Juvenal And Greed

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Juvenal’s Satire and Excess and Greed Juvenal uses the satire genre to broadly critique the Roman culture and other forms of writing. The common thread which ties these objects of Juvenal’s criticism together is that they are displays of Roman overabundance and greed. Juvenal first criticises other forms of popular poetry for their lengthiness. He says, “It’s false mercy, when you trip over poets everywhere, to spare the paper they’re all ready to waste,” (Juvenal, 17-18). Juvenal is comparing the wastefulness and excessiveness of these poets to the excessiveness and greed which is present in Rome at this time. He later asks, “Who’s made himself distinguished and rich with the aid of a brief roll of paper…?” (Juvenal, 67-68), thus saying

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