Xy Sugino

Mr. Pangier

American Literature

24 April 2017

Persuasive Essay

The clich phrase would be to say that, success cannot be measured by the amount of

money you have. That success is not directly related to wealth, because money cannot buy

happiness. The reality, however, is less beautiful. Its inevitable that money is a necessity for

survival. It is what supplies us with food, shelter, clothes, medicine, and all the basic things we

need to live a healthy life. However, money is only one component of what defines wealth.

Wealth means that you have things to spare. It means that you have the money, time, and the

emotional, mental, physical space to be able to give something. Of course, it doesnt mean that

those who have this privilege will show this generosity. The point is that they have those things.

Those people can be seen as being wealthy.

Success goes a little deeper because it involves the persons emotional well being, not

just the physical survival part. I believe that there are two types of success. In both types of

success you are wealthy. The first type is where most of the people fit in. You are satisfied with

what you are given. You have things to spare and you choose to be satisfied with what you have.

In the book Great Gatsby, Daisy is a prime example of this. Gatsby mentions She only

married you because I was poor and she was tired of waiting for me (Fitzgerald 100). Although

this may seem less moral in a sense that Daisy went for the money instead of love, she is still
successful in that she lives in comfort with a husband that is able to provide for her and

physically be close to her.

However, the ideal form of success comes from accomplishing your goals and dreams

through hard work and dedication. This is the more fulfilling type of success. For these people,

wealth may be a byproduct that comes naturally while striving towards their goals. Of course,

wealth in this case is only attained by a handful of people who truly commit and never give up in

what they believe is their calling in life. Roman Atwood, a Youtuber, exhibits this type of

success. He started off with nothing, only having a passion towards creating youtube videos. He

would constantly upload videos every week while also trying to maintain his other job. There is a

quote from the movie The Great Debaters, We do what we have to do in order to do what we

want to do. Apparently this is a quote Roman tries to live by, and sure enough, although he

barely made money out of Youtube, he still had the motivation to upload better videos every

week. He eventually ended up becoming a famous Youtuber, thereby becoming both wealthy

and successful. It is important to remember, though, that he is a lucky case. A lot of the times,

ambition is not met with success and thats why most people tend to take the easier first route.

Ultimately, wealth means to secure a certain amount of freedom. If you have the freedom

to do what you want, then you are wealthy. Success comes from the presence of wealth but goes

much deeper, involving emotional well-being. This is where happiness becomes essential in your

life where you feel that you are fulfilling your potential or purpose in life.

Word Count 560

 Bibliography

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Royston, Hertfordshire: Large Print hop, 2014. Print.

Washington, Denzel, Todd Black, Kate Forte, Joe Roth, Oprah Winfrey, Robert Eisele, Jeffrey
Porro, Nate Parker, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Denzel Whitaker, Jermaine Williams, Forest Whitaker,
Gina Ravera, John Heard, Kimberly Elise, Devyn Tyler, Trenton M. C. Boyd, Philippe
Rousselot, Hughes Winborne, John Breinholt, Peter Golub, James N. Howard, David Crockett,
Bob Weinstein, and Harvey Weinstein. The Great Debaters. , 2008.