Common Sense 1776 by Thomas Paine - Essay Example

QUESTIONS A. Answer In his pamphlet, Common Sense 1776, Thomas Paine described his arguments between what he calls society and government. Paine believes that in the society, people interact with others out of reciprocal need that fosters unity and harmony. After satisfying subsistence necessities people pursue their individual rights interests to satisfy self-esteem, and then relax in their duties as they connect with others. The vision of human nature that Paine had was that a society in its every state should be a blessing but the government even at its best state is evil. Paine believed that government birth all evil like loss of innocence lives. The course of society and commerce imply that, when subsistence needs are met and people can pursue their own interests, then their vision on trade increases. Paine believes that balancing the society and government existence is through election since it is impossible to gather and agree on issues as a society. 2. Answer According to the story, Henry cannot afford any investment since he is a pauper and has no experience in business matters. However, things took a different turn when he met and fell in love with Portia. Investment’s intelligence dawn on him because of his quest to retain his love and secure their future; this help him invest the million pounder bill wisely. Twain’s short story to keep one’s capital flowing could be compared to keeping aspiration and ambition alive till one achieve the objective. Henry as an individual could have not made the investment succeed if the quest to continue loving and staying with Portia was absent. Keeping one’s capital moving simply implies striving to secure what one really desire no matter the odds. The story conceives capital as sources of inspiration that enable one succeed if properly harnessed and used purposefully. The capital for Henry was his quest and worries about keeping his love though a million was there if this quest was absent then investment could have collapse or better still not started. 3. Answer According to Thorstein Veblen, “pecuniary emulation”   means the behavior in which people try to emulate other people who are socially well off. Pecuniary emulation is simply the state where one strives to equal or surpass the other in terms of wealth. He observes that as people increasingly acquire wealth, their social class and lifestyles changes. The hierarchy of needs progresses as one satisfies one level and the last one is to achieve luxury more than anybody else. As these aspects of their lives change, they are seen by others to live decently and comfortably. They act as role models as those who envy them try to emulate their behavior and lifestyles. As a result, they try to improve on their earnings and acquire things that closely resemble those of the high people in the society.  The best mode of display this is through luxurious lifestyle since basic provision and standard living is hard to measure. Veblen acknowledges that luxurious lifestyle is the best mode of surpassing those ahead and greatly enlarging the gap between those below. 4. B. Answer The repeated saying from “The Way to Wealth” that ’Tis easier to suppress the first Desire, than to satisfy all that follow it” means that it is easy to avoid the first desire to take a debt and either invest it or spend. Theoretically it is very easy to resist desire; however, practical life endeavors negate the theoretical assumptions. The old man keeps repeating the advice since he knows people take it lightly due to theoretical assumptions. However, after the first desire has overcome an individual and falls into the trap, it is impossible to from seeking debt. It all begins with the first debt and others follow, creating a chain of other debts that are insatiable. The repetition suggests the author’s desire to make this advice known to people by insisting on it. Repetition of the old man is a form of emphasis so that the advice is taken seriously and properly understood. 5. B. Answer The idea that each life touches one another is clearly depicted in the way that the building and loan system of banking works. Investment in banks and other financial institutions has rewards, since any person who invests in the bank gets returns from his investment in accordance to the investment capacity and agreement. As George tried to explain to his investors in the film, “... Your money's in Joe's house...that's right next to yours. And in the Kennedy House, and Mrs. Macklin's house, and, and a hundred others.”  The money invested helps those who can directly assist the community. In a kind of reward, what happens is that by lending the community members money to start their businesses or run their businesses, more enterprises and cash flow is created for the community that in turn returns to the bank in the form of loan payments, which are then distributed as equally as possible to the bank investors / savings account holders whose money was lent out. That in concept and effect is how the business model of a building and loan functions after all.   6. Answer The difference between Oscar and Lou notion of ownership differs from Alexandra’s notion due to the male chauvinism within the society. The brother’s believe that Alexandra should depend on Carl properties that he gets from his parents. They believe their land would be owned by their respective wives and descendants. The brothers believe that family properties belong to the men since they remain within ancestral location and guide the heritage while women shift location after marriage. Alexandra believes that her property belongs to her since she is the rightfully owner and that right cannot be denied. She compares properties to business investment where the owner cannot be deprived of the business whether she inherited it. Ownership is a right according to her and a right that cannot be deprived of her due to gender biasness. Cather supports Alexandra’s account due to transformation requirement within society and respect of the right to own properties. 7. Answer Memoir is the account of one’s memory of certain events or people. This is why John D. Rockefeller spends much time discussing his efforts at landscape gardening. The landscape is a source of aesthetic value and due to John’s attachment to beauty he could have not omitted landscape in is memoir. Further more, he has an association between his passion of landscaping and his account of accomplishment in business. Rockefeller was a very successful businessperson with much of his wealth used philanthropically. The beauty of business is the satisfaction the owner gets from the return this is why grain and oil business become part of Rockefeller’s memoir. Rockefeller life dwells in beauty and this make him live in a good house surrounded by beautiful landscaping. He loved spending time within his created scenery and was never conscious in spending when funding the beautification of his grounds within his personal state (Hamen 121). Business success depends on the location situated. Rockefeller analogies between his business and landscaping are due to a proper location selection he did that has facilitated trade and distribution while landscape provides a good survey position. The beauty of his business returns was used in making his landscaping grounds more beautiful than he would have done to his own house. Success in business made him achieve all these landscaping objectives. Work cited Hamen, Susan E. John D. Rockefeller: Entrepreneur & Philanthropist. Edina, Minn: ABDO Pub. Company, 2011. 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