Get here the summary, questions, answers, textbook solutions, extras, pdf of the story Money Madness by D. H. Lawrence of NBSE Class 11 Alternative English. However, the given notes/solutions should only be used for references and should be modified/changed according to needs.
Summary: Money Madness is a harsh depiction of the modern consumerist world, which is based on material wealth and money. People today are so consumed by the pursuit of wealth that they are willing to sacrifice their morals and even their sanity. According to the poet, money and greed for it are our own form of insanity that is destroying us as a society. Individuals are becoming insanely money-obsessed as a result of the rest of the world becoming money-obsessed. Each episode of insanity transforms the entire world into a jungle of money greed.
He criticises the fact that people are so afraid of losing their money that it is difficult for them to spend it charitably. The chains of money power have enslaved us. It compels us to worship and bow down to it. It has an impact on both our actions and our thoughts. The poet continues that something even more powerful is at work in this whole money race. It is the type of social status and sanction that we bestow on people with and without money as a society.
Money has become the single most important marker and signifier of worth and importance in today’s society. We rarely consider a person’s values and characteristics when assessing him or her today. We only care about his material possessions and wealth. If he faces financial difficulties, he is deemed weak, unfit, and prone to suffering. He must struggle and endure pain because he is poor. Because he lived in poverty, even his death is insignificant.
People may spend enough money to buy him food, but only enough to keep him alive and in pain. This insane worship of money is turning into a form of delirium that is causing us to suffer as a species. The poet criticises people’s indifference to the poor. He believes that everyone, no matter what their circumstances, has the right to food, shelter, warmth, and freedom. Until that happens, we will remain puppets in the hands of money and material things. We will continue to value competitiveness and the pursuit of greater wealth.
This will eventually suffocate the entire world with enmity, hatred, jealousy, and insanity. It will continue to wreck people’s lives and kill them. We must choose between human survival and ultimate annihilation.
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B. Answer the following questions briefly.
1. Why does the poet state that money is our collective madness?
Answer: Money is our “collective madness,” according to the poet, as he addresses a universally relevant topic concerning man’s money madness. This is not a small or individualistic level of madness, but rather a collective level of insanity.
2. Why do we grovel before money?
Answer: We grovel in front of money because it has taken over our lives. We are forced to kneel in front of it. It instils fear, apprehension, and stress in us. It has a disproportionate impact on our lives.
5. Do you agree with the poet that our basic needs should be free?
Answer: Yes, everyone on the planet should have access to basic necessities like bread, shelter, and fire. Man’s desire for money is driven by the cost of these basic needs, and once these needs are met, man will regain his sanity regarding money.
B. Critically analyze the following lines and answer the questions with reference to the context.
1. Money is our madness, our vast collective madness.
And of course, if the multitude is mad
The individual carries his own grain of insanity around with him.
a. Why is money referred to as our collective madness?
Answer: Money is referred to as our collective madness because it is the collective madness of an unimaginable number of people at incredible levels, rather than a small or individualistic level. And, because a large portion of the population is insane, everyone on this planet carries their fair share of “insanity.”
b. Is it the craving for money by each individual that goes on to make up this collective madness?
Answer: Yes, each person’s desire for money contributes to this “collective madness.”
2. It is that I am afraid of.
And that fear can become a delirium.
It is fear of my money mad fellow-man.
We must have some money
To save us from eating dirt
a. What is the poet afraid of?
Answer: If one does not have money, the poet is terrified of the inhumane and pitiful situation of having to eat “dirt.” He fears that such greed for money will drive the entire world insane.
b. What would money save us from?
Answer: If we had money, we could be saved from the inhumane and pitiful situation of eating “dirt.”
c. What is the dirt that the poet is referring to?
Answer: The poet’s reference to “dirt” refers to the unspoken sufferings, unspoken pains, and unrivalled criticisms that one must endure when he does not have money.
D. Answer the following questions in detail.
1. How does money have a cruel power over men?
Answer: The poem “Money Madness” by D.H. Lawrence is a critical examination of the modern-day frenzy for money. Money has become a powerful player in today’s societies, and it is more important in people’s lives than anything else. The poet attempted to exemplify this situation and present the social and moral degeneration that such madness for something so materialistic results in through his poem. Wealth and money are such enticing forces that we do not control them; rather, they control us. The poet wonders if there is anyone in the world who can give someone a one-pound note without feeling guilty. His heart always wishes he could do all good without having to pull a note from his pocket, no matter how noble he feels while handing out that note. We feel a genuine tremor within us when it changes to a ten-pound note. The greater the sum, the more difficult it is to part with it. Society frequently uses a man’s wealth to judge him. If he is poor, society tells him that he should eat dirt and die cold. Thus, money has a cruel power over men because it makes us kneel in front of it and has a disproportionate influence over our lives.
3. How do you think people can overcome ‘money-madness’?
Answer: People can overcome “money-madness” if bread, shelter, and fire are made available to everyone and anyone on the planet. This is due to the fact that we all struggle to make ends meet, and it is the cost of these basic necessities that drives man’s desire for more money. Man is impoverished because of the cost of such things. When a man’s basic needs are met, his financial sanity will return. The abolition of materialistic goods with a price as a competing factor would help people overcome their money addiction.
Additional/extra questions and answers/solutions
1. How does D. H. Lawrence show that money is a form of madness?
Answer: The poet emphasises the unusual actions that people engage in to satisfy their desire for money. Not only that, but they devalue others because they lack financial resources. He depicts their peculiar reaction when giving money to others in this poem. As a result, having money causes them to act irrationally.
2. What does the phrase “Money Madness” mean?
Answer: The phrase “Money Madness” refers to human greed for money in an ironic way. It has been compared to a mental illness. People behave irrationally and do things that are illogical. As a result, Lawrence refers to this unusual occurrence as insanity.
3. What is the poem “Money Madness” message?
Answer: In this poem, the poet advises us to regain our sanity. Otherwise, money greed can drive people to murder each other for no apparent reason.
4. How do you think people will be able to overcome their money madness?
Answer: People who engage in self-inquiry can help overcome their desire for money. They must consider the true value of money. It is merely a means to an end, not an end in and of itself. Money controls them in the materialistic world. If they are to regain their sanity, they must become masters of money rather than slaves.
8. How is a person’s worth measured in terms of money?
Answer: According to the poet, if money is a criterion for determining one’s worth, his wealth will weigh him down. He will be subjected to inhumane treatment if he does not have money. They appear to be servants to the wealthy.
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