Formal Essay on "Hymn of Not Much Praise for New York City" by Thomas Merton Robert Pelletier 11th Grade

In his poem Hymn of Not Much Praise for New York City, Thomas Merton effectively describes a society governed by immorality, fueled by materialism, and spawning inhumanity. It is derived from a mindset focused solely on the achievement of wealth, and inspired from stories of rags-to-riches and sudden successes rewarded to hard workers. However, while the American Dream evokes an optimistic outlook from a person, it inspires a lifetime of constant hard work that may not always be paying off. Hymn of Not Much Praise for New York City addresses the immoral effects on the physical and emotional well-being of humanity through the American Dream’s effects on materialism, nature, and humanity’s self-perspective in the physical embodiment of the American Dream in the 20th century.

While much can be said on the idea of materialism in the modern world, it was never so prominent as it was during the era in which the American Dream reigned. The constant need for “more” is a humane flaw that affects those in pursuit of success most strongly. Merton perfectly captures this idea of ceaseless desire in his poem, especially with his descriptions of New York as “rich as a cake, common as a doughnut” (Merton 11). While the American Dream is...