However, it becomes clear in Hardy's satirical poem that the nameless speaker is envious of Amelia because of the gorgeous clothing she is wearing. This poetry also addresses the subject of money. Those with riches were seen as prominent members of society at this time in history. The speaker calls Amelia a "ruined maid" which means that she is now poor after being rich previously. He also says that she is beautiful which again shows that he is envious of her wealth and position in society. Amelia is known as a beauty so it is not surprising that she has been used as collateral to borrow money from wealthy people. They want to show off their own clothes and possessions by giving money to someone else who will then give it back to them later on. This practice would have helped people get out of debt back then because they could not afford to pay back what was owed them immediately. During this time in history, most people were unable to read or write so anything someone wanted to say down on paper had to be spoken word for word. As you can imagine, this made for some dull speeches! However, others chose to write poems instead which allowed them to express themselves more creatively. One example is Thomas Hardy's Amelia poem which I have already mentioned.