MONEY MADNESS by D.H. Lawrence (Analysis and Question Answer Discussion)

MONEY MADNESS 

D.H. Lawrence

Introducing the Poet

David Herbert Richards Lawrence (1885 –1930) is an English novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, literary critic and painter. His Collected Works represent an extended reflection upon the dehumanising effects of modernity and industrialisation. In them, Lawrence confronts issues relating to emotional health and vitality, spontaneity, and instinct.Warm up Craze for money seems to have gripped the modern world. In today‘s world, people need money to have access to things. Without money they are really lost and don‘t know what to do. Without money, they may end up on the streets. The rich are, therefore, admired for their wealth and prosperity and the poor are hated for their poverty and adversity. But money has been the root, if not of all evil, of great misery to the human race. Money turns man insane.Read the poem and note how the poet pleads for a society without money.

The Text 

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.

I doubt if any man living hands out a pound note without a pang; 

and a real tremor, if he hands out a ten-pound note.

We quail, money makes us quail.

It has got us down; we grovel before it in strange terror.

And no wonder, for money has a fearful cruel power among men.

But it is not money we are so terrified of, 

it is the collective money-madness of mankind.

For mankind says with one voice: How much is he worth? 

Has he no money? Then let him eat dirt, and go cold. 

And if I have no money, they will give me a little bread so I do not die,

but they will make me eat dirt with it.

I shall have to eat dirt, I shall have to eat dirt 

if I have no money.

It is that that I am frightened of.

And that fear can become a delirium.

It is fear of my money-mad fellow-men.

We must have some money

to save us from eating dirt.

And this is all wrong.

Bread should be free,

shelter should be free,

fire should be free

to all and anybody, all and anybody, all over the world. 

We must regain our sanity about money 

before we start killing one another about it. 

It‘s one thing or the other.

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Think it out 

1. Are all the people of the world mad for money? Which line implies this? 

Ans: The first line of the poem "Money is our madness, our vast collective madness" also "madness of mankind" implies that all the people of the world are mad for money. 

2. Are all the people equally mad for money or degree of madness varies from person to person? 

Ans: No, all people are not equally mad for money. The degree of madness varies from peron to person. When the multitude is mad, the individual carries his own grain of insanity around with him.

3. How does a person feel when he parts with a pound of money? 

Ans: A person feels pain/pang in his heart when he hands out a pound of money. 

4. How does a person feel when he hands out a ten-pound note? 

Ans: A tremor goes through his body when he hands out a ten-pound note.

5. What kind of feeling does money create in us? (Line 6 - 7) 

Ans: Money creates a feeling of fear in us. We grovel before money as if it is our master. 

6. Are we really afraid of money or moneyed men? 

Ans: We are afraid of both money and moneyed men. Money has created a sense of fear in all of us because of which we grovel in front of it. Also we are terrified by the "madness of mankind" i.e, moneyed people. 

 

7. What do people say about a man‘s worth? 

Ans: People say that a mans worth is only when he has money. He is judged on the basis of his worth and not for his character. If he has no money, then he will be left alone and would have to eat dirt. 

8. How many times is ―dirt repeated in the poem? What does the poet mean by ―dirt? 

Ans: The word "dirt" has been repeated five times i the poem. By "dirt" the poet means that the man who has no money will be dishonoured. It is a kind of curse or insult that a person has to repeatedly face because of lack of money. 

9. How do money-mad men treat men-without- money? 

Ans: Money-mad men treat men-without- money as worthless people. The latter according to them, eats dirt, i.e, gets dishonoured. He is given bread with dirt so that he will not die. 

10. What does a man without money fear – poverty or dishonor by eating dirt‘? 

Ans: A man without money fears dishonor by eating dirt. It is the greatest disgrace given to a person. 

11. Why does the poet say ―We must have some money? 

Ans: The poet says so because money is needed to have basic amenities like food, shelter, fire and a respectful life in the society. 

12. What does the poet mean by ―bread (line 22), ―shelter (line 23), ―fire (line 24) ? 

Ans: By Bread, Shelter and fire, the poet refers to the basic amenities of life. 

13. Do you think ―bread, ―shelter and ―fire should be free? Explain why you think so. 

Ans: Yes Bread, Shelter and Fire should be free. Then the basic necessities of a man  will be fulfilled. This way the madness over money will lessen to a great extent and a man will start to value the good qualities of life.  

 

14. Why does the poet repeat the words ―all and anybody in line 24 ? 

Ans: The poet repeats the words ―all and anybody in line 24 to emphasize that bread, shelter and fire should be free to all. By repeating these words he is also powerfully suggesting a remedy lesson to the money madness. 

15. What does it mean to ―regain our sanity (line 25)? 

Ans: To "regain our sanity" means to rediscover our distinctness of current situation. It implies that we must stop running after money otherwise we'll end up killing each other and die. 

 

16. What are the two things implied in "It‘s one thing or the other"?

Ans: The two things implied in "It‘s one thing or the other" , is that if we regain sanity then we will lead a harmonious existence; but if we fail to regain sanity then we'll end up killing each other.