“Money Madness: Questions and Answers pdf” is a reminder that we should all be mindful of our relationship with money. We should not allow money to control our lives or to define who we are. We should also be aware of the corrosive effects of money madness on society. Read More Plus One English Question and Answers.
Money Madness Question and Answers
Question 1.
How do people treat an individual who has no money?
Answer:
People with no money are treated with contempt. Since the only worth is the worth of money, even if poor people possess other talents and virtues, they earn no respect. However, in the world full of hypocrisy, they cannot be let to die. Hence bread is thrown at them. But the poor know that along with bread they have to eat the mud of humiliation. This worries them so much that they become victims of delirium.
Question 2.
How does money trigger fear in an individual?
Answer:
The importance we attach to money can imprison us in two kinds of fear. One is of losing money. The poet rightly points out that none of us can part with money without a sense of uneasiness. The bigger the amount, the worse is the uneasiness When we hand out a pound note or a ten-pound note, we do so with a pang and a tremor respectively. That is why money can make us quail and can have cruel control over us. The second kind of fear is the fear of having no money. This is worse than the first fear and can easily change to a delirium. This fear is strong because when one has no money, one is made to eat dirt.
Question 3.
Why does the poet describe money madness as our ‘vast collective madness’?
Answer:
According to the poet, ‘money madness’ is directly related to the attitude of mankind towards those who do not have money. Mankind measures the worth of a man in society by the amount of money a man has. Mankind treats those who do not have money with a lot of contempt and humiliates them. No doubt, mankind gives such people bread to eat, but along with bread, such people will also have to suffer a lot of humiliation and cruelty. This attitude of mankind towards those who do not have money gives ‘money’ cruel power which terrorizes people. It is this terrorizing fear of getting humiliated by the society that makes people mad about money. Naturally, every individual craves to possess some money. That is why the poet describes ‘money madness’ as our ‘vast collective madness’.
Question 4.
How does the fear of having no money become a delirium?
Answer:
According to the poet, ‘mankind’ treats people who have ‘money’ with respect and dignity. It judges the worth of a ‘man’ by the amount of money a man possesses. It usually asks the question, “How much is he worth? Has he no money?”
But, if. he has no money, it condemns him to face humiliation and die eventually. Mankind does not let such a man die of starvation. It gives him food, but along with food, he also has to suffer a great deal of humiliation and cruelty. It is this fact that he/she might get humiliated and be subjected to cruelty if they don’t have money that frightens people. If they continue to exist without possessing any money for a long time, the fear of humiliation by the society will drive them to a state of delirium finally.
Question 5.
What is described by the poet as ‘that is all wrong’, as a result of a money-mad society?
OR
What is the solution offered by the.poet to overcome the insanity of a money-mad society?
OR
What does the poet mean when he says “money has got us down”?
Answer:
The phrase ‘get us down’ means make somebody ‘depressed’ or ‘demoralized’. In the poem ‘Money Madness’, according to the poet, ‘money’ has demoralized mankind. Mankind treats those people, who have money, with a lot of respect and dignity. It judges the worth of a man by the amount of money he or she possesses. Mankind usually asks the question, “How much is he worth? Has he no money?”
But, if he or she has no money, society condemns them to humiliation and eventually death. However, mankind does not deprive such people of food. It gives them food but along with food it also gives them suffering, humiliation and cruelty. This fear of getting humiliated and subjected to cruelty if they do not earn enough money makes people mad about money. That is why people crave for money so that they are not made to eat dirt. The poet remarks that such an attitude of mankind towards those who do not have money is wrong. The poet suggests that we should regain our sanity in this regard. Otherwise, this collective madness for money will make us kill one another. He asserts that ‘bread, shelter and fire’ which are essential for survival, should be made available free of cost and without humiliation to anyone and everyone all over the world irrespective of whether a person has money or not.
Question 6.
Why does the poet fear the cruel power of money on people in ‘Money Madness’?
Answer:
The poem ‘Money Madness’ makes an attempt to tell the reader how our fear of the cruel power of money will lead finally to our self-destruction. The speaker argues that if we develop a fear for the cruel power of money, then it will result in making the whole mankind develop a collective madness. This collective money madness is a result of each individual’s presumption that if he or she does not earn enough money and get society’s approval that he or she is a person of worth, then he or she will be put to a great deal of humiliation. Then society will give the individual enough food to survive, but along with the food, society will also criticize the individual for not earning enough. It is this fear of being looked down upon by society that makes people crazy for money and this way collective madness sets in.
Once this collective madness sets in, then we start killing each other and we start humiliating those who do not have enough money even to give them food, fire and shelter which ought to be available to everyone free of cost irrespective of whether one has enough money or not.
“Money Madness” is a powerful and thought-provoking poem that has much to teach us about ourselves and the world around us. I encourage you to revisit the poem from time to time and to reflect on its message.