The Pursuit of Happiness in Rasselas

615 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The Pursuit of Happyness themes

The central theme in Rasselas is the choice of life, or as I will refer to it, the pursuit of happiness. This is a theme that is as old as time itself, nobody really seems happy with the cards they are dealt in life and are always trying to better their situation. Just what does it take to be happy; wealth and luxury, imagination and solitude, or is happiness even real. Prince Rasselas is set on finding the answer to this question. This essay will look at the relationship between imagination and happiness, and the benefits and dangers that go along with the imaginative faculty.
Rasselas knows he wants to leave the Happy Valley in order to find happiness, but this dream in itself shows one of the downsides of too much imagination. “I have seen the sun rise and set for twenty months, an idle gazer on the light of heaven… I only have made no advances, but am still helpless and ignorant… I sat feasting on intellectual luxury” (15). He spends hours in solitude imagining what the outside world must be like. Rasselas suddenly realizes that he is wasting time that could have been employed ...

Show More
Related

  • How Did F Scott Fitzgerald Use Paradoxes In Winter Dreams

    976 Words  | 2 Pages

    Dreams prove as a powerful, motivating force, propelling an individual forward into real achievements in life. Conversely, dreams can transpire as blatantly artificial. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “Winter Dreams” depicts the story of Dexter Green, a young man who dreams of achievements and works hard in a real, non-illusionary world to win them. His work in this plain, unromantic world brings him ever closer to the dream world he so desperately wants, while at the same time the dreams show themselves as decaying or empty. Unfortunately, this does not cure him of dreaming and does not push him to abandon his dreams in favor of a healthier attitude. When Dexter embodies all of his dreams in the beautiful Judy Jones, her fickle attitude and the inevitability of her aging destroys Dexter’s dream world and dries up the source of his achievements. The author, using paradoxes, shows Judy Jones differently through Dexter’s eyes, and reinforces the theme of illusion versus reality.

    Read More

  • The Sniper by Liam O'Flaherty

    411 Words  | 1 Pages

    This extract emphasises the lonely, outworld feeling that would have been felt living in such settings. This puts into perspective the feeling that will be felt during the coarse of the plot development.

    Read More

  • Psychoanalytical Criticism of The Swimmer by John Cheever

    1435 Words  | 3 Pages

    Then he has a vision of home, "where his four beautiful daughters would have had their lunch and might be playing tennis" and sees himself as free to be an explorer. In starting his journey he walks away from reality and enters a fantasy world where he is a great explorer about to conquer the Lucinda River that he names after his wife. In reality he ignored his wife, engaged in adulte...

    Read More

  • The American Dream in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men

    1167 Words  | 3 Pages

    The novel explores the predatory nature of human existence. It explores loneliness, isolation and friendship. A major theme is that of the illusionary nature of 'Dreams'. In particular, 'The American Dream'.

    Read More

  • Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics

    1144 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ust be happiness. Furthermore, he asserts that since we must start from our own experience, we must be brought up in fine habits to be more easily capable of fine things. Chapter five elaborates on this point, proposing that people reach their interpretations of happiness according to the kinds of lives they lead. Three kinds of lives are introduced. The first is of the many, who see happiness as pleasure, and this concept is dismissed as vulgar and only suitable for animals. Second is the cultivated, who are active in politics and see happiness as having honour. However, this too is dismissed as superficial, as being honoured depends on others opinions. The cause of honour, virtue, is considered as well, but also dismissed as possessing virtue does not equate to happiness. Third is the life of study, which is postponed, perhaps for another book in this work.

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby and the American Dream

    1547 Words  | 4 Pages

    This novel is a great novel to give an example on how reality is to people even the high class. Through the discussion of the passage, poem and scholarly article will show how the path towards the American Dream can turn into a negative or positive outcome in a person’s life.

    Read More

  • No

    972 Words  | 2 Pages

    Through the book, Night, the author conveys the idea that the desire to reach a dream can allow an individual to overcome all their adversity. Whereas, when there is a loss of hope, there is a loss of a goal. Keeping faith and holding on to their dreams are beneficial, for they provide individuals with the strength necessary to keep carrying on all the weight of their pain and sufferings. The desire to succeed is essential if an individual hopes to achieve any dream, whether that dream is as small as passing an exam or as large as surviving in a concentration camp. The power to overcome every adversity lies deep within every individual; one must simply reach inside and grasp it.

    Read More

  • Thomas Aquinas on the Pursuit of Happiness

    1633 Words  | 4 Pages

    In this paper I will look at Thomas Aquinas’ discussion from the Summa Contra Gentiles Book III Chapters 27 to 37 examining the pursuit of happiness and the ultimate source of happiness. I will first discuss the various kinds of happiness which Aquinas describes in the Contra Gentiles and how they may appear at first sight to satisfy the definition of happiness. I will then look at why he refutes these pursuits as the true source of happiness. Secondly, I will look at how the knowledge of God, to Aquinas is the ultimate source of happiness for man even though a full understanding is unattainable in this life. I will then defend this argument which I feel supports that happiness is linked to God and why I believe it is a valid argument.

    Read More

  • Virtue and Happiness

    1466 Words  | 3 Pages

    Happiness is the goal of every human beings according to Aristotle, however what does happiness imply? It is in his attempt to define happiness and to find a way to attain it that Aristotle comes across the idea of virtue. It is thus necessary to explain the relationship between these two terms. I will start by defining the good and virtue and then clarify their close link with the argument of function, I will then go into more details in explaining the different ways in which they are closely related and finally I am going to give an account of the apparent contradiction in Book X which is a praise of the life of study.

    Read More

  • Pursuit of Happyness: Narrative Essay

    829 Words  | 2 Pages

    The movie Pursuit of Happyness shows how a person became a homeless then eventually how he survived from being a homeless. Then, to being a multi millionaire. Even though he experienced how hard life can be he still pursued to reach his goals in his life for his son. This movie shows how a homeless person stand up and pursue to be successful.

    Read More

  • Aristotle On Happiness And Virtue Essay

    670 Words  | 2 Pages

    The pursuit for happiness has been a quest for man throughout the ages. In his ethics, Aristotle argues that happiness is the only thing that the rational man desires for its own sake, thus, making it good and natural. Although he lists three types of life for man, enjoyment, statesman, and contemplative, it is the philosopher whom is happiest of all due to his understanding and appreciation of reason. Aristotle’s version of happiness is not perceived to include wealth, honor, or trivial

    Read More

  • Happiness Is A Choice

    910 Words  | 2 Pages

    Happiness is an inner state of well-being and fulfilment, and therefore it has to come from inside. Every individual has his or her own emotions and way of thinking and as a result of this no one can really say what happiness is and what happiness is not. However, universally, happiness is a by-product of a healthy attitude and viewpoint. Happiness exists in everyone whether they choose to acknowledge and believe it or not. It is not rare nor is it something only the elite have: everyone has it but not everyone recognizes it. Contentment is finding a light at the end of every dark tunnel and in order to experience this we must ignore the pessimism surrounding us and remind ourselves that happiness is not a materialistic object but a choice and frame of mind.

    Read More

  • The Definition of Happiness

    481 Words  | 1 Pages

    According to Webster dictionary the word Happiness in defined as Enjoying, showing, or marked by pleasure, satisfaction, or joy. People when they think of happiness, they think about having to good feeling inside. There are many types of happiness, which are expressed in many ways. Happiness is something that you can't just get it comes form your soul. Happiness is can be changed through many things that happen in our every day live.

    Read More

  • The Pursuit of Happiness

    1131 Words  | 3 Pages

    What does it mean to be happy? Happiness is a sensation that people want to have, and a lot of it. Above all else in the world, it’s what we seek and long for. Though this feeling can be found in many different places and at many different times, it isn’t easy to acquire. For some people, happiness might be found in exercise and sustaining good health. On the other hand, others can discover it when they go on vacation and relax. The idea here is that we each have our own things that make us happy.

    Read More

  • The Pursuit of Happiness

    596 Words  | 2 Pages

    For our Economics subject, we watched The Pursuit of Happyness, a movie based on Chris Gardner, a salesman who was not making that much money and eventually experiences homelessness with his five-year old son. He faces problems when his wife is unwilling to accept his goal to become a stockbroker and leaves him. However, he perseveres even under all this stress.

    Read More

More about The Pursuit of Happiness in Rasselas

Open Document