Greed

By luigi_pagano

Tue, 06 Jun 2017
  • 1625 reads
6 comments
 
Among the many cartoons of old
there is one that represents greed.
He is the duck Flintheart Glomgold,
who is a ruthless character indeed.
 
He is the rival of Scrooge McDuck
the richest miser in the whole world.
Both are prepared to take pot luck
in their quest to accumulate gold.
 
Glomgold wears a red and black coat
and a dark tam o’shanter on his head
although Scrooge McDuck can gloat
about a better apparel, blue and red.
 
They met in the Californian gold rush
and amassed an immeasurable pile.  
Of what they achieved they will gush
but their selfish avarice does rile.
 
Because he knows he won’t be skint
McDuck can afford to be more generous
whilst Flintheart keeps hold of his mint
and finds that giving alms is onerous.
 
Because we know they are not real
we tend to dismiss their enterprise
yet we must not condone the zeal
of those who hold the poor in a vise. *
 
© Luigi Pagano 2017
 
* A vise (American English) or vice (British English) is a mechanical apparatus used to secure an object to allow work to be performed on it.
Certificate U
Poem
Are you being versed?
Fantasy
Inspiration Point (work that responds to our weekly writing cue)

Comments

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

haha - that's a brilliant name - Flintheart Glomgold! Great use of the IP Luigi.

One tiny typo - vise - vice, and also that image isn't copyrighted, is it?

 

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

Hello insert.
Technically speaking it isn't a typo: I used the American spelling as we also have readers from oversea.
What I shall do is to put a footnote on the poem to explain it.
As for the image, I thought that as it is not for a commercial purpose the copyright might not apply. To be on the safe side I'll exchange it for another one.
Best, Luigi.

 

  

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

I had no idea there was a US spelling of that word!  

About copyright - there are quite a few categories which you'll usually find next to the image online. Many people don't mind their image being used if a link is provided, some don't mind if it's for non-commercial purposes, and some always want payment, so it's best to always check. It will save you from us pestering you!

 

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

Noted, thank you.

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Interesting to look up about those characters!

I guess it's easy to laugh at a lot of cartoonised faults and not think about any personal application. Interesting the way the characters were made to show that  generosity can go with wealth. Greed and selfishness can go with relative poverty, too, can't it, especially if comparing onself always with those who have more riches. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

Agreed, Rhiannon, but shouldn't that kind of behaviour be defined by the other sin 'envy'?

Luigi x