American Society Money Is Everything - 960 Words

In modern American society, money is everything. In the United States, the most powerful people are often the wealthiest. This is shown every four years when a presidential election occurs. In the last three presidential elections, the candidate who spent the most money campaigning won the election (CNN.com) (Federal Election Commission) (New York Times). Money equals power in every aspect of a United States’ citizen’s life. This idea is first shown in the writings of Benjamin Franklin. In 1758, Franklin published â€Å"The Way to Wealth,† and through the character of Father Abraham, he presents industry, frugality, and prudence as the ways to wealth. In modern American society, industry, frugality, and prudence are still the ways to wealth. Benjamin Franklin says in â€Å"The Way to Wealth,† â€Å"If we are industrious, we shall never starve; for, At the working man s house hunger looks in, but dares not enter.† This principle is still present in the United States today. Those who are diligent and hard-working rarely struggle to provide themselves with the bare necessities. The industrious people who lived during Benjamin Franklin’s time were a different type of industrious than modern Americans, but both groups are industrious, nonetheless. Citizens during the 1750s were more agricultural, than technological. Advancements in technology have allowed modern Americans to become even more industrious than the Americans who came before. Americans can now produce many things such asShow MoreRelatedThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1672 Words   |  7 PagesFitzgerald. Corruption is shown through the characters as they pursue their version of the American Dream. However, the pursuit of the American Dream does not entail happiness, for the needs of the corrupt can never be fulfilled. When one first meets Gatsby, one may think that he is a respectable and wealthy man. However, he does not have everything that he wants. Gatsby has what one would call the American Dream, the opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determinationRead More Materialism and Greed Essay657 Words   |  3 Pagesperception that money will solve all of their problems and as a result bring them their utmost joy and happiness. Many psychologists, philosophers, and religious figures throughout the ages have refuted this assertion. People in American society take money very seriously because it can either make or break your life choices. In order to fit in today’s society Americans feel the need to obtain material assets so that they are looked upon as being â€Å"in style† or being economically sufficient. Money and greedRead MoreTortilla Curtain: the Myth of the American Dream1253 Words   |  6 Pagesthe American Dream. Immigrants believe that upon entry into the States, they will obtain prosperity through hard work and determination. The expression was first used in the beginning of the twentieth century when America was in an economic peak. Millions of immigrants from around the world came to America during this time to have their part in the classic rags to riches story. While this prosperity is achieved by some, for the vast majority of immigrants who come to this country, the American DreamRead MoreCauses Of The Great Depression1319 Words   |  6 Pagesand political change† says the History.com Staff (para. 1, 2010). And according to the History.com Staff, it led the majority of Americans to move from farms to cities, and cooperate to the economy of the nation to increase radically. Additionally, this age is also when the society started consuming more than previous years, and it also led them to spend time and money in bars, cars, and goods. 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Youths are wearing American brand clothing, and traveling to America to tour their commercialism empire. Why are they doing this? Simple, Americanization. Americanization is happening all around us, not just to our children who are emptying into the streets speaking with their best James Dean. American thought has crept into our very lives with everything we do; our day to dayRead MoreColors Of Deceit In The Great Gatsby Essay1063 Words   |  5 PagesGreat Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, sends the message to Americans that outward appearances can be deceptive. Fitzgerald saw that America had no identity and blamed it on Americans because of everyone’s constant effort to be seen as something that they are not. He uses the characters and their past as a way to expose Americas misleading appearances and colors to emphasize the specific things that are being covered in American society. Fitzgerald uses the colors white, gold, yellow, blue, and greenRead MoreAmerican Dreams : The American Dream1187 Words   |  5 PagesThe American dream is what makes people from all around the world to want to move to America. The American drea m is what makes America wonderful. The American dream has been categorized as an equal opportunity to attain success through hard work. The end result of the American dream for the universal people is for that character and their loved ones to be living contentedly for the rest of their lives. However, this is not the same apparition that every individual has of the American dream. The American