Blog Post Life on Mars

"The Good Life" (64)

This poem looks at the value of money and the impact that it has on the ways we think and act. It is something that we will have and lose over time, so it is our job to decide what we want to do with our money. Tracy Smith compares it to a lover that we had and then it left (at least for some people). Our money is something that is really important to us, and we are responsible for determining how to make the most of our money. But when looking at this poem, we see how Smith writes that when she has money, there are certain things that she wants in order to feel like others: Roasted Chicken and red wine. The tricky thing about this situation is looking at what the money actually means to us. Is it something that we absolutely need? Is it something that we just inherently want? Or is it something that we want in order to fit in with other people? I think this last question is the most important to address. Money is not something that we inherently need, but in our society we do need it. Our money is the signal to others of our worth. This poem was called "The Good Life" and it reflects the way that some people look at money. We look at money as this all powerful object, but it is not. The idea behind money perpetuates its importance in our society. Money was created by man, it is not something that we have always needed. It is something that people use to assert their power because they have more of it, and therefore everyone wants to have money as well. That way, we are able to able to dream, like Tracy Smith, that we can be like other people when we have a little bit of money.