Ragged Dick
After the Civil War, the Industrial Revolution was boosted in the north, and there was a mad rush for power in wealth. The United States surpassed Great Britain as number one in power after the instatement of Lassiez-faire Capitalism. This challenged many of the values of the time because it gave power to the rich and left poor, unemployed individuals powerless and penniless. The gap between the rich and poor began to widen, but in order to downplay this problem, hope was given to those poverty stricken. Horatio Alger wrote a series of books that illustrated different character's stories of success from street poverty. Ragged Dick reflects the real life success stories of men, like Andrew Carnegie, on a smaller scale, using a young bootblack and material objects as symbols of this young boy's transformation from poverty to middle class respectability. Each object was symbolic of an important step in the process toward comfort and success for Dick. Ben Franklin once said, "The clothes make the man", and Horatio Alger truly believed this statement. Early in the novel, Ragged Dick received a suit from Mr. Whitney, a man whom Dick did not know. The s
The culmination of Dick's progress was symbolized in the letter he wrote to Frank. It all started with Frank, and Dick continued the cycle by sending the letter back to Dick. When Frank and Dick first met, Dick had no formal education and had no steady place to sleep at night. Dick got an education from his friend Fosdick, and nine months later, Dick could read and write, had a place on Mott Street, and his own small fortune in the bank. Although it seemed hard to believe Dick produced the letter, it was indeed written in his own words. The manner of the writing still conveyed his personality even though he was now a well-respected gentleman. The letter combined all of the new skills Dick obtained and put the final additions on Dick's transformation from street waif to respectable gentleman. Later in the novel, another young man, Tom Wilkins, could not pay his rent for the week. Dick, the new middle class gentleman, gave Tom a gift of five dollars to help the poor boy out. The gift symbolized Dick maturing into the role Mr. Whitney played in Dick's transformation. The transfer of money was a cycle, and Dick cycled the five-dollar gift from Mr.
Some common words found in the essay are:
Mott Street, Ragged Dick, Tom Wilkins, Changing Dick's, Frank Dick, Lassiez-faire Capitalism, Andrew Carnegie, Horatio Alger, Industrial Revolution, Whitney Dick, five dollars, middle class, ragged dick, tom wilkins, poverty middle class, class respectability, poverty middle, mott street, street poverty, gift five, save money, middle class respectability, gift five dollars,
Approximate Word count = 784
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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