Topic > The Values ​​of Life in "Boy" by P. Staunton

Although some may evaluate the value of a life based on intrinsic values, the qualitative nature of those values ​​themselves make it difficult to make an objective comparison. The value of a life, therefore, is best defined through the parameter of the quantifiable: measures such as material wealth, overall achievement, and the contribution an individual makes to society at large. Percy “Boy” Staunton fits this description best in the world of Fifth Business. As a seasoned business magnate and later as Minister of Food during the Second World War, Percy's contributions and his contribution to guiding the Canadian economy far exceed the value of Dunstan's contributions to the academic sphere. He was also instrumental in the life of Dunstan Ramsay himself, to whom he provided the “financial advice and… modest financial security” (Cameron 92) necessary to finance Dunstan's expeditions around the world. Even in his personal life, the combination of Dunstan's social ineptitude and Percy's natural extroversion gave Percy a social advantage, thus exposing him to a world of things that Dunstan never had the opportunity to experience. Although Dunstan gained a wealth of experience in Deptford and in his travels around the world, it is easy to see how Percy "Boy" Staunton lived a life of greater value in all quantifiable ways. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay According to American academic Leo Calvin Rosten, "The purpose of life is to be useful... it is, above all, to matter and matter, to represent something, to have made a difference in living." In Fifth Business, Percy Boy Staunton embodied this definition in ways that Dunstan never did, and made a significant contribution to the well-being of average Canadians “though not many people knew it” (Davies 141). As president and CEO of Alpha Corporation, and later as Ministry of Food under the Coalition Cabinet, Percy was solely responsible for keeping the country fed in its times of greatest need. During the Great Depression, for example, Percy “kept the price of bread stable” (Davies 142) and “focused on necessities…in times like these, people need cheap, nutritious food.” (Davies 142). He later applied a similar principle as Minister of Food in World War II, and “put all the resources of his Alpha Corporation… to the task of feeding Canada (and) fueling its armed forces” (Davies 182). In contrast, Dunstan devoted his entire life to hagiography (the study of saints), which, while laudable, has little or no value to the general public. The banality of Dunstan's contributions is highlighted by his colleagues' indifference to “his acceptance by Analecta; (who) stared blankly, like cows at a passing train, and went on talking about Brebner's extraordinary hole-in-one the day before” (Davies 158). While Percy's food achievements may not have had the same level of intellectual insight as Dunstan's notes on Wilgefortis-Kummernis required, Percy's shrewd and innovative practices in the food industry were certainly of greater value to the general population than were ever Dunstan's. Although a reader If greater importance were to be placed on Dunstan's achievements, it could be argued that "Dunstan's outward journey is accomplished largely through the effect on him of his relationship with Percy Boyd Staunton" (Cameron 92) . As his confidant and sole financial advisor, Dunstan depended on the advice of.+