Roman Economics

Roman economics consisted of mainly three economic classes: the plebs, the equiles, and the senators/emperors. This structure was like a pyramid that the plebs were at the bottom and there were the most of them. The second level was the equiles who were merchants and others who had moved up in the world. The third level as it is called consisted of senators and the emperor. Realistically in Rome the only way to move was down and usually never up the pyramid. This is because wealth and status was mainly based on family and your name. You had a wealthy family and a good name and you were famous.

Another key part to Roman economics was that everyone was GREEDY. Even if you were an emperor and were the richest man/woman in the known world, you would still scheme and plot to get more money. As stated by Martial "Fortune gives too much to many; she gives enough to no one." Greed was a major part of Roman  culture because the economic structure was almost directly related to the social structure. Greed shaped Rome and even looking at the government revolves around it. The senators were all just really wealthy people who wanted to write the rules so that they stayed that way. Rome had an interesting economic structure, the likes of which are still seen in the modern world but with different titles and forms but the base remains constant, money means power.

Satire-VS-Parody

The children's stories The Sneetches and The Stinky Cheese Man are good examples of parodies and satires.

The Sneetches is a satire story based on differences in people. The story is satire because it makes fun of peoples perceptions of differences but also has a hire meaning of eliminating those differences. In this story the differences are that some sneetches have stars and others do not. The sneetches with stars think of themselves as better than those without stars. The sneetches without stars feel jealous of the sneetches with stars. Slyvester McMonkey McBean is a con-man who comes to the beaches with a "marvelous" machine which can put a star on any sneetch. When the sneetches without stars paid money to go through the machine they actually got stars. The sneetches who had stars before decided to pay money and get their stars removed. This happened many times before no sneetch knew the difference of one from another. At this point they had all run out of money by paying McMonkey. Then McMonkey left the beach with all their money. This story criticizes the stupidity of people for playing on each others differences and shows that when the people actually realize they are not that different it's too late.

The Stinky Cheese Man is a parody based on the gingerbread man. In the story The Stinky Cheese Man the stinky cheese man is created at like the gingerbread man runs away from everyone. Unlike the gingerbread man though no one wants to eat the stinky cheese man so they leave him to run by himself and not chase him. Eventually the stinky cheese man dies and there is no moral or resolution. This story is a parody because there is no higher meaning or purpose to the idea of the story.