The Imagery of Men - “What Is Man?”
Old Man expounds, “There are gold men, and tin men, and copper men, and leaden men, and steel men, and so on—and each has the limitations of his nature, his heredities, his training, and his environment. You can build engines out of each of these metals, and they will all perform, but you must not require the weak ones to do equal work with the strong ones. In each case, to get the best results, you must free the metal from its obstructing prejudicial ones by education—smelting, refining, and so forth.” The citation of metals validates the assertion about men being equivalent to machines. Different metals allude to the diversity of men which cannot be disregarded for metals are derived from diverse ores. Correspondingly, humans are disparate depending on biological and external aspects which figure in their personas.
The Imagery of Alexander Hamilton - “Man's Sole Impulse—the Securing of His Own Approval”
Old man recounts, “Alexander Hamilton was a conspicuously high-principled man. He regarded dueling as wrong, and as opposed to the teachings of religion—but in deference to public opinion he fought a duel. He deeply loved his family, but to buy public approval he treacherously deserted them and threw his life away, ungenerously leaving them to lifelong sorrow in order that he might stand well with a foolish world. In the then condition of the public standards of honor he could not have been comfortable with the stigma upon him of having refused to fight. The teachings of religion, his devotion to his family, his kindness of heart, his high principles, all went for nothing when they stood in the way of his spiritual comfort.” Hamilton sabotages his philosophies due to the persuasiveness of public views. He deviously inconveniences his household with the intent of astonishing the public. His mannerism corroborates that man’s unconscious focus is comfort. He ditches all the principles he formerly sanctioned for they are deleterious to his intent. Accordingly, approval can stimulate engagements that are inconsistent with a man’s venerable philosophy.
