America Is...
Gluttonous
Gluttonous = Greed
Since the beginning of America to the present day, there has been countless examples of America being not the home of the brave, but the home of the greedy. For the most part, the citizens who inhabit this country can never have enough; money, property, power. Greed is not defined as an individual who is rich and successful but instead someone who became that way by cheating, stepping on others, or by prioritizing their desires over others' needs. The mindset of a majority of Americans is that their lives cannot be complete without an extensive amount of money; however, they tend to forget that the spending of their time to reach that goal is worse than spending actual money.
Historical Evidence
#1: Trail of Tears
1838-1839
#2: Industrial Revolution
1820-1840
#3: Bernard Madoff
1960-2008
#1
Even before America was even America, the land was teeming with new greed. Recall how Christopher Columbus arrived and stole the land from the Native Americans and many were killed in the process. All for what? So that Americans could have more land? However a historically accurate example of Americans being greedy is that of the Trail of Tears, a time when Native Americans were forcefully removed from their native areas so that the new Americans could move there and build their own towns. In 1830, President Jackson passed the Indian Removal Act which initiated this action. Over 17,000 Cherokees were relocated and sadly four-thousand died during the journey. The reasoning behind this violent act was that Americans wanted to expand and build more towns to cater more people along with the desire for gold that could be located on the Native Americans' land. They were forced to leave their homes and belongings only so that Americans could live even better than before, even if it is to the extent of ruining others'.
#2
Robber barons are those who attain their wealth and luxury through corrupt ways. Specifically, Cornelius Vanderbilt, a robber baron, stated, "The public be damned! I only care about my property." This shows how little they cared about the citizens of America. All they cared for was the amount of money in their pockets and the land they owned. Also during the Industrial Revolution, factories hired children to make more products for the cheapest amount of money possible. The children faced terrible working conditions during their 8+ hours of work and several were killed or injured from the unsafe environment. All so business owners would not have to spend as much money as they were making.
#3
A more present example of Americans being gluttonous is that of Bernard, or Bernie, Madoff. Being in charge of the largest accounts of fraud in the history of the United States, he was able to illegally create a multibillion dollar company. By promising clients their money back ten percent or more, he gained so many new people. Instead of keeping their money in a company account, he was sending their money to his Chase account and making billions off it. His business became so popular that it alone controlled five percent of trade in the New York Stock Exchange. He continued with this fraud for a plethora of years before he was caught in 2008. After being charged with eleven felony counts, he was sentenced to 150 years in prison and is currently still alive serving them.
Visual Representation
Above is a visual representation of the gluttonous country us Americans live in today.
The Picture
This represents the exact definition of what it means to be gluttonous. The word itself can mean excessively greedy or to intake quantities of food that are extensive, both being exactly what America is. In the picture shown, the large man is eating an unrestrained amount of money while sitting next to a smaller man who has only what he needs to survive. This symbolizes how people have such high hopes of becoming wealthy but they always tend to forget the amount of time they waste trying to achieve that dream could have been saved by only getting the minimum necessity for survival.
The Ladder
The ladder represents the struggle for what Americans call success. It explains how so many people are always trying to get to the top, but they forget the people they stepped on and hurt to get where they are. It shows the competition for that very goal and how so many people's minds are dead set on achieving it. The weapons being carried by those climbing represent how typically the road to "success" is is not a clean one and how sadly too many will be hurt enduring the climb. The ladder is gold to represent the climb's priority in Americans and how it is the most valuable goal to have and to someday achieve.
The Rope
The man climbing the rope on the side of the ladder represents how some people try to take short cuts or alternate routes to get to the top and how many people in turn feel coldly toward those doing so. Most people feel that in order to be rich and successful, one must take the long way and work hard their entire lives to deserve it. If one were to find another way around that though and achieve their dream in a much shorter time frame, it is seen as cheating. The man with the scissors cutting the rope stands for people standing in the way of others obtaining success or from not taking the typical route to do so. There is no reason behind putting Trump's face on the man cutting the rope other than it just seemed like something he would do.
The Dead Man
The dead man falling off the ladder represents how tons of Americans will spend their entire lives trying to become extensively rich, yet many do so to no avail. They will have spent their lives trying to reach a goal that was not destined for them to meet. They could have spent their time enjoying life with what they had instead of using all their time to try to get what they want. For the majority of people, their time will have been wasted trying to get to what they thought was the greatest thing because they will have died long before they even got to the top. The weapons in the dead man symbolize the struggles that he had endure during his life attempting to become wealthy. What was the point in even struggling? So that you had spent the most valuable thing in life to fail in achieving such a materialistic goal?
The Billboards
The billboards represent the many companies here that have the sole intention to take everyone's money. These companies overcharge and some are even on the list of those who are making Americans broke. There are plenty of companies that are not in it for the money and show this by paying employees well, making donations, and trying to bring spread happiness in the country; however, a majority are not like that.
The Light on the Dollar Sign
This represents how everything is dark and out of sight compared to money, who tends to have a spotlight in many Americans thoughts. The purpose of the light was to draw attention to the dollar sign just as greedy people do, seeing only what they desire and want, not what they need. When looking at the entire project, one's eyes will be immediately drawn to the dollar sign atop of the building and by allowing it to be the sole thought in their head, they are able to visualize the way gluttonous people would. It is as if the dollar sign is the light at the end of the tunnel and nothing else can be seen.
This Picture
The photo above represents Americans being blinded my the idea of becoming wealthy and how it seems to be the only thing they can see. It shows how those on the quest to turn their lives into something they think will be better, only see that. They do not see their lives around them. With a humorous tone, it shows how if you could physically see the goal of a person in their eyes, that is what a gluttonous person would be. I actually think this picture is hilarious if that says anything about my sense of humor.
Relaxation
This represents how those who obtain that goal of becoming rich no longer have to work as hard and can do practically whatever they want and use their money in anyway, wasteful or not. It also shows how some people are only where they are today because of their money and that is the terrible mindset here. Instead of seeing character, some only see dollar signs. And lastly, the blanket and watching himself on TV shows how, unfortunately but most likely, the next president to govern the country will be a selfish man with that exact mindset that we do NOT need.
Works Cited
"A Brief History of the Trail of Tears." A Brief History of the Trail of Tears. 2016. Web. 16 May 2016.
"Bernard Madoff." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television. Web. 16 May 2016.
"America's Disease Is Greed." Common Dreams. Web. 16 May 2016.
Tmg. "Opinion." The Telegraph. 2016. Web. 16 May 2016.
Created by Brittany Marrero
Period 2