discussion post on Poetry

 There was indeed a poem that immediately grabbed my attention. That poem was “Guys Like That.” Sutphen gives readers a reminder of the costs entailed in becoming rich. Naturally, it’s not a monetary cost. Sutphen wrote, “Guys who look like that — / so clean and cool — are quietly moving / money across the border, cooking books, / making deals that leave some people / rich and some people poorer” (“Guys Like That”, ll. 14-18). What Sutphen is saying is the cost of becoming that rich, the ones people admire and aspire to be like, is humanity and empathy.

            With rare exceptions, becoming so wealthy as to, “Drive very nice cars” means a person has to be willing to disregard other human beings along the way (Sutphen, “Guys Like That”, l. 1). In the beginning of the poem, it almost seems as if Sutphen is making the case for these sorts of men being similar to every other man, but as the writing progresses, so to does Sutphen’s criticisms of these men.

            Being rich is a fairly common goal in the United States. It’s part of the American Dream, to be so wealthy you can afford what you like, when you like. People overestimate the amount of wealth needed to have this lifestyle, and in fact, after a certain point, money can no longer provide happiness. It simply becomes excess. Someone buys four vehicles because they can. Someone buys a yacht because they can. The items don’t bring further joy to their life, it’s simply a collection, and, as Sutphen points out, the real cost of men like them owning these items is the suffering of their fellow human beings.