Money in Matrimony

In your opinion, is money important in a relationship? Consider the 'transactional' element observed in the relationships between the couples. Do you think there is an upward trend of relationships and marriages valuing money over other qualities? Provide examples for your responses.

I feel that money is important in a relationship to a certain extent, however the nature of marriage is true love. There is indeed heavier weightage on financial matters in marriage as shown in The Merchant of Venice, as well as a "transactional" element, shown when Bassanio borrows money from Antonio to court Portia, to cover his expenses to Belmont as well as to impress her into marrying him. Some say that Bassanio married Portia because of her wealth, this is untrue, however, proven in Act 3 Scene 2, where both of them express their mutual "love at first sight". Another example involving money entwined with love in The Merchant Of Venice occurs in Act 2 Scene 3 to 6, where Jessica devises a cunning plot to "make fast the doors and gild myself with some more ducats, and be with you straight", showing how money can buy happiness to a certain extent, however the source of Jessica and her lover's happiness stems from their true love, which is in truth what holds a marriage together. Copious amounts of money are insignificant compared to pure, true love, and will not sustain a marriage for long.

Some people marry others for the materialistic purpose of living off their wealth. Such people can be likened to parasites, draining away the money of others without giving anything in return. Marriage is not only a union of financial resources, but a union of hearts and minds. Pooling financial resources help the couple to "buy" a certain amount of happiness as well as support the family and meet their basic needs, however those who live off others for the sole purpose of enjoying an extravagant and luxurious life, taking advantage of this financial union and not appreciating the true love that should be felt and enjoyed when a man and woman meet in matrimony. The opposite is also true: a couple who are financially weak can still enjoy the warmth of each other's company. I feel that the statement regarding an upward trend in these "gold diggers" is untrue, however, as people in modern society tend to aim to strike a balance between the two: they look for a mate whom they understand, appreciate, and admire, but also wish to be secure and comfortable financially so that they can enjoy their marriage more.

Revolution of War

The 100 years war, the battles of the Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms, the siege of Troy, the conquests of Genghis Khan and the rise of the Mongol Empire- Even in the past, man has relied on war as a solution to his problems, a tool to get what he wishes, be it blazing ambition, raging desires, morality, religion, or the tangled web of power and politics. Even when problems can be solved by negotiations and compromising, Man resolves conflicts with what he sees as the simplest of ways: war. Human greed is insatiable, likewise human opinion, beliefs, and morals are hard to quash. Man has always let his heart rule his mind, labeling massacres and bloodshed with honor and valour, backing them with causes he deems "worthwhile", fueling the furnace of war. Menelaus besieged Troy simply due to desire: he was willing to risk his army for Helen, the face that launched a thousand ships. Genghis Khan the conquerer slaughtered and slaughtered again to expand the vast, ever-growing Mongol Empire to cover most of Eurasia.

However, war is also waged within the animal kingdom: wolf packs tear each other apart upon meeting, Jane Goodall herself documented a war between groups of chimpanzees in 1974. In fact, the essence of war is similar to that of the wild: kill or be killed. Therefore it can be argued that "war" is a manifestation of this animalistic aggression displayed in the wild, the human version of this animal behavior. While animals fight due to territoriality and competition, this behavior, perhaps, manifests itself in Man as warfare, which Man supports with reasons such as desire (not unlike animal survival and competition) as well as beliefs, led by decisive leaders who seek war (e.g. Napoleon and Hitler).

While the nature and the essence of war remains unchanging, its manifestations shift from shape to shape throughout the ages. The first men fought with primitive spears of wood and sharp stone, clubs of stone and wood. Following that, swords and spears were forged with metal, increasing their potential for destruction. Human ingenuity has also spawned various weapons such as the cannon, developed with the discovery of gunpowder, and the chariot, pulled by beasts tamed by man for the sole purpose of war. As the modern age approached, ornate armour of bronze morphed to camouflage uniforms, arrows were replaced by pellets of metal and heat-seeking missiles, steeds and mounts of war were transformed into machines with pelts of titanium and steel. The destructive potential of these weapons constantly increase as mankind adds its emerging technology to boost its capacity for war. The advancement of technology has accelerated the destructiveness of human modern warfare to unacceptable and irrational levels.