1.0 Introduction:
The word “Money” has always been a controversial word. Money itself has caused many wars. In the article, “3 of the biggest historical wars fought over trade” Pamela Hyatt states that “The Opium wars were all about Britain’s access to trade with China”(Hyatt 2016). Hyatt concludes that the influence of money is so powerful that wars are fought over it. By definition, money is “something generally accepted as a medium of exchange, a measure of value, or a means of payment: such as’ ‘(Money, 2022). The question asked in my later report is should something like that be really considered the root of evil? Emily Crane recently stated in an article that “An Oklahoma woman and her 1-year-old daughter were shot dead by her husband in a murder-suicide just nine months after she won $2 million in the lottery”(Crane 2021). Was this simply a coincidence, or was it a happy family corrupted by money? Most people when they hear the word “Money” things like this don’t come to mind. It’s typically Fast sports cars, lavish lifestyles, enormous mansions, and overall great things. “Money” is considered to be a variety of things, but it really comes down to if you use it for good or bad reasons.
1.1 Thesis Statement
A study was conducted to find out how 5 individuals feel about the word “Money”.
2.0 Literature Review
In the article “ Top 12 Words That Make Us Cringe”(Ali 2020) Ali states, “The feeling of cringe we experience when certain words are said or written is down to a psychological curiosity known as word aversion.” (Ali, 2020). In another article “20 Expressions That Make People Cringe” Illuminati states “Just because people use a phrase or term, that doesn’t mean they’re using it correctly, or even pronouncing it correctly. Everyday, people use or overuse idioms, expressions and slang that makes other people’s skin crawl.”(Illuminati 2017). Together these articles describe what cringe is, and provide examples of where it originates. Cringe is not the only emotion that can arise from a Taboo word. Occasionally, “Money” sometimes isn’t mentioned due to the sole reason it can make people feel awful based on their income. Other times, it’s mentioned to brag or boast about how much money someone makes. There is no single characteristic that can be pinned to the word. Some feel disturbed by it, and others tend to love it. Some people hate or feel malice towards it. To find out if “Money” is truly the root of all evil, five individuals were interviewed giving their thoughts.

3.0 Methods
3.1 Description of Research Tools
To conduct this research phone calls were scheduled with each of the participants. These were the following questions provided to them: “How does the word “Money” make you feel, and why does it make you feel like that?” and “Do you think “Money” is the root of all evil? Why or why not?”
3.2 Description of Participants
All the participants were 18-year-old African American Male Old Dominion University, freshman students.
3.3 Description of Data Collection
The data was collected through separate phone calls with each participant. Each participant was asked: “How does the word “Money” make you feel, and why does it make you feel like that?” Each participant was also asked “Do you think “Money” is the root of all evil? Why or why not?” During the interviews, the participant’s responses were documented in a notepad.


4.0 Results

Participant(s)
Feelings about the word money
Participants 1,3,5
Good
Participant4
Stable
Participant 2
Fantastic

Figure 1. The number of participants and how they feel about the word money.

Participant(s)
Is money evil and why?
Participant 1
“Yes money can get to your mind and do crazy things”
Participant 2
“Yes people can’t live without it”


Participant 3
“No, because money isn’t evil it’s what you do with it”


Participant 4
“No, but people can do evil things with it”


Participant 5
“Nah but, if it gets in the wrongs hands it can be evil”



Figure 2. The number of participants and do they think money is evil and why.

The results of the interviews are surprisingly similar. For the question “How does the word “Money” make you feel?” Participants 1, 3, and 5 all said the word “Money” “makes them feel good”. Participants 4 said it makes them feel stable, and Participant 2 stated“ It makes them feel fantastic.” Based on the responses the word “Money” gives a completely positive response. Their reasoning was different for almost each person. Participants 4 and 5 both explained “It is because they can buy things.” Participants 1 said “Without money you can’t do a lot of things.” Participants 2 and 3 said “They like having their pockets full of money”. Based on the response of Participants 4 and 5, people that have more versatility in income or desires can get more in life. For the final question, the responses were split. Participants 1 and 2 said, yes “Money” is the root of evil. However 3,4 and 5 said no. Participant 1 said “People will do crazy things for it”. Participant 2 said “Some people can’t live without money and that’s not a good thing”. 3, 4, and 5 all had a similar view that: “Money is not evil, but people can do evil things with it”.

5.0 Discussion
Subsequently, after collecting the data, everyone had positive feelings toward the word “Money”. Whether it’s the feeling of their pockets being full or the opportunities they can make with it, hearing the word “Money” invoked positive feelings for everyone in the interviews. In conclusion, the answer to the question of “Is Money the Root of Evil?” is based truly on how an individual experiences life. During the interviews, some participants felt that it is the root of evil, others felt it isn’t, so there really isn’t one true definite answer. Gathering everything from the research we can conclude money is not the root of all evil, but it can be. Everyone has a different view/opinion on the matter.
6.0 Works Cited:
Pamela, Hyatt. “3 of the biggest historical wars fought over trade” April 15, 2016, https://www.tradeready.ca/2016/global_trade_tales/3-biggest-historical-wars-fought-over-trade/

Dictionary https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/money

Emily, Crane.”Mom, daughter killed by husband in murder-suicide months after winning $2M lottery” August 10 2021 https://nypost.com/2021/08/10/man-kills-wife-daughter-in-murder-suicide-after-lotto-win/

Ali. “Top 12 words that make us cringe (and why they give us the ick)” July 15, 2020
https://wordsbyali.com/top-12-words-that-make-us-cringe/

Chris, Illuminati. “20 Expressions that make people cringe” September 19, 2017
https://www.oddee.com/list/20-expressions-make-people-cringe/

7.0 Reflection
I did well with the 3.3 Data Collection. My method for gathering the opinions of the participants went smoothly. Each participant was able to answer the questions quickly and precisely. I was able to collect all the information accurately and organized it into tables. In the 4.0 Results section. I definitely can work on my Introduction. I feel like my 1.0 Introduction was a little rushed and I could have done much better with it. I also think I could have improved my thesis statement some more. For the thesis statement, I could have got something with more impact. There are definitely spots around the essay where I can add more detail to. In the works cited section I think I could have done better with the dictionary citation. I tried looking up how to cite the dictionary, but I couldn’t find anything helpful. Overall I have a lot of fun doing this essay.