Values Of Americans
America is the most powerful country in the
world. The American economy has been
a symbol of the wealth of a nation. The
efforts of our forefathers and present
geniuses have created economic values,
which have caused American’s to thrive.
Two of these influences are Bill
Gates and Ben Franklin who through genius and
hard work, have made huge
advances in economic values. Although their efforts
spaced by hundreds of
years, they believe similarly in the success of workers.
Two articles
"The Way to Wealth", by Ben Franklin and "Microserfs",
by David Coupland,
support economic values of their specific time periods.
Franklin’s essay
is written in 1733, when agriculture was the way of life.
David
Coupland’s essay is a present day description of technology and
how
Microsoft has had such an impact on our lives. Both essays, each
defining
different eras, come together to portray the epitome of economic
values. The
writers’s depiction of work, from their respected eras, show how
these
American economic values has not changed. Poor Richard Saunders’
advice
symbolizes what American worker’s economic values should be. Poor
Richard is a
character Franklin uses to push his economic values, and he
believes that firm
economic values will create wealth. He explains "get what
you can, and what
you get hold; ‘Tis the stone that will turn all your lead
into
gold"(Franklin 551). Having good economic values can give you the
gold
touch. Good time management and sound management of one’s money are the
keys
to success. Hence Franklin’s famous sayings "a penny saved is a
penny
earned" and "early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man
healthy,
wealthy, and wise"(Franklin 545). The sayings of Richard Saunders
are for
the ages, as well as the agricultural life as he knew it. Douglas
Coupland’s
character analysis of danielu@microsoft.com serves as the icon of
a modern day
American technological worker. Danielu@mircosoft.com is an
employee of Bill
Gates’s corporation Microsoft which "employs more than
32000 people in 60
countries"( Bill Gates’ Web Site-Biography).
Daniel@microsoft.com is a
prize employee who is loyal, hardworking, and
relentless; he describes his life
as "work, sleep, work, sleep, work,
sleep"(Coupland 598). The
Microsoft employee does not know the meaning of
leisure as his work schedule
goes "In at 9:30 a.m.; out at 11:30
p.m."(Coupland 599). He describes
his "universe consists of home, Microsoft,
and Costco"(Coupland 597).
Even in such a technological world
danielu@microsoft.com does not forget the
age-old values of being smart with
time and money. The American economic values
of today are similar to the
values of several hundred years ago. Richard
Saunders’ advice of his time
still remains relevant to the technological world
of the present. The values
Coupland depicts in danielu@microsoft.com correlate
directly to the messages
Poor Richard teaches. Wealth always goes to who work
the hardest. America is
a capitalist country based on the economic values
discussed in the featured
essays, and Franklin is a brilliant man whose values
have withstood the test
of time. Like anything else, the lifestyles depicted in
the articles are not
perfect. There are negatives to the economic values
discussed, but the
positives still outweigh the negatives. Wealth is a symbol of
the ideal
American lifestyle, and if a person works hard enough he or she
obtains it.
Wealth is important, but it does not complete a person. Both essays
contain
inferences to mistrust in leisure and how the character’s lack leisure
time.
Danielu@microsoft.com explains "I fell like my body is a station
wagon in
which I drive my brain around, like a suburban mother taking the kids
to
hockey practice"(598). This Microsoft employee definitely needs more
leisure
time. He even goes on to say "I know a few Microsoft employees who
try to
fake having a life-many a Redmond garage contains a never-used
kayak
collecting dust"(Coupland 598). People must learn the importance of
leisure
time. Success can be balanced with some leisure time; a happy median
between
work and play can be found. Economic values of American lives have
not changed
over the past several hundred years. From the adages of Ben
Franklin, to the
genius of Bill Gates, Americans are economically the same.
In the article "Microserfs,"
the highlight of the story was when an employee
got emailed by Bill himself.
Gates has been described as spending "a
significant person of his time to.
. . staying in contact with Microsoft
employees around the world though
email’(Bill Gates’ Web Site-Biography).
Bill Gates is an idol amongst his
colleagues. America needs more people like
Ben Franklin and Bill Gates, to teach
the importance of sound economic
values. One must not forget about leisure time,
because it is important to
the success of a human being. Leisure time and work
go together as people
chase the American dream toward a prosperous
life.
Bibliography
Bill Gates’ Web Site-Biography. Microsoft
Corporation 1999 <
http://www.microsoft.com/billgates/bio.htm>.
Coupland, Douglas. "Microserfs."
Lunsford 595-606. Franklin, Benjamin.
"The Way to Wealth." Lusford
545-553. Lunsford, Andrea A. , John J.
Ruszkewicz. ed. The Presence of Others.
New York: St. Martin’s Press:
1997.