William Hazlitt wrote a powerful masterpiece titled "On the Want of Money", which was written in the nineteenth century. This work of art is a sophisticated essay in which he clarifies his point that money is the direct cause of greed. The mere concept is that if money is seeked, the efforts will all come down to either success or failure. If you fail, no one is going to be on your side, and if you succeed, people would only praise you for your success and failure. Hazlitt further proves this claim through the use of diction, imagery, and pathos. For example, Hazlitt states, "it is to live out of the world, or to be despised if you come into it" (Lines 3-4). He uses diction in order to convey the meaning that there are simply two statuses in life, one with isolation and one with getting shunned by everyone else if you enter society. His word choice in this line is advanced as to when he develops his meaning, he is discrete about it, and he does not say too much in order to get his point across, which is very brilliant on his side. Another example is when he ironically foreshadowed, "it is to be compelled to stand behind a counter, or to sit at a desk in some public office, or to marry your landlady, or not the person you would wish" (Lines 16-19). This is a clear example of imagery, as for these words aid us to visualize the horror taken place. One would distinctly see why it would be unjust seek money in a greedy manner, since it would only lead to one's own unhappiness if the efforts fail. Money is the center of one's own unhappiness, which leads me to Hazlitt stating, "...with all your pains, anxiety, and hopes, and most probably to fail, or if you succeed, after the exertions of years, and undergoing constant distress of mind and fortune, to be assailed on every side with envy..." (Lines 27-31). The buzz words such as "pains, anxiety, hopes" are a direct representation of pathos since he wants to us relate to how stressful life is, and how no matter how hard everyone works at life, in the end, it does not pay off as well as we'd imagine. Everyone wants to succeed in life, but if it costs you all your sweat and blood, is it truly worth it? I can relate to this essay because ever since I was young, I was selfish for money. My avarice for money only got me in the worst situations possible. I wanted everything, and this only led to my own depression and despair. For example, I'd tend to steal money from my parents, and it was the worst feeling ever. Not only can I relate to this, but I know that everyone else in the world can relate to wanting money as well. Everyone seeks happiness in what they want, not in what they need. This is why money is so important to everyone, because everyone has a want in life, and that want could only be fulfilled truly with money. To prove Hazlitt's claim that money is the direct cause of greed, he uses the three rhetorical devices such as diction, imagery, and pathos; as for he exclaims that the seek for money is a dehumanizing experience, and is only want us selfish humans desire even if it means putting us into a pit of despair.
~Jessica Wong
