Life is often referred to as a roller coaster. Sudden rises and falls, twists and turns when you least expect them. Similar to a heart monitor the way it jumps and drops with your heartbeat. But what if it were just a flat line? Well if we're referring to your heart monitor of course that would mean you are no longer alive. But metaphorically, this could mean the absence of ups and downs throughout your life here on Earth, means you aren't really living. But no one ever talks about what happens if your life stays on a steady downward line. Life is always referred to as a roller coaster but for some maybe that ride ends at the bottom of the drop, never to rise again. I believe that the poems "Greed" by Philip Schultz and "The Secretary Chant" by Marge Piercy are contrasting deeply in the sense that "Greed" shows the rollercoaster effect maintaining a sense of hope and understanding of happiness while "The Secretary Chant" shows the dark side of society as rock bottom - a place where there is no light at the end of the tunnel.
Social Class is a recurring topic in the discussion of happiness. Almost the way gravity holds us down to Earth it seems as if where we come from holds us down to that level of success and no matter how high we jump we're immediately pulled back down. This undoubtedly can lead to despair and feeling hopeless in an unforgiving world. In his poem "Greed", Philip Schultz tells a story of someone who seems to be affected greatly by social class in a negative way. He says, "My father imagined a life more satisfying than the one he managed to lead. He didn't see himself as uneducated, thwarted, or bitter, but soon-to-be rich. Being rich was his right, he believed." (1041). This is relevant to everyone because who does not feel as if they deserve to be rich? I would say the majority of people honestly believe that they work harder and better than the people who make more money than them.