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Greed in literature essay
How social norms affect human behaviour essay
How social norms affect human behaviour essay
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When we hear of The Maltese Falcon it’s easy to consider it only be used in an English class without ever contemplating the possibility of reading or using it in another. It sounds silly to think that a novel could be used in a different subject, but the possibilities are near endless. Psychology is the main class that comes to mind when thinking about in what other class the students would benefit from the novel. There’s a lot of deception and many ways on how it is used. Greed and deception, or reasons why someone is deceptive has to do with the way someone’s mind is and how they think. There are also many theories as to why a person might act the way they do and the students can try to figure out which theory best fits that certain character …show more content…
or what parts of the theory describe their actions. Often, there are many events that happened in a person’s past that caused their mind to completely change. This would be helpful for psychology students to learn more about why each character is the way they are. Psychology students could take a closer look at the characters and analyze them to determine what motivates them.
According to the Choice Theory, “Individuals are motivated by five genetic needs: survival or self- preservation, love and belonging, power or achievement, freedom or independence, and fun or enjoyment” (Gardner). The students can go down the list of characters and determine which genetic need motivates each and one of them. For example, Sam Spade is motivated by survival and self-preservation. He wants to get out of the crime case unharmed without his name being ruined. He wants to preserve his image as it is. When Spade tells the men about finding a fall guy, he says it himself how his name would be ruined if he doesn’t bring in the guy at fault. “The first time I can’t do it my name’s Mud. There hasn’t been a first time yet. This isn’t going to be it.” (Hammett …show more content…
176). Another theory they can look into is one that Echarte talks about, “according to Levine’s (2014) Truth-Default Theory, deception may include self-deception so long as the message has a deceptive purpose, even if it is unconscious.” For example this theory would fit Wilmer. He tries to deceive others as well as himself without realizing he is. He wants everyone to know that no matter his size he can be as strong and do as much damage as the others. He possesses this macho bravado to show everyone, that regardless of his physically qualities and sexuality, he is still a man. That’s the reason for why he always use insults, big talk, and pistols. “The boy spoke two words, the first a short guttural verb, the second ‘you’” (Hammett 94). Ellin stated something interesting, “Being duped contaminates your entire sense of self.
It throws you off-kilter, makes you question your perceptions.” This means that being deceived over and over again can really blur your mind and lead to question things you were really sure about in the beginning. This holds true to Spade. He had been deceived so many times by Brigid. The students can look into how that affected him throughout the novel. They can also infer and create their own ending as to what would happen to him and the trust issues he surely developed. Also this can be true about Brigid. Maybe she had been deceived in the past that’s why she doesn’t seem to trust anyone anymore and is always being deceptive. She could have learned this behavior growing up in a household where lying, stealing, and even murder were acceptable. It was the 1930s, she could have been from a mob family, could be why she’s so good at
it. They are endless possibilities as to what someone in psychology can learn from this book or see what and how many theories can be applied to the characters. There are different ways they can incorporate this book into many assignments for their benefit. Regardless of them being just characters in a book, the students can learn a lot by just studying and closely looking at the small details each character displays
Greed has influenced human behavior for thousands of years. It is perfectly natural to covet objects or to pine for a promotion. Almost everyone wishes they were wealthier or owned a nicer house. Society has learned to accept these forms of greed because they are a common thread throughout civilization. But, on occasion, greed can transform and twist people into inhumane monsters. In The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas depicts this transformation taking place in the character of Danglars. The story begins with young, highly-ambitious Danglars as a ship’s accountant. He complains to the ship’s owner about Dantes, the first-mate, in an attempt to advance himself. Danglars also writes a letter that accuses Dantes of being a
The Merchant's Prologue and Tale presents the darkest side of Chaucer's discussion on marriage. Playing off both the satire of the moral philosopher, the Clerk, and the marital stage set by the Wyf of Bathe, the Merchant comes forth with his angry disgust about his own marital fate. Disillusioned and depraved, the Merchant crafts a tale with a main character who parallels his own prevarication and blind reductionism while he simultaneously tries to validate his own wanton life by selling his belief to the other pilgrims. As both pervert reality through pecuniary evaluations on different levels, however, both are exposed to be blind fools, subject to the very forces that they exert on others. As this reversal happens and the Merchant satirizes Januarie blindness, Chaucer reveals the Merchant's blindness, giving him the very significance that he had spent his whole tale trying to deny.
Money is something that can either be used for the greater good of society, or it can be contorted into something that is detrimental to society, it all depends on whose hands that money happens to fall into. Human tendencies begin to change once people come to have money, the lavish and selfish lifestyle begins. Entitlement comes with having money because money gives people what they want which makes people think they are entitled to get everything they want. In The Great Gatsby Fitzgerald portrays that money is the root of all problems with can ultimately lead to loneliness and careless behavior.
In deduction, the book shows how putting up a façade can affect the rest of your paths in life. Whether it is fashioning a new person like Gatsby did or not acknowledging who you are like Nick does.
This hyperbole demonstrates to the audience how enraged Hamlet feels after being deceived by someone whom he once trusted, slowly fueling his desire for
Researchers have proven that people with a lot of paraphernalia are normally not as cheery than less privileged people. There are many statements with a theme in these two writings. The poor man and greasers have simple needs which helps them be more joyful. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton and the poem “Poverty and Wealth”, have similar themes. One of the themes in the poem and the Outsiders is, money can't buy happiness.
Sources exhibit examples of greed that result in impoverished conditions for all circumstances of life. Greed is evident through the actions of social groups, and at the individual level. Selfishness would not benefit the good in life if it is expected to gain and not be expected to lose. Gluttony is evident in today's social environment just as much as it was years ago, whether it be using someone for self purpose, exploitation, damaging relationships, creating wars and oppression, destroying nature, countless other evils and many live without the necessities that we take for granted.
The Modernist movement took place in a time of happiness, a time of sadness, a time of objects, a time of saving, a time of prosperity, a time of poverty and in a time of greed. Two novels, written by Steinbeck and Fitzgerald, portray this underlying greed and envy better than most novels of that period. These novels, The Great Gatsby and The Grapes of Wrath, show that despite the difference between the 1920s and the 1930s, greed remained a part of human life, whether superficially or necessarily, and that many people used their greed to damage themselves and others.
“Oh, it was a mistake.” People always say that and a large number of people don’t learn from their mistakes. Same mistakes keep happening even though the world keeps on saying I promise. People just let things happen because they are selfish and full of greed. There is a book called “Night”. This book shows the greed and selfishness which leads to a disaster that will hurt millions of people. The question is why is it important for young people today to read Night? The answer is we should learn the mistakes from the past and take it seriously and take actions not only by saying I will not do it again. We should succor the victim of oppression and tyranny by being on their side and do what is right. I believe repeating the past is the worst thing you can do.
The aspect of greed shows itself as the heart of the many immoral acts committed by fictional characters and real people. From Adam and Eve’s betrayal to Macbeth’s collapse portrays what greed can produce as a result: destruction. Whether it destroys one’s health, it inherently portrays as a force to the path of corruption. The Pardoner, from The Canterbury Tales, defines greed’s purpose. This includes how greed pulls them to degeneration. No matter how subtle the fall, it still brings to distasteful events for the characters from The Importance of Being Earnest. Although the characters differ, their obsessions with their immoral acts decline their personalities. Thus, the authors portray the characters’ greed, as a pernicious force that drives
The quote, “Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction.” by Enrich Fromm truly describes the effect greed can cause others. In the novel The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald and the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare various themes are shown throughout. One of the most important themes is greed for wealth and power. These works focus on the impact greed for wealth and power causes on the main character and how it affects their relationships with others. At first, these characters are so infatuated by what they want that they do not realize the harm they are causing. However, as these works continue each character reaches a moment of epiphany realizing how
William Shakespeare attained literary immortality through his exposition of the many qualities of human nature in his works. One such work, The Merchant of Venice, revolves around the very human trait of deception. Fakes and frauds have been persistent throughout history, even to this day. Evidence of deception is all around us, whether it is in the products we purchase or the sales clerks' false smile as one debates the purchase of the illusory merchandise. We are engulfed by phonies, pretenders, and cheaters. Although most often associated with a heart of malice, imposture varies in its motives as much as it's practitioners, demonstrated in The Merchant of Venice by the obdurate characters of Shylock and Portia.
The sin of greed encompasses the desire for more power and attention than necessary. Greed is not easily satisfied, as portrayed in the novel, The Lord of the Flies, and the television series, Pretty Little Liars and Gossip Girl. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, Jack, the novel’s antagonist, exemplifies greed. His appetite for power and complete control consumed him, making him the representation of savagery and inhumanity. Even after he became the leader, it was not enough for Jack. In the television series, Pretty Little Liars, Charlotte DiLaurentis, more commonly known as CeCe Drake, was overwhelmed by her greed as it stemmed from obsession. All CeCe wanted was to be loved
Committing deceptive deeds not only hurt others, but also the ones who deceive. The Merchant of Venice, by William Shakespeare, is a romantic-comedy play about a Christian merchant named Antonio who agrees to a bond that a Jewish moneylender named Shylock, his enemy, creates to help his best friend Bassanio see Portia, an heiress whom he is in love with. Shylock warns Antonio that if he forfeits the bond, by not repaying him three thousand ducats, he must allow him to remove a pound of his flesh. Throughout the play, deceptive behaviour causes the moral values of individuals to decline. First, this is seen through wealth as it pertains to the desire to have what is valuable. Second, moral values decline when people deceive the family members that they encounter. Finally, deceiving others through love leads to a decline of moral values. In the play, The Merchant of Venice, deception, as seen through wealth, family encounters, and love, causes the moral
Greed is a sin of excess that every single human being has at least a little bit of. When someone has the opportunity to get as much of something as they possibly can, they will go to great lengths to get everything out of it. In the story “The Monkey’s Paw,” by W. W. Jacobs, the White family experiences a big test of greed, and they even tamper with their fate to get it. Before the Whites even knew about the paw, they were living a normal, but decent, lifestyle that got them by day-to-day without any troubles. Once they received this one idol in their life that could grant any three wishes that they could possibly think of, their mind set was altered and their greediness to change their fate kicked into play. Jacobs uses themes of greed, the danger of tampering with fate, and horror to portray the terrible events that happen to the Whites.