Americans were planted with the seed of greed when they flourished from this land and are continually pursuing that need. People live daily lives attempting to come out on top. Whether that’s cutting people off to get ahead in traffic or stealing from the poor, Americans engage in some form of greed in their life. People have the thought in their head that they can always do better than their present. People always want more and society is always pressuring them into
In the 18th century if you were of the age of 20 and not yet married, it was likely for you to be called an old maiden and harder for you to marry. Most women of this era tried ridiculously hard to be married before the age of twenty, most of the time they tried to marry a man of good wealth. Most of the marriages during this time were for looks or what society wanted, not necessarily what the people wanted. In Charles Dickens’ “Our Mutual Friend”, Mr. Headstone is genuinely in love with a girl named Lizzie. He isn’t being pressured by anyone or feels like he has to marry this woman.
As one reads the poem “Bedecked”, by Victoria Redel, a red flag is raised about the different approaches to parenting in a situation where a parents son is seemingly more flamboyant then society deems socially acceptable. Redel depicts two different types of mothers. A mother that is more open to her sons desire to be more feminine and a mother who will not accept nor allow such behavior in a son. This is troubling and provokes the reader to think about which mother they would be, and how they truly stand on this political issue. Is a caring mother one that gives into her sons affinity towards female accessories and the like?
She is an outstanding citizen in this society. I think she would be a terrific parent, and I resent those who think she is a “bad” person just because she is a lesbian. Many children born into traditional marriages would be far better off being raised by someone like her than by a heterosexual couple in a dysfunctional marriage, but that’s just my opinion. I can understand that many people prefer that gay unions be called something else besides “marriage”, but I don’t have a preference on that matter. Sometimes I wonder what all the hate against gay marriage is all about.
The third point is that a closer look at the expenses reveals that professional athletes don’t get to keep all the money they make. Now some will argue that they definitely do get paid more money than they deserve. Right now America is in an 11 trillion dollar debt situation according to http://www.brillig.com. When the salary cap for the upcoming NFL season is $102.5 million per team, and we currently have 32 teams, we are paying $3.28 billion to teams to spend half on players and equipment and the other half on their $50 million dollar houses and their $4 million dollar cars. They would argue that anyone could easily live a year with $150,000 so when we could spend $50 million less on the NFL, then we could easily save $1 billion a year.
Rachel Roush 8-31-11 Advanced English Period 4 Morality Paper People are selfish. It is in their nature to do what is best for them so they can survive. Some people possess more of this quality and use it outside of basic needs. For instance: Bernie Madoff. He stole millions of dollars out of people’s life savings by falsely investing the money they gave him.
AP English Open-ended Prompt: 1987 Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen seems to challenge the traditional order of society in her time and age, where women marry not out of love but rather for wealth and an establishment of a stable household. She presents this progressive stance through the contrasting relationships of couples who had a love marriage such as, Darcy and Elizabeth as well as Jane and Bingley, as opposed to couples who did not - Mr. and Mrs. Bennett as well as Lydia and Wickham. From the very beginning of the novel, it is clear to the readers that Mr. and Mrs. Bennett do not have a very loving nor compatible relationship, despite the frequency to which she addresses him as ‘my dear’. In fact, it is evident that even
‘Old money’ refers to the people who came from a lineage of wealth, and ‘new money’ points those who were self-made. Unfortunately, no amount of wealth, be it new money or old money, can produce true happiness. For instance, a life without love often leads to a life of depression. Daisy Buchanan proves this point in her dilemma of having to choose between her lifeless marriage to Tom Buchannan and the spark of love in her relationship with Jay Gatsby. Daisy chooses the comfort of money over the fulfillment of love.
The obsession with social hierarchy drives people to be selfish and greedy- never happy with what they have. At the same time, there are many people like Gatsby today who feel they have to cheat their way to the top to be happy, like so many corporate giants who have schemed for years and stole billions of dollars from innocent, but maybe slightly naïve taxpayers. Both kinds of people have lost the sense of the American dream. Originally people just wanted a perfect but humble life: a loving, close-knit family, a steady paying job, and ultimately pure happiness. But once people see that it is possible to have much more than that, they begin to get covetous and only want more.
I really related to the character of Samantha who is afraid of being attached to someone because she’s seen how love can destroy a person which she has seen first hand from her parents rough separation. She has learnt to become a realist,‘avoid love at all costs’ is her motto. I believe this is very wise as no body is faithful these days, people treat marriage more like a hobby in this day and age instead of a full on commitment. The divorce rate in New Zealand has fluctuated since the 1900’s, we are at the highest percentage that divorce has ever been. I feel as though people these days have forgotten the real meaning of love, or just don't understand what a real commitment is.