The Cost of Pursuing a Dream?
What is
“Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy’s first law of Equivalent Exchange...we really believed that to be the world’s one and only truth.”
- Alphonse Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist)
Image
Explanation
Goldman, Sachs is the real life portrayal of the characters in Gatsby. They worked hard indeed to attain a high standard among their competitors and clients. But what they did after that was wrong. They sold stocks and bet on its loss and in turn made more money. This was more of a conspiracy than earning. Gordon Gekko, in his speech, talks about how greed is good.
Greed is Good
The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed -- for lack of a better word -- is good.
Greed is right.
Greed works.
Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit.
Greed, in all of its forms -- greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge -- has marked the upward surge of mankind.
And greed -- you mark my words -- will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA.
Quotes
- “It occurred to me that there was no difference between men, in intelligence or race, so profound as the difference between the sick and the well.” —Nick Carraway (The Great Gatsby)
- Nick describes Tom and Daisy as careless people who destroy peoples lives and then use their money to clean up the mess. They dont care about any responsibilities and just do whatever they want to do.
- “Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,” he told me, “just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.” —Nick Carraway (quoting his father), (The Great Gatsby)
- "At her first big golf tournament there was a row that nearly reached the newspapers- a suggestion that she had moved her ball from a bad lie in the semi-final round. The thing approached the proportions of a scandal- thne died away. A caddy retracted his statement, and the only other witness admitted that he might have been mistaken. The incident and the name had remained together in my mind" (Fitzgerald 57)
- Charles Morris: I had a friend who was a bond trader at Merrill Lynch in the 1970s. He had a job as a train conductor at night, 'cause he had three kids and couldn't support them on what a bond trader made. By 1986, he was making millions of dollars, and thought it was because he was smart. (The Inside Job)
- "And where does Mr. Cromwell put his million-dollar salary? Not in Teldar stock; he owns less than 1 percent. You own the company. That's right -- you, the stockholder." (Greed is Good)
- “While the U.S. government turned a tidy profit on the Citi deal, earning almost $15.5 billion from it, the financial damage inflicted on the nation and its citizens is both staggering and historic -- but not in a good way.” (Wall Street's Great Recession)
- The conversation given at the end of "In Goldman, Sachs We Trust"
In the case of the characters of Gatsby, each sacrificed their image to:
Gatsby - save Daisy and make his time he spent with her worth it
Nick - retain his personality
Daisy - stay safe
Tom - have life go his way: everything under his control
Jordan - be successful
Myrtle - have a life with Tom
Similarly, the corporations mentioned in the other sources sacrificed their image to gain money even through cunning means.
Sources Used
- Fitzgerald, F. Scott, and Matthew J. Bruccoli. The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: Scribner, 1996. Print.
- The Inside Job
- Wall Street
- O'Connell, Brian. "Wall Streets' Great Recession Cost Us All $30 Trillion." The Street. The Street, 12 Sept. 2013. Web. 07 Jan. 2014.
- Galbraith, John Kenneth, and James K. Galbraith. "In Goldman, Sachs We Trust." John Kenneth Galbraith: The Affluent Society and Other Writings, 1952-1967. New York, NY: Library of America, 2010. N. pag. Print.