William Hazlitt's On The Want Of Money

Where do you fall in the American economic class system? Is it determined by the education you attain, how much you make, or/and the occupation you have? In the article ‘Show Me The Money' by Walter Mosley, he discusses many points about where all this money is being attained and mainly around the middle class that is ambiguous out of the other economic classes. Walter Mosley focuses his attention on how "most Americans are working-class wage-slaves…" (5), and yes, we can see the description of "working- class wage-slaves…" (5) can be applied to most of everybody I know and "wage slave" is the working-class of people, according to Walter Mosley.

Wealth gives not as fortunate people the allusion that the wealthy are happy because they are able to do whatever they want to. It imprisons a person because people do have that mindset and don’t always think that they can use their money for good.

Earning money in modern economic is a expression of proficiency and virtue it helps deal with his ethics. His argument is that “more and more money” is not happiness and ultimately it is “absolutely irrational.” Olaudah Equianos and Benjamin Franklin both use their arguments to express their point, however Olaudah uses facts and Benjamin uses his intellect.

How often do you wake up worrying about money? How often do your loved ones worry about money? How often have you heard, “if only I had the money?” How often do you feel that more money would solve all your problems and would make you happy? What if I told you that you were right, to an extent. Author’s across the discussion of happiness have tried to answer the simply stated, yet complicatedly answered question, “Can Money Buy Happiness?” Authors Ed Diener and Robert Biswas-Diner attempt to answer the question in their piece of the same name, by explaining that “Yes, money buys happiness…but it must be considered in the bigger picture of what makes people genuinely rich” (Biswas-Diener 160-161). This idea that fiscal wealth is a path to happiness

Money— sweeter than honey but oh so destructive. It facilitates a man’s life, while a lack of it imprisons him in the streets of penury. It raises his social status, while an absence of it leaves him unnoticed. It gives him an aura of superiority and importance among others, while a deficiency of it makes him worthless in society’s eyes. Considering these two roads, most do not take more than a second to decide to chase riches.

America is known both conventionally and historically as 'the land of the free'... but is that really the case? In his article titled Freedom and Money, G. A. Cohen addresses this question through the relationship between freedom and money, or more specifically the lack thereof: poverty. As Cohen shows, experts all along the political spectrum agree that the poor are entitled to far less opportunities than their wealthier counterparts. The controversy with the subject thus lies, instead, in the ambiguity of the term "freedom" and what it implies, as well as to what exactly it's beneficiaries are permitted. The political left believes that because the impoverished are financially unable to exercise many of their freedoms, their economic status

He discusses all that is wrong with the wealthy individuals and how they are spoiled. He makes his argument by revealing how wealth is disposed of, “There are but three modes in which surplus wealth can be disposed of. It can all be left to the families of the descendants; or it can be bequeathed for public purposes; or, finally, it can be administrated during their lives by its possessors” (3). The author is Andrew Carnegie and intended audience is the general public but more specifically are those of wealth and make them conscious of how surplus wealth is disposed of. This is a primary source and reveals that even though this was how the world was a decade ago, it is quite similar and not much has

The texts, “High incomes don’t bring you Happiness” and “You can buy Happiness, if it’s an Experience”, completes the idea that monetary value does not bring true joy. In the passage, “High incomes don’t bring you Happiness”, the author states that bringing in an over excessive amount of money will not make one happy. The author said that an overall income of around $75,000 will complete one’s emotional well being, while anything over that will complete a life evaluation. Life evaluation is the idea that if one was to look at themselves while they’re in their deathbed, how would they rate their lifestyle. This is also supported through different statements within the passage, “You can buy Happiness, if it’s an Experience”. Within this study, it was proven that people enjoyed money, but often spent it on materialistic items which leaves them with a temporary feeling of satisfaction, while when they are given a fully paid trip to the Bahamas, the feeling of peace and joy lasts far longer than when they were to purchase an item of materialistic value. This

“Money talks” is an expression many form as a simple analogy to the problem associated with wealth today. However, the value of money is not to be taken in vain as money does not always showcase the attributes of knowledge and power. At the same time, those who do possess money do, in some cases, possess the attributes commonly associated with the wealthier class. “Money and Class in America” wrote by Lewis Lapham in 1988, showcases the pessimistic feelings Lapham has towards the American faith in money. Lapham believes that Americans are at a loss to hold the majesty of money at bay. Though I agree with Lapham to a point, I also believe that the assumptions of Americans do apply to a point.

William Hazlitt, in his essay about money, expresses his ideas about wealth while utilizing parallel structure and polysyndetons to demonstrate how striving for wealth contributes to a lower quality of life and afterlife.

A majority of what people know about wealthy individuals comes from television, movies or novels and a lot of misconceptions about them are inaccurate. People forget that wealthy individuals have similar problems as themselves; this can include anxiety about their children, uncertainty over their relationships and fears of isolation. The universal saying that “money cannot buy happiness” rings true to the novels Water for Elephants, written by Sarah Gruen and The Great Gatsby, by Scott Fitzgerald. The characters from both books fail to find happiness from wealth. Through marxism both literary works show that being physically wealthy may not necessarily equate to happiness in a capitalist society dominated by the bourgeoisie. This idea is depicted through people valuing materialistic goods for their sign value, becoming victims to conspicuous consumption, and falling under a

In American society, wealth has played a particularly significant role in shaping the culture and standards set for our country. With every dilemma that has occurred, money was been an underlying deciding factor in the end. John.F.Kennedy makes this very clear in his statement on lowering the prices of steel, all the way Jennifer Price's take on people being obsessed with a money, even Scott Russell’s article on the status quo Americans believe determines one's happiness and success. All of these passages tie together to show just how money influences our very own society.

In “On the Want of Money”, a 19th century text, William Hazzlit presents a strong position on the role of currency in society and the ironic relationship between man and his status through use of rhetoric; such as but not limited to syntax, repetition, and imagery. In doing so, Hazzlit strengthens his argument and gives more weight to his claims that support the idea that in possession of money and lack thereof man is miserable in his ways. Ownership leaves man alienated from friends and family, to be commemorated by a lonely, seldom frequented monument of massive proportions. Austerity dictates lives, limiting those in pursuit of wealth to a constant, consuming search. In summation, the concept of money is hopeless

Throughout the modern era, society’s views on money’s effect on a person’s emotions have drastically changed. Many people believed that the more money a person has, the more satisfied he or she will be. However, due to recent conclusions made by writers and case studies, money has proven to not be responsible for a person’s contentment. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, Daisy and Gatsby’s wealth ultimately shows the reader that money does not equal happiness.

Money is a really important part of our daily lives in these days. William Hazlitt, a 19th century author, has a similar opinion, in the essay, ¨On the Want of Money,¨ Hazlitt uses many rhetorical strategies in order to develop his position that a person requires money in order to be happy. One of the main strategies he uses is syntax. Hazlitt extends his sentences using semicolons and other grammatical pieces, to alter the sentence structure in order to prolong the sentence. This strategy can easily be seen when he shows the reader all of the things they cannot do if they posses little money, for example, “it is not to be sent for to court, or asked out to dinner, or noticed in the street;” (Line 5).