Values Of Americans Essays - Epistolary Novels, Douglas Coupland

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 [emailprotected] serves as the icon of a modern day American technological worker. [emailprotected] is an employee of Bill Gates's corporation Microsoft which "employs more than 32000 people in 60 countries"( Bill Gates' Web Site-Biography). [emailprotected] 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 [emailprotected] 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 [emailprotected] 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. [emailprotected] 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