Poetry

from Better Than Gold

Abram J. Ryan, 1838-1886

Better than gold is a conscience clear,

Though toiling for bread in a humble sphere,

Doubly blessed with content and health,

Untried by the lusts and cares of wealth,

Lowly living and lofty thought

Adorn and ennoble a poor man’s cot;

For mind and morals in nature’s plan

Are the genuine tests of a gentleman.

... I believe the author of this poem intended it to be about a man who has no guilt and that would generally describe the hero because he has not committed a crime. My two sides are a villain's conscience and a hero's conscience. But if a villain has no conscience at all, then this poem could really be describing the villain as well. If he has no conscience to tell him that he should feel guilt, he will not. The short story I used earlier, A Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe, is about a man who murders another, and is driven mad by his guilty conscience. Obviously in order for him to feel the guilt, he does have a conscience, so does that make him a hero? No, he still murdered the man. Maybe this means the strength of a conscience all depends on the person, and a villain who doesn't feel guilt has a weak conscience. The first line of the excerpt is "Better than gold is a conscience clear". I agree with this because even the richest man on Earth is capable of being driven mad by guilt. The second line is describing a way that a person can have a clear conscience by working hard for your food and survival in the world. Third line- you will be blessed with happiness and health if you have a clear conscience, Fourth line- this person is inexperienced with the lusts of wealth. The opposite of this is a person who is so drawn to money that they will try to possess wealth dishonestly and therefore have a guilty conscience...