Against Avarice and Luxury

Essay Questions

1. *How does Horace use the contrast between his Sabine farm and the building projects of the wealthy elite to construct his argument against avarice in Against Avarice and Luxury?*

Consider how the poem's structural movement — from what Horace lacks, to what he possesses, to what the greedy man destroys — shapes the reader's moral judgement. (AQA AO1/AO2; IB guiding concept: Self, Identity & Culture)

1. *To what extent is the figure of Death the poem's most persuasive rhetorical weapon in Against Avarice and Luxury?*

Explore how Horace deploys Pluto, Charon, and the impartiality of the grave to undercut the logic of wealth accumulation, and assess whether this argument is more philosophical or emotional in its appeal. (AP Lit Q1 poetry analysis; AQA AO1/AO2)

1. *How does Horace's use of mythological figures — particularly Tantalus — deepen the poem's critique of greed in Against Avarice and Luxury?*

Analyse how classical myth functions not merely as decoration but as a structural argument, and consider what the choice of eternally unsatisfied figures reveals about Horace's view of avarice as a psychological condition rather than simply a moral failing. (AQA AO2; IB guiding concept: Intertextuality)

1. *"Horace condemns the wealthy man and pities him in equal measure." How far does the shifting tone of Against Avarice and Luxury support this reading?*

Trace the movement from serenity to moral indignation to cool detachment across the poem, and evaluate whether the final emotional register is one of triumph, compassion, or something more ambivalent. (AQA AO1/AO2; AP Lit Q1 poetry analysis)

1. *How does Horace present social class and inequality as moral, not merely economic, problems in Against Avarice and Luxury?*

Consider the significance of the evicted families clutching their household gods, the displacement of clients and neighbours, and Horace's own position as a man of modest means who commands the respect of the powerful. (IB guiding concept: Power & Privilege; AQA AO3)

1. *Comparative prompt — To what extent do Against Avarice and Luxury and one other poem you have studied present the pursuit of wealth as ultimately self-defeating?*

In your response, consider how each poet uses imagery, symbol, and structural argument to locate the failure of avarice within the individual rather than in external circumstance. (AQA AO1/AO2/AO3; IB comparative essay)

1. *How does the historical context of Augustan Rome — a period of dramatic wealth accumulation, land displacement, and elite excess — shape the moral urgency of Against Avarice and Luxury?*

Assess the degree to which knowledge of Horace's biographical situation (his Sabine farm, his relationship with Maecenas, the culture of Baiae) is necessary for a full appreciation of the poem's argument, or whether its claims transcend their moment. (AQA AO3; IB guiding concept: Time, Space & Context)

1. *"The symbols in Against Avarice and Luxury do not merely illustrate the poem's argument — they constitute it." How far do you agree?*

Examine the symbolic function of the Sabine farm, the marble building projects, the household gods, and the figure of Charon, considering how each transforms an abstract moral claim into a concrete and emotionally resonant image. (AP Lit Q1 poetry analysis; AQA AO2)