Tevye discusses what he would do if he were a rich man. Note that this musical is set in the year 1905. Many people today would find it staggering to think about what it meant to be rich in 1905. The average poor person in America today has an income that is considerably higher than Tevye’s, and may even be wealthier than the lifestyle Tevye imagines. If I Were a Rich Man is also a good lead-in to the discussion about whether the average college student today is richer than Rockefeller.