2.6 Money

2.6 Money

2.6 Money

Title of the poem:

The title ‘Money’ shows the influence and importance of money in this world. Money has the ability to change the behaviour of individual persons. Everyone tries to earn a lot of money but surprisingly it is seen that after becoming rich most of the persons loose peace of mind. The poor in comparison to this situation can sleep peacefully and enjoy life neglecting lack of money.

About the poem:

The poem ‘Money’ tells us about the rich man who wants to be a poor man to find the real happiness. It is when we do not have money or have lost our money, we realize how important the money is. At the end, the poet says that now he doesn’t have money, but he has true friends. These true friends are few in number.

Poet: William H. Davies:

He was born in Newport, Wales. He was a poet and a writer. He spent a significant part of his life as a tramp (a person who has no home or job and who moves from place to place) or hobo (a traveling worker) in the United Kingdom and the United States. He became a peddler (Someone who travels about selling his wares -as on the streets or at carnivals) and street singer in England.

After several years of a wandering life, he published his first volume, ‘The Soul’s Destroyer and other Poems’.

 Ice Breakers:

1) Give your views about 'Importance of money.'

a) Money is used as capital in business.

b) Money is necessary to satisfy basic needs.

c) Money is essential to get good education and health care requirements.

d) Money is useful because it enables us to have more control over our life, more freedom to carve out our own path, and fewer limitations on our choices.

e) Money gives prestige and importance to the individuals in the society.

f) Money helps to gain material pleasures.

3) Make a list of the good qualities of your friend.

a) Kind

b) Clever

c) Good tempered

d) Sensitive

e) Calm

f) Humorous

g) Helpful

i) Smart

4) Share your views on 'Money is the root of all evils'.

           According to me money isn’t evil on it’s own. No inanimate object is evil on it’s own. Objects can only become evil through our intentions. If you love money, you become a slave to it. So do not earn money only for money’s sake. Greed of money is definitely the root of all evils. Such greed leads to destruction of morality, good values and sensitivity. Some people literally love money. So in that case money is the root of all evils but for others who don’t have such greed money is just the instrument of living good and secure life.

5) Do you lend money to your friend? Give reasons.

 

Yes	No
1) Because my one friend has very poor financial background.	1) Because the other friends get enough money to spend
2) Because he / she can continue the study.	2) Because they don’t need extra money.
3) Because he / she can’t afford the travelling expenses.	3) Because they will waste the extra money on worthless activities.
4) Because he / she can save the meagre income of his / her family.	4) Because they are enough rich so they never demand money.

Poetic Appreciation:

Write an appreciation of the poem ‘Money’

Answer:

About the poem: The poem ‘Money’ is written by a Welsh poet William H. Davies. It is a reflective poem. The poem has five stanzas of four lines each. The poet shows the difference in the life of the rich and the poor. He also presented the reality of his friends.  

Theme: The theme of the poem is that Money can’t give you at all happiness. When the poet was rich, he had many false friends but when he becomes poor, he has fewer friends but they all are real.

Language: The language used in the poem is simple and easy to understand. Each stanza of the poem follows a different rhyme scheme. The poet has beautified the poem by using figures of speech such as Simile, onomatopoeia, Antithesis, Repetition and Inversion.

Special Feature: The special feature of the poem is the use of Imagery. The imagery like ‘came knocking all day at my door’ or ‘a child that holds a trumpet’ etc. presents word picture of the events.

Message: By this poem, the poet has given the message that wealth is not required to become happy. But happiness lies in having contentment at heart and to have genuine people in our life. Satisfaction can be achieved in the poverty too. This is shown in the behaviour of the poor women.

My Opinion about the poem: The poem is very thought - provoking as it shows the power of money and real nature of friends. I like it very much.

----------------------------------------------------