Common Sense 1776 by Thomas Paine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Common Sense 1776 by Thomas Paine - Essay Example 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, â€Å"pecuniary emulation†Ã‚  Ã‚   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 a nd 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 â€Å"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