In Edward Bellamy’s Looking Backward, our main character, Julian West, who hails from Boston, Massachusetts, is put into a hypnotic slumber due to his restlessness. Eventually West wakes up, but the city he finds himself in is one that he does not recognize. Prior to his sleep, West’s Boston was a city full of selfishness and greed, heavily focused on money. He slowly comes to realize that the Boston he finds himself in now is one of equality and selflessness. As a result, the city has reached its full potential, and so has the United States as a whole, instituting a new social order. Many factors went into establishing this new form of government, one of the main factors being a nationwide credit system. In doing so, Bellamy critiques today's society on the subject of the wealth gap, and how members of each class look at those below. A currency system is an integral aspect to implement into any nation, …show more content…
The driver was hungry, and permitted no lagging, though the pace was necessarily very slow” (Bellamy 2). Essentially, West is saying the class system was a ride through life. For some people, specifically the lower and middle class, their time is spent pulling the coach and constantly working. For others, it was a smooth and comfortable ride, these being the wealthy. This is comparable to the wealth gap problem we see in today’s society. Lower and middle class members are constantly working, whether it is one job or several. The members of these classes are engulfed in the effort of building their own wealth, with little time for other facets of life. They spend most of their time dedicated to the labor force, with little reward to show for it. On the other hand, you have the wealthy who spend little time working but nevertheless have a large fortune to live off
People have always wondered what the future will be like. Certainly Edward Bellamy did when he wrote the novel, Looking Backward (1888). Bellamy uses a man named Mr. West as the main character in this novel. He opens by telling who he is and what his social standing is. West is a young man, around the age of 30, and is fairly wealthy. At the beginning, he tells us about his fiancé, Edith, and the house he is having trouble building for her. The trouble comes from the fact that the workers keep going on strike due to financial reasons, which prolongs the completion of the house. The biggest hint to the end of the novel comes from when he tells the reader that he suffers from insomnia. West must be put to sleep through a trance in his bedroom, which is an entirely padded room in the basement of his home. When people sleep they often dream, which leads one to believe they can predict the ending of the novel.
Ehrenreich, Barbara. Nickel and dimed: on (not) getting by in America. New York: Metropolitan Books, 2001. Print.
Accurately established by many historians, the capitalists who shaped post-Civil War industrial America were regarded as corrupt “robber barons”. In a society in which there was a severe imbalance in the dynamics of the economy, these selfish individuals viewed this as an opportunity to advance in their financial status. Thus, they acquired fortunes for themselves while purposely overseeing the struggles of the people around them. Presented in Document A, “as liveried carriage appear; so do barefooted children”, proved to be a true description of life during the 19th century. In hopes of rebuilding America, the capitalists’ hunger for wealth only widened the gap between the rich and poor.
In the early twentieth century, scholars gain a deeper understanding of the ideology behind those who partook in the American Revolution. People’s motivations throughout the American Revolution are a result of their desire for a new society that is not based on the old world’s standards of monarchy, privilege, and social hierarchy. Likewise, people want a society in the new world to determine one’s status based on one’s abilities, efforts, and talents and to characterize equality. A meritocracy, not monarchy become prevalent in the new world’s society, and one’s family’s reputation, wealth, and titles are no longer important. Therefore, colonists rebuke the old world system, which was questioned throughout the American Revolution. Wood explains that “republic individuals were no longer destined to be what their fathers were” (Wood 99). His explanation shows that scholars treated the American Revolution as an extension of the development America’s meritocracy and as an innovation of America’s resulting society during the early twentieth
Every one is scavenging for the next big gadget- the future is a standard that society strives to have in their grasp. However, Joel Achenbach a former humor columnist solves the mystery of the future in his article, “The Future is Now: it’s heading right at us, but we never see it coming” .he presents a sense of urgency describing that the future is not something that society needs to wait for it happens behind closed doors. He argues that the future is a fast pace entity that occurs all around us. Achenbach proves this point by sticking to his humorous style, with the use of witty allusions to Sci-Fi films.
In the years following the Civil War, the American economy was suffering from extreme disorder. However, during the late 1800s and early 1900s, important leaders of American industry arose, essentially transforming the American financial system from chaos to efficiency. These powerful men shaped America into a world superpower and the country’s economy sparked jealous across the globe. Their contributions to business positively affected not only the United States’ economy, but society as well. Andrew Carnegie, John Davison Rockefeller, and John Pierpont Morgan reflect the mammoth industrial age of America. Although some may argue these industrialists were “robber barons,” these men were, in reality, “captains of industry” utilizing modern business practices and technology which provided both cheap products and job opportunities for the public, as well as becoming large-scale philanthropists and contributing much to American society.
A big disadvantage that the lower class has compared to the wealthy is a lack of quality education. While serving as a waitress, Ehrenriech learned about many different people. Some of these co-workers were immigrants who had recently come to this country. “I learn that he [George] is not paid by Jerry’s but the ‘agent’ who shipped him over--$5 an hour, with the agent getting the dollar or so difference between that and what Jerry’s pays dishwashers”(38). Their contracts lacked any benefits, and they were paid below minimum wage. People, like George, cannot read their contracts before they sign because they don’t understand the language. The critic would argue, “…They are baffled at the idea of fighting the class struggle of which…Ehrenriech appears to be the only person complaining about the situation…” In Georg...
Treasury Secretary Jack Lew’s proposal to introduce a woman onto American currency, although meant to make up for an injustice, does not come without a major flaw. Lew’s proposal to remove Alexander Hamilton from his prominent position on the ten dollar bill relegates an influential historical figure. Although it is important to recognize women’s contributions to America, it should not be done at the expense of Hamilton when an undeserving man such as Andrew Jackson is honored on the $20 bill. Due to the debate surrounding America’s currency, Thomas Jefferson’s worthiness of being on the nickel has also been questioned. Admittingly, all men and women have their weaknesses, but it is important to recognize when those weaknesses outweigh their strengths.
Ehrenreich, Barbara. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America. New York: Metropolitan, 2001. Print.
The author juxtaposes the rich and poor with those in between in order to convince the audience, the middle class, that they should follow in the footsteps of both those richer and poorer than them in order to cease their materialistic attitudes. Near the end of the essay, Eighner states, “I think this is an attitude I share with the very wealthy—we both know there is plenty more where what we have came from. Between us are the rat-race millions who have confounded their selves with the objects they grasp and who nightly scavenge the cable channels looking for they know not what.” The author is stating that the wealthy and the homeless are both aware that there are things more important in life than tangible objects. Everyone else, however, has not made this connection yet and still searches, meaninglessly, for something of value. The middle class is often known to aspire to...
Money and class was the context in which this work was written because in Horatio’s theory people were equal, started off equal, and have equal opportunity. I assumed that the author Horatio lived the American dream and didn’t see the reality of society and that’s another thing I feel like rich people tend to not notice is the reality of society.
...r Jurgis, as a sort of working mule; he, too, had felt the world's injustice, but instead of bearing it patiently, he had struck back, and struck hard. He was striking all the time there was war between him and society. He was a genial freebooter, living off the enemy, without fear or shame.” (Sinclair) When we meet characters like Freddie Jones who is so use to comfortable living and having money we understand the inequality that Sinclair and George speak of. “Looks like a lot, hey? said Master Freddie, fumbling with it. Fool you, though, ole chappie they're all little ones.” Freddie has so much money and yet he still thinks it's not enough. In conclusion Sinclair has showed us the struggle this family went through despite their hard work and dedication, and most of it was because of the corrupt government who allowed people and businesses to manipulate immigrants.
Richard Hofstadter's The Age of Reform In 1955, Richard Hofstadter wrote his Pulitzer Prize winning book The Age of Reform, about the Gilded Age. Hofstadter’s arguments about the Populist and Progressive movements and their origins started debate and renewed scholarship on the Populist and Progressive movements. Many historians did not agree with Hofstadter’s arguments and published their own papers stating their conclusions based on their own research.
Ehrenreich, Barbara (2001). Nickel and Dimed On (Not) Getting By in America. Published- New York, New York.
Utopia as a text is a clear reflection and representation of More’s passion for ideas and art. Through the character of Raphael, More projects and presents his ideas, concepts and beliefs of politics and society. More’s Utopia aims to create a statement on the operations and effectiveness of the society of England. This text is a general reflection of More’s idea of a perfectly balanced and harmonious society. His ideas and concepts of society somewhat contrast to the rest of 16th century England and indicate a mind that was far ahead of its time. A number of issues and themes are raised throughout the text to which More provides varying views and opinions. These are transmitted and projected through the perspectives of the fictional Raphael, More and Giles.