Addison's The Royal Exchange: Spectator No. 69
Somehow I really enjoyed this essay by Joseph Addison, which basically just talked about the wonders and benefits of London's financial institution of trade. This English writer is extremely obsessed with money and wealth, as he brings up the fact that the Royal Exchange "adds wealth to the rich" (2480) more than once. In this quote, it seems that he believes that the already rich deserve to become even richer. While this idea is extremely backwards to me, the fact that it must make sense to Addison, shows how centered on wealth he is. I'd even say that this essay demonstates how greedy and materialistic he is, despite the fact that other topics are brought up of the benefits of trade.
The trade market is more than just a place to get wealthy, it is a place where countries each exchange their own goods of their country for another's. As Addison points out, it creates an interchanging variety of spices, fruits, clothing, and other luxuries within each country, as they trade for one another's goods. In a extremely convincing and positive statement, Addison says that nature not only provides wonderful "blessings" from one portion of the world to the next, but creates a way through trade so that people "might have a kind of dependence upon one another and be united together by their common interest" (2479). This is great, except that this common interest seems to be materialism and greed. I say this because the trade market is basically a place to exchange for things that you don't really need, while helping you become very wealthy in the process. For example, today Americans do not necessarily need a brand new Hummer, but they'll buy it because they can and because it's not in everyone else's driveway. This is materialism because it is something you don't need, but you want anyway. Again, supporting this interpretation of Addison's essay, he says that he is "delighted to see such a body of men... bringing into their country whatever is wanting" (2479). Key word here: wanting. Addison supports pure materialism.
The sad thing is, Addison is so in love with the Royal Exchange concept, that he cannot even help himself but cry with tears of joy when he thinks about it (2479). It's bad enough to be obsessed with wealth and making the already rich even richer, but to actually cry to tears over the joy it brings, just really crosses the line. Although Addison does give some good point about bringing different cultures together, I don't see an emphasis placed on it. He does mention how wonderful it is seeing all of the different kinds of people at the Royal Exchange, but it is only because it makes him feel "that he was a citizen of the world." That sounds like something a rich, wealthy man would say, so it seems that wealth and materialsim is truly all that Addison cares about in this essay.
Somehow I really enjoyed this essay by Joseph Addison, which basically just talked about the wonders and benefits of London's financial institution of trade. This English writer is extremely obsessed with money and wealth, as he brings up the fact that the Royal Exchange "adds wealth to the rich" (2480) more than once. In this quote, it seems that he believes that the already rich deserve to become even richer. While this idea is extremely backwards to me, the fact that it must make sense to Addison, shows how centered on wealth he is. I'd even say that this essay demonstates how greedy and materialistic he is, despite the fact that other topics are brought up of the benefits of trade.
The trade market is more than just a place to get wealthy, it is a place where countries each exchange their own goods of their country for another's. As Addison points out, it creates an interchanging variety of spices, fruits, clothing, and other luxuries within each country, as they trade for one another's goods. In a extremely convincing and positive statement, Addison says that nature not only provides wonderful "blessings" from one portion of the world to the next, but creates a way through trade so that people "might have a kind of dependence upon one another and be united together by their common interest" (2479). This is great, except that this common interest seems to be materialism and greed. I say this because the trade market is basically a place to exchange for things that you don't really need, while helping you become very wealthy in the process. For example, today Americans do not necessarily need a brand new Hummer, but they'll buy it because they can and because it's not in everyone else's driveway. This is materialism because it is something you don't need, but you want anyway. Again, supporting this interpretation of Addison's essay, he says that he is "delighted to see such a body of men... bringing into their country whatever is wanting" (2479). Key word here: wanting. Addison supports pure materialism.
The sad thing is, Addison is so in love with the Royal Exchange concept, that he cannot even help himself but cry with tears of joy when he thinks about it (2479). It's bad enough to be obsessed with wealth and making the already rich even richer, but to actually cry to tears over the joy it brings, just really crosses the line. Although Addison does give some good point about bringing different cultures together, I don't see an emphasis placed on it. He does mention how wonderful it is seeing all of the different kinds of people at the Royal Exchange, but it is only because it makes him feel "that he was a citizen of the world." That sounds like something a rich, wealthy man would say, so it seems that wealth and materialsim is truly all that Addison cares about in this essay.
posted by Melissa | 6:16 PM
1 Comments:
I am disappointed in your prejudice. America is not the only country overwhelmed with materialism. As an American who lives in the UK I can say first hand the United Kingdom is exactly the same. Thanks.
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