Don Iannone
Money isn’t the devil
Some say it is
It’s a reality of our existence
And can be a resource for good
How we come by it matters, and
How we use it is important
Not a ticket to happiness, and
Many other things are more important
Though, it concerns me
When folks disparage money
Calling it the root of all evil
Saying it doesn’t matter
It also worries me
When people only want money
Don’t care about other people and things
Believing money and life purpose are the same
Our attention manifests the life we have
No more, no less
Same is true with money, and
Everything else in life
If there isn’t enough money in your life
Ask yourself why
Explore your deepest attitude about money
It may be an impoverished one
1.Share your understandings of the power and limitations of material wealth with your partner, and use specific examples to illustrate your points.
2.Try to translate the last stanza of the poem into Chinese.Pay special attention to the metrical form and rhyme scheme of the poem.
Proper Names
Stanhope Gate 斯坦諾普門
Notes
1. American Dream:Itis a national ethos of theUnited Statesin which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success.In the definition of the American Dream byJames Truslow Adamsin 1931, “life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement”regardless ofsocial classor circumstances of birth.The idea of the American Dream is rooted in theUnited States Declaration of Independencewhich proclaims that “all men are created equal”and that they are “endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights”including “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”.
2. Forsyte Saga:Itis a series of threenovelsand two interludes (intervening episodes) published between 1906 and 1921 byJohn Galsworthy.They chronicle the vicissitudes of the leading members of an upper-middle-classBritish family, similar to Galsworthy’s own.Only a few generations removed from their farmer ancestors, the family members are keenly aware of their status as “new money”.The main character, Soames Forsyte, sees himself as a “man of property”by virtue of his ability to accumulate material possessions—but this does not succeed in bringing him pleasure.