Life at the Top in America

Life at the Top in America Isn’t Just Better, It’s Longer.
By Janny Scott (May, 2005, The New York Times)

This article has three main characters: Jean G. Miele, Will L. Wilson, and Ewa R. These three individuals, are all suffering from the symptoms of heart attack and are all hospitalized. If it’s a reoccurring incident with their heart attacks, they are in very severe risk of dying from a 3rd strike, thus they try to keep a dietary regiment, exercise regularly and not smoke, which has been ordered by their respective cardiologists to prevent setbacks such as another stroke. It’s very hard change your lifestyle to being healthy as Mr. Wilson found out “"People in my circle, they don't look at food as, you know, too much fat in it," Mr. Wilson said. "I don't think it's going to change. It's custom.”, he even traced his first heart attack back to his diet quoting “He traced his first heart attack to his smoking, his diet and the stress from a grueling divorce.”

Jean, an architect, comes from the upper middle class in New York. He has enough wealth to support himself and the family by running his own business, so that he can enjoy plenty of leisure time without stress that could come from having to work longer hours and having less funds to support the family.

Wilson is a member of the middle class in New York, and he works for the consolidated Edison Office as a worker for nearly 30 years. When he got the heart attack, he wanted to go to the Brooklyn Hospital, which is run by the city.

Ewa belongs to the working class in New York because she works as a housekeeper. As an immigrant, she has too poor of English skills to understand about her disease symptoms, and is unable to explain to the doctor what she felt when she suffered the heart attack.
I think Janny Scott who wrote the article is trying to give people room to think, that classes among society as well have outstanding effect for people and what they eat, exercise and get medical attention. Of course people at the “top” have better benefits and quality care in most countries, but there is also so much one can do to take care of their own body.

An Inspector Calls
By J.B. Priestley (Set in 1912, written in 1945)

I think in many aspects the theme presented in the play, although nearly a century old do carry a lot of relevance in society today. At least to varying degrees.

If we look at the ending, it’s one that feeds many people’s curiosities even to this and so a reader could argue, that it is a very enjoyable ending and even with teaching us that everyone must face their consequences and that “We don’t live alone . We are members of the body” is quite and interesting perspective.

I also think that it shows that life is a wonderful place and that we should cherish the things, that we have around us and sometimes take for granted, by showing of what life would be without health care, there are millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths left in this world. The conflicts in the family is another issue that the play takes up quite smoothly “You’re not the kind of father a chap could go to”, again something that could relate to society today quite easily.

Where I find the play to be most valuable today is with the presence of prejudice viewpoints on women and lower class, where I believe there is still so much work to be done to enlighten this issue. In the play it comes out in “Girl aren’t cheap labor. They’re people” and “…as if a girl of that sort would ever refuse money?”