kung and Nharo societies to distribute wealth and avoid hierarchy or stratification. The //Gana do acquire wealth with the ownership of donkeys, horses, cattle, drums, and goats. The number of any of these items accounts for personal wealth or band wealth. Those who do not own significant numbers of these items often tend to the livestock of others.
This developing liberal trend within the middle class produced conditions that allowed for the exploring of social thinkers such as John Locke, a philosopher of the 17th century, who theorised on politics and liberty and the individual. Then there was the Magna-Carta adding further to the liberal maelstrom of the political debate at this time. There was Adam Smith, who promoted a laissez-fare approach to economics, which was a further expression of liberal thinking. Smith’s book, ‘The wealth of a Nation’ heralded new thoughts about trade and the market. He suggested that the market should be left to regulate itself, reducing governmental control. This gave the enterprise class further opportunity to break with the old restricted practices of
Wealth has affected american society and evermore has affect the fabric of families. Has the distribution of wealth gotten so out of control that the effect will reverberate for generations to come and as a society can we do something about it.
Ben from “Death of a Salesman” the brother of Willy believes that the American Dream is the ability to start with nothing and somehow to achieve a great fortune “William when I waked into the jungle I was seventeen. When I walked out I was twenty one. And by God I was rich!” Throughout the play Willy is portrayed as envious of his brother. Willy’s wife is rather not pleased with his presence, she sees Ben as mischievous character that is up to no good. This can be seen when Ben comes over and is playing around with Biff, once Biff starts winning the sparring match Ben trips his and points his umbrella at Biff’s head. Ben believes that only certain people can achieve the “American Dream” and they need to be ruthless or mischievous to achieve it.