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Summary Of On The Want Of Money By William Hazlitt

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In William Hazlitt’s essay, “On the Want of Money” (1827), he claims that man cannot live comfortably without money. Hazlitt supports this claim by illustrating the social and economic burden of poverty and by describing the aftermath of success. Hazlitt writes to expose the dehumanization of man through the reliance on money. The author produces this piece to everyone because money impacts everyone. Author William Hazlitt illustrates the social and economic burden of poverty by using several rhetorical devices including exemplification, imagery, and compare and contrast. The author’s connotative use of diction and syntax establish his overall argument and purpose of the piece. Hazlitt structures the essay into three sentences, in which he sets up his argument into a …show more content…

Hazlitt begins the piece by writing “literally and truly” to establish a firm and absolute tone. However, the unnecessary use of the second word, which is a near synonym of the first, hints at a satire where Hazlitt satirizes the human dependency on money. In addition, Hazlitt’s use of passive voice suggests that the impoverished have no autonomy and are “a thrall to circumstances”. The author also establishes that the poor are in a state of need, further contributing to man’s dependence on money. Hazlitt depicts the impoverished as isolated and social outcasts to portray the lonesome life that the impoverished endure. Hazlitt does this by using key words including, “scrutinized”, “neglected”, and “exile”. The writer exposes the harsh reality of living as impoverished not only to show that we cannot live comfortably without money, but to negate the cliché that money is not connected to happiness. Hazlitt then compares and contrasts specific scenarios to the social impact of the impoverished. For instance, Hazlitt writes that being poverty-stricken is “not to be sent for to court, or asked out to dinner, or noticed in the street” (Hazlitt). The author specifically uses these

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