Tom Chiarella Twenty Dollar Essay

Improved Essays
If placing a dollar in a bouncer’s hand could get a better seat at a concert, the spare change wouldn’t be very hard to part with, would it? Unless the individual were extremely thirsty and needed that dollar to buy a drink, it most likely wouldn’t happen either. Using a larger bill, such as a twenty, would give a real shot of making that wish come true; which is exactly what Tom Chiarella explained throughout his article “The $20 Theory of the Universe.” As a man who considers himself as a “twenty-dollar millionaire,” Chiarella really sets the bar high for a piece of paper that most Americans carry with them daily. A little caution and advice can go a long way with this theory, though, such as knowing that a twenty-dollar bill cannot be used as a ticket, will not buy everything, and is better spent on a person than a possession.
Despite what one may think, putting down the t-shirt and keeping the cash can be a simple step for turning a dull purchase into something “...that is all about movement, access, [and] cachet” [Chiarella]. When looking for the real worth of a twenty in this world, it is a must to step outside of the souvenir shop and start learning the language of money with another individual; mostly because that is the best way a person’s cash can be bartered. It’s basically like name dropping or knowing someone to get through the door
…show more content…
While reading Tom Chiarella’s article “The $20 Theory of the Universe,” it could make someone wonder what a vacation or just a night on the town could be like with a stack of twenties in their pocket. Above all, Chiarella really changes the perspective on how a single bill can be used and what it’s true worth is, as this article nearly portrays that the possibilities are

Related Documents

  • Decent Essays

    Overjoyed, they decide to continue using different fertilizer combinations to see how much they can potentially earn. This story is introducing money and coin value. It can give students practice with counting pennies, nickels, and quarters and grouping them into whole dollar amounts. This…

    • 282 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Penny Synthesis Essay

    • 654 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The penny should be kept. Others may argue that the penny is not worth it, but it is very valuable. Even if it is only one cent. The penny has influenced our culture, and eliminating the penny would cause problems. The penny can be changed to be more cost-effective.…

    • 654 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Effects Of Money In Society Thematic Essay: Old Money vs. New Money vs. No Money The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald maintains the theme of Old Money vs. New Money vs. No Money throughout the whole book very well. It reveals distinct detachments between the characters who live different lives.…

    • 998 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Pennies, what are they worth? To answer that question one must first go back to the dawn of the penny. For centuries, the penny has captivated many with it’s historical significance and representation of America’s accomplishments as a nation; however, one thing that has changed over time is its commercial value. The penny was created with one intended purpose, facilitating the exchange of goods and services, but because of inflation the value of the penny has decreased making it hard for consumers to purchase anything with one single penny. Today pennies can be found under couches, sidewalks, and even in the garbage.…

    • 816 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Bob Wager Essay

    • 1188 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Bob Wager was the most renowned man in my high school, as well as the best teacher, at least to all of those who were fortunate enough to have him as an instructor. Bob Wager was my head football coach at James Martin High School. When he walked around it was almost most as if he had a golden glowing aura around him. His demeanor demanded greatness of those around him and he accepted nothing less. I remember watching him speak to my team and me as young 12-13 year old boys; I was filled with elation because I would have the opportunity to play with him in the upcoming year.…

    • 1188 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    For most people money is something that they spend their whole lives trying to get. Why? Because it is an object that is constantly needed to stay afloat in this world. Such a high value is placed on it. If someone has a lot of money they are great and successful but if they do not they are placed at the opposite side of the spectrum.…

    • 1295 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the year 1787, the United States made a change regarding economics by introducing a one-cent coin, the penny (source B). As the first authorized currency of the nation, it had great purpose, as well as symbolism. It eventually grew to represent our sixteenth president, Abraham Lincoln, and all of his accomplishments (1909). Over the course of the past 231 years, a lot has changed. This includes how we view and use the penny in our everyday lives.…

    • 832 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    George Lopez Essay

    • 804 Words
    • 4 Pages

    George Lopez was born on April 23, 1961 in Mission Hills, California. He and his mother were abandoned by his father when he was only two months old. At the age of ten he was then abandoned by his mother. He was told by his mother that his father had died, but when she left to he found out that he did not. Lopez never found him, but he thinks he is now living in Mexico.…

    • 804 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In today’s society, money is the number one concern for most people. This comes with good reason. William Hazlitt, a nineteenth-century author, writes about the relationship between humans and money in his text “On the Want of Money.” Hazlitt acknowledges that money is a necessity to get by in life. His overall purpose is to show how money determines the quality of one’s life.…

    • 813 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    1920s/Great Gatsby Paired Essay The 1920s were a period of prosperity and opportunity and a period of excess and unrest. Some people think the time in the 1920s were hard times, for example people struggled with money and jobs. Other people believe it was an easy time where no one really had to worry about anything. They partied, spent money, just had fun, and have no worry in the world.…

    • 837 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Cesar Chavez Essay

    • 909 Words
    • 4 Pages

    American trade union leader, born March 31, 1927 near Yuma (Arizona) and died on April 23, 1993 in St. Louis (Arizona). Cesar Chavez was the founder of the unit of agricultural workers, who, since 1964, brought together migrant laborers, most of them Hispanic, to fight for the improvement of their working conditions. Cesar Chavez belonged to a family of Mexican immigrants employed in agricultural work. His childhood was stage a succession of fields of work between California and Arizona, which began working from a child. He shortly attended school, who left before the end of compulsory education.…

    • 909 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    For Smith, this development certainly had flaws, but the facilitation of exchange through the use of a universal currency outweighs the issues. Smith deals with the history of money by telling the story of how money came to be. After the division of labor, everyone had something of their own making to exchange; so, they would carry around their commodity. However, this proved to be flawed logic, as some commodities were highly impractical to carry around on one’s person every day. Thus came the need for a portable bartering chip.…

    • 1432 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The use of symbolism in Betty Keller’s play Tea Party is prominently focused on how isolated the characters Hester and Alma feel. The two elderly women in their late seventies do everything they can possibly think of to prepare themselves and their home for the boy who delivers their paper. The poor lonely women decide where it will be best for them and the boy to sit and discuss what topics they wish to converse with the boy. Meanwhile, they are also preparing a tea trolley with snacks and drinks to entice the boy to stay longer.…

    • 1065 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    At times, the reading could leave one feeling slightly perplexed, and aside from the contradicting encouragements, readers would certainly gain a little more perspective on money from this piece. Whenever someone reads the title, “Yes, Money Can Make You Happy,” they may start reading the article under the impression that its main purpose is shallow and or pointless, only to quickly realize that the article’s true purpose is to exploit money’s misinterpretations and the fact that it can help someone to help themselves, and in more ways than one may expect. Proclaiming that an article such as this one could alone alter an individual’s thought process on how to correctly spend money would be dishonest, but it could unquestionably cause one to reevaluate their…

    • 1227 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In today’s capitalist society money holds an important place in the web of meaning of society. Money is a homogenizing factor that unites a culture and unifies them as one (Sahlins, 1976). There are many forms of money, it comes in all shapes and forms but as society becomes more global money has undergone an evolution. Money has evolved from special purpose to a more general-purpose form, which can be traded across boarders and for a variety of goods and services at an established value. Special purpose money as a result has began to disappear as the use of general-purpose money becomes more necessary to obtain goods from the developing global market, in specific reference to the increasing popularity of the capitalist market.…

    • 1665 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays